1. Why do fewer girls than boys pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math? It's not because of any inherent gender differences in ability. Villanova University psychologist Nicole Else-Quest, PhD, and colleagues looked at international statistics on math and science performance from nearly 500,000 students ages 14 to 16. On average, they found that gender differences on math abilities were negligible. But looking at the nations individually, girls performed better in countries where women are wealthier, more educated and politically involved. Perspective: