Gender Gaps in Early Childhood Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Samuel Berlinski, Anna Sanz-de-Galdeano () and Alba Sóñora-Noya ()
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Anna Sanz-de-Galdeano: Universidad de Alicante
Alba Sóñora-Noya: University College London

No 17837, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We examine gender gaps in early childhood cognitive and social-behavioral skills across several Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Our study complements previous research focused on older children by analyzing the preschool period, a critical stage for lifelong human capital formation. We find that the female advantage commonly observed in school-aged children’s achievement, as well as in high school enrollment and completion in both high-income and LAC countries, is also frequently evident in early childhood within our sample of LAC countries. On average, girls outperform boys in various developmental measures and are less likely to exhibit externalizing behaviors. Furthermore, these gender gaps generally remain stable across the distributions of developmental outcomes. Unlike findings for older children in high-income countries, our results suggest that during early childhood in LAC, boys and girls do not show differential benefits from socioeconomic status or a more favorable home environment.

Keywords: parental investments; gender; early childhood development; family disadvantage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I24 I25 J13 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-04
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Published - published in: Economics and Human Biology, 2025, 57, 101472

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