"If differences in the performance of males and females in the general population are small, why do more males end up at the top in science and mathematics - and, at the same time, more males appear at the bottom of the barrel in schools, labeled as impaired and assigned to special education classes?"

'...greater variability among males means that more academic stars, those at the extreme right end of the normal curve, are apt to be males.'

Females now take as many high school classes in mathematics and science as males do.

One of the more controversial issues addressed by the AAUW (1992) report was based on "call out" research, i.e., a study of the extent to which boys vs. girls call out answers to questions which teachers pose to the class.

One of the more controversial issues addressed by the AAUW (1992) report was based on "call out" research, i.e., a study of the extent to which boys vs. girls call out answers to questions which teachers pose to the class. The report concluded that boys called out answers more frequently than girls. Further, they reported that teachers' typical reaction to boys was to listen to the comment, while girls were usually told, "Please raise your hand if you want to speak" (p. 68).

A 1999 U.S. News and World Report article reported that, at an increasing rate, college-student populations in all types of postsecondary institutions have higher proportions of women, while young men are tending towards lucrative early employment and economic independence.

Kleinfeld (1998, p. 29) also emphasized that at the postsecondary level " ...a gender gap exists and is increasing.

"In 1995,...women won 55 percent of the bachelor's degrees and 55 percent of the master's degrees. Among African-Americans, the gender gap in favor of females is far larger. In 1995, African-American men won only 36 percent of bachelor's degrees and only 34 percent of master's degrees.