Educational resources in the home

Sex differences

The 2006 PISA survey found very minor sex differences in access to educational resources.

Male students were very slightly more likely than female students to have access to each resource. The largest difference was in access to educational software: 71.0 percent of male 15 year old students reported access to educational software in the home, compared to 65.9 percent of female students.

Proportion of 15 year olds with access to educational resources in the home, by sex, 2006
Type of resource Male Female Total
Dictionary 97.8% 97.3% 97.6%
Own calculator 98.5% 97.4% 97.9%
Computer 93.9% 93.1% 93.5%
Desk 88.4% 88.2% 88.3%
Internet access 90.0% 89.8% 89.9%
School text books 89.6% 86.5% 88.1%
Quiet place to study 90.2% 90.1% 90.1%
Educational software 71.0% 65.9% 68.5%

Source: PISA 2006. Missing responses are excluded from denominator.