Sex differences in the intellectual functioning of early school-aged children in rural China.

Chao Li,Shaonong Dang,Jing Zhou,Yang Yang,Hong Yan,Ni Zhu,Yijun Kang,Lingxia Zeng

doi:10.1186/s12889-016-2956-6

Abstract

BackgroundGender disparities in China are concentrated in poor rural areas and among poor households. The difference in intelligence between boys and girls is less clear in rural China. The purpose of this paper was to assess sex differences in the intellectual function of early school-aged children in rural China.MethodsOne thousand seven hundred forty four early school-aged offspring of women who had participated in a prenatal supplementation trial with different combinations of micronutrients and continued to reside in two rural counties in China were followed. We measured their Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ), Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), Working Memory Index (WMI), Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) and Processing Speed Index (PSI) using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV). Multilevel analyses were used to assess sex differences in intellectual functioning in 7-10-year-old children in rural China.ResultsBoys’ adjusted mean FSIQ score was 0.97 points higher (95 % CI: -2.22 − 0.28) than that of girls. Girls obtained higher mean WMI and PSI scores, with 1.32 points (95 % CI: 0.14 − 2.51) and 3.10 points (95 % CI: 1.82–4.38) higher adjusted means, respectively. Boys’ adjusted mean VCI and PRI scores were significantly higher than those of girls, and the mean differences were 2.44 points (95 % CI: 0.95 − 3.94) and 3.68 points (95 % CI: 2.36 − 5.01), respectively.ConclusionsThere is no evidence to suggest sex differences in the general intelligence of early school-aged children in rural China. However, a difference in general intelligence between 10-year-old boys and girls was evident. Girls and boys in rural China tended to show different specific cognitive abilities.

Highlights

Gender disparities in China are concentrated in poor rural areas and among poor households
One study revealed that males obtained significantly higher Full-Scale intelligence quotient (IQ) (FSIQ) scores than females in a Chinese urban preschool sample [9]; few studies assessed the sex difference in intelligence in rural China
The proportions of educational level, occupational classification of parents, household socioeconomic status, prenatal history of pneumonia, prenatal micronutrient supplementation type, gestational age at birth and mean age of children did not differ by sex of children

Summary

Introduction

Gender disparities in China are concentrated in poor rural areas and among poor households. The purpose of this paper was to assess sex differences in the intellectual function of early school-aged children in rural China. Since the early years of the twentieth century, it has been consistently asserted that there is no sex difference in average general intelligence, defined as the sum of cognitive abilities measured by individuals’ IQ scores obtained on tests [2]. This consensus has been challenged by a developmental theory of sex differences in intelligence. In this paper, we aim to assess sex differences in the intellectual functioning of early school-aged children in rural China, where sons are preferred

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Conclusion