Girls have less spatial experience than boys on average

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‍Men consistently outperform women on a subset of spatial skills, primarily mental rotation. These skills are most vital in STEM subdivisions with the fewest women, such as engineering, physics, and computer science. Women’s under-performance in this skill is often cited as an underlying cause of the under-representation of women in STEM fields.

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The spatial skills are trainable, and individuals with experience with spatial hobbies will develop strong spatial skills regardless of gender. Case studies indicate that the gender gap is minimized or disappears when men and women have similar spatial experience. Boys are also not born with better spatial skills: the gender gap is not present in preschool, but typically emerges around ages 6-8, tripling in size by the end of adolescence. By adulthood, the spatial gap is so robust that women are three times more likely to struggle with visuospatial reasoning than men.

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‍This discrepancy exists in the absence of formalized curricula, and boys receive disproportionate training through greater participation in spatially intensive hobbies, including specific sports, action and shooter video games, and construction-toy gameplay. Research previously estimated that boys receive up to 1,100 hours more spatial training than girls​ (6 months of full-time experience) through hobby choices by age 18.

‍Providing young students with standardized training can effectively minimize or eliminate this gap while improving all student’s skills. Even short duration interventions in adulthood can quickly bring women up to par with the male average, and low-performing individuals typically see the biggest gains.

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Spatial training also has a profound impact on women’s STEM retention. A 14-year study from Michigan Technological University showed that providing just 10-20 hours of spatial training to underperforming first-year engineering students was sufficient to lift their scores to match their classmates. It also increased female engineering retention by 20-30%. Follow-up studies have confirmed that spatial intervention programs have substantial, positive effects on women’s engineering and STEM retention. These initiatives were so effective that Michigan Tech and a few other institutions have since incorporated spatial training directly into their curricula.

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‍Other marginalized students lack spatial opportunities too

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‍The spatial gap is not only an issue of gender: students from low socio-economic status groups also underperform in comparison to their wealthier peers. This gap is larger than the gender skills gap. Disadvantaged students have less opportunity to engage with spatial reasoning outside of the classroom, and therefore have less opportunity in STEM domains.

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Unfortunately, the legacy of institutionalized racism in the US has resulted in substantial income disparities falling along racial lines. Thus, improving educational opportunities for low income students has serious implications for supporting diversity in STEM initiatives. Ensuring all students have the skills to succeed in STEM is vital not only in terms of equity, but also for the development of ethical and inclusive technology.

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