GENDER-RELATED KNOWLEDGE VARIATIONS WITHIN GEOGRAPHY

In a survey of students from junior high through the undergraduate col lege level, males consistently out-performed females on a test coverin g map skills and physical, human, and regional aspects of geography. T he gender gap was consistent across all four subfields. It widened wit h increased education and was significant even after accounting for nu merous personal information items that might have explained the differ ence. This consistent performance difference involving the broad spect rum of geographic knowledge argues against explaining the gender gap a s symptomatic of differences in a single underlying factor such as map skills or spatial abilities. Knowledge-based and nonknowledge-based e xplanations for the gender difference are discussed.