Gender differences in special educational needs identification

Abstract

This study aims to investigate gender differences in the identification for special educational needs services within the context of England. Gender disparities in disability identification have long been of concern, impacting tailored support and opportunities for female students. By utilising population-level data, we seek to ascertain the presence and extent of these gender differences, aligning our findings with existing literature and addressing gaps in knowledge about sex ratio differences in several disability categories. We conducted descriptive analyses of publicly accessible UK government datasets. In our study, we examine how gender differences have evolved over time, and vary across regions, disability types and educational phases (i.e., nursery, primary or secondary). Our observation of the data suggests persistent under-identification of females compared to males across time, disability categories, across different regions and educational phases.