The AAUW Report: How Schools Shortchange Girls (1992) is a startling examination of how girls in grades K-12 receive an inferior education to boys in America's schools. Among other results, the report reveals that girls receive less attention in the classroom than boys; girls are not pursing math-related careers in proportion to boys; although the gender gap in math is shrinking, the gender gap in science is increasing; African American girls are more likely than white girls to be rebuffed by teachers; curricula ignore or stereotype women; reports of sexual harassment of girls are increasing; and many standardized tests contain elements of gender bias. These forms of gender bias undermine girls' self-esteem and discourage them from pursuing nontraditional courses of study, such as math and science. The report includes concrete strategies for change and recommendations for educators and policymakers.

Through a grant provided by the Ford Foundation, The AAUW Report has been translated into Chinese, Spanish, and French and was disseminated at the Nongovernmental Organizations Forum held in conjunction with the September 1995 U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. A paperback edition of The AAUW Report: How Schools Shortchange Girls was released in 1995 by Marlowe and Company, New York. The publication has an updated foreword and a new index.

Commissioned by the AAUW Educational Foundation, The AAUW Report: How Schools Shortchange Girls was researched by the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women.

Executive Summary (PDF)

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