Males and females equal in math

Males and females equal in math
http://www.sciencedaily.eom/releases/2011/12/111212153123.html
A new study of international data on school mathematics
performance debunks the myth that males are better
than females at math due to biology. The researchers state
that the differences in math scores are due to sociocultural
factors that differ among countries. The study was published
in Notices of the American Mathematical Society Dec. 12, 2011,
authored by Janet Mertz, PhD and Jonathan Kane, PhD from the
University of Wisconsin. The study used data from 86 countries
from the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science
Study and the 2009 Programme in International Student Assessment.
The researchers found that boys and girls tend to do better in
countries where females have better equality. The United States
only ranked 31st in the 2009 Programme in International Student
Assessment, below most Western and East-Asian countries.
The researchers recommended increasing the number of mathcertified
teachers in middle and high schools, decreasing the
number of children living in poverty and ensuring gender equality.
It seems like the U.S. should have ranked higher than 31, but the
U.S. also ranked 31st in the 2009 Global Gender Gap Report.
It would be interesting to see where the US students rank today now
that the US has improved to 19 in the Global Gender Gap Report.
The researchers felt gender inequality was the main reason for
poorer math scores for both sexes.