Gender Disparities in Parental Linguistic Engagement and in Children's Language Development

Girls tend to outperform boys in language development and literacy, but the reasons behind this remain unclear, particularly whether the family environment plays a role. This study examines gender differences in parental linguistic engagement and its effect on language outcomes. Using data from the French birth cohort Elfe (about 12,000 for early outcomes, 4,000 for later outcomes), parental questionnaires assessed linguistic engagement from ages 1 to 5. Children’s language outcomes were measured via the McArthur-Bates CDI at age 2, and literacy tests in preschool and first grade. Analyses showed parents engaged more with girls than boys (standardized β=0.10 to 0.17), and this engagement partially mediated the relationship between sex and language outcomes (mediation 6% to 19%). These findings suggest that parental language input contributes to sex differences in language development, with implications for designing interventions that ensure equitable language opportunities for all children.