Part II in a series exploring gender differences in child development. This week: ages 1-7
Last week we compared the developmental milestones of baby girls and boys, and concluded that among babies, popular sentiment (boys lag behind girls) holds little truth. This news was received with disbelief by many of the moms who read about it on our Facebook fan page. So it’s interesting to see that when we look beyond babyhood, there is clear evidence to back up their incredulity: according to our data, girls do indeed take the lead — between the ages of 1 and 7.
Here’s the story:
Boys Lag Behind in Potty Training
If our community discussions on the topic of potty training are an accurate indicator, the transition from diapers is a struggle for many kids and parents. Pediatricians and experts often counsel parents that waiting and watching for specific signs of potty training readiness in a child will shorten the process, but there are many who say that a determined parent can still accelerate it.
With that framework in mind, we’re seeing that either boys are ready later or that parents of boys are less likely to succeed at accelerating the process. Girls are out of diapers, on average, a full two and a half months earlier than their brothers (a savings of roughly $120 in diapers!). The average age of potty training in girls is 2 years, 9.5 months, as compared to 3 years for boys.
By the age of 2, about a third (32%) of girls are potty trained as compared to only 20% of boys. A year later, 68% of girls have wiggled out of their nappies for good, compared to 52% of three year-old boys.
Boys Are Longer in the Tooth
While the age of successful potty training–and our stats on it–may be influenced by parenting styles, few would argue that mom and dad have much impact on when the tooth fairy will be called to duty. And so it is with milk teeth: on average girls lose them a full month and a half earlier than boys. By the age of 6, 66% of girls have a gap-toothed smile, compared to 57% of boys.
In light of our finding that boy babies teethe their way to first teeth earlier than girl babies. it’s interesting to note that they also hold on to them longer. We invite all evolutionary biologists who are reading this to speculate on the reasons.
Girls are Ready for School Earlier–and Parents Know It
Do the findings on physical development extend to the milestones of school readiness? The answer is yes–and no.
Parents of boys with birthdays that place them in the youngest cohort of a kindergarten class may be relieved to learn that they are on equal footing with same-age girls: according to our data, boys and girls learn to read on very similar timelines, with children of both genders achieving this horizon-widening milestone within the same span of time (4-7) and at the same average age (between 5 and 5 and a half).
But when we drill down into the pre-academic skills that kids tend to hone in preschool, the storied gender gap appears: girls are clear frontrunners at reciting the alphabet, counting, and writing their own names.
On average:
• Girls learn their ABC’s at 2 years 6 months, which is almost two months earlier than boys. By the age of 2 1/2, half of girls know their ABC’s, compared to just 42% of boys.
• Girls start counting at 2 years 7 months, which is almost two months before boys. By the age of 2, 30% of girls can enumerate in order, compared to just 21% of boys.
• Girls write their own names at 4 years 2 months, which is about two months earlier than boys. By the age of 4, a girl is 35% more likely to have written her own name than a boy (38% of girls and 27% of boys).
Perhaps in recognition of their relative precociousness, parents tend to enroll their daughters in preschool slightly earlier than boys, at an average age of 2 years 9 months compared to 2 years 10 months for boys. And a few years later, when it’s time for kindergarten, this month can balloon into an entire year, as parents all over the country opt to hold their boys back from grammar school until they’re more mature (See Babble’s article on red shirting.)
Next week we’ll report on what happens to this gender gap as kids mature through their school years. In the meantime, let us know if our findings are reflected–or not–in your experiences.
so, are you examining differences between sexes or genders? this article seems to be about differences in sexes of children, but “gender” keeps being tossed about.
Im curious to know how the study was conducted in terms of potty training. Is it at all possible that its more often than not that its the mother who is at home with the children so therefore it may be easier for a mother to potty train a little girl because she is of the same sex and is able to relate to her more as opposed to a mother teaching her son to use the potty?
jacki i would think that the sexes and gender they are talking about is exactly the same thing…
the both refer to the male/female…
That is true! Their are single mothers because, Girls have sex to be mature, boys have sex because they can,she falls in love,he gets to have a knotch on his belt,then she has the responsibility of raising a child, while he goes to the next one.
This is interesting to me. My son (8 yrs old) and my daughter (17 months old) are very different, yet very alike as well. Kaylee does seem to be catching on to things faster than Michael, but it could be argued that’s because she’s around her older and younger brothers, as well as more adults (I raised Michael as a single parent). But I do find this interesting.
I don’t completely agree with all of the info and it seems a little sexist, I think if a boy has a “FATHER” in his life he’s also more able to succeed as I’ve had no problems potty training my son and he has his dad in his life fully. Where as my best friends son the same age (born about 2 weeks apart) is still trying to potty train and doesn’t have his dad but she had a baby in the middle of it too. Anyways my son was barely over 2 when he potty trained and within a month of that he hasn’t wet the bed either. But then he has 2 older sisters that play school with him and other stuff as well could it be the interactive that they get an not so much as male or female? My son is 3 and he uses words such as “actually” and “literally” its so funny how ppl are shocked sometimes I forget he’s just a little kid but this report is interesting.