Gender gaps in educational outcomes among children of new migrants: the role of social integration from a comparative perspective.

Abstract

This article reviews current research on gender gaps in educational outcomes among children of new migrants (first, 1.5, and second generation) from a comparative cross-national perspective. The article, examines the relevance for the educational sociology literature the potential explanations for why gendered differences in educational outcomes among immigrants (vis-à-vis non-migrants) continue to occur, focusing on individual, schooling and institutional factors. For example, while gender gaps in expectations and aspirations as well as some cognitive outcomes are increasing (reading ability is considerably higher among females) and shrinking in specific subjects (e.g. math and science ability is slightly higher among boys), that process often has been less explored within and across immigrant vis-à-vis non-immigrant students. We show that, in some countries, gender gaps among disadvantaged ethnic minorities (in relation to other groups) continue to persist and are exacerbated by institutional factors. These disadvantages vary not only across different educational systems and at different rates over time, but are also based on students' social background. Overall, we argue that these educational inequalities are key to understand not only the socio-economic and future political adaptation of migrants and their children but also future social policy developments in the European Union context