A new study has explored patterns in academic grades of 1.6 million students, showing that girls and boys perform very similarly in STEM – including at the top of the class. The analysis, published in the journal Nature Communications, casts doubt on the view that there are fewer women in STEM-related jobs because they aren’t as capable in those subjects as men — a notion that has been supported by the concept that gender differences in variability lead to gender gaps in associated fields.