In OECD countries gender gaps in educational careers of students have mostly been closed but significant gender differences persist in standardised test achievements across subjects as well as in the chosen field of study for tertiary education. Across countries, the average performance of boys in mathematics is higher than the average performance of girls in the same subject; the opposite is true in reading. At the post-secondary level, women tend to concentrate in fields of study such as education and humanities while they are under-represented in science, technology engineering and mathematics. This situation not only contributes to gender gaps in labour market outcomes but also limits the existing talent pool in all fields thus hindering innovation and economic growth.

Within the work programme of its Gender Initiative, the OECD would like to explore further what lies behind these gender differences through an empirical analysis of the longitudinal data attached to the PISA 2000 surveys (PISA-L from now on, for Siwtzerland: TREE) that have been collected in Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Uruguay. A background paper will be prepared for each country and the results will feed into the next report of the Gender Initiative (scheduled for May 2012).