“If you’re on one side or the other of the gender-wars debate, you could pick a specific indicator to buttress your case,” said Kenneth C. Land, a professor of demographic studies and sociology at Duke University, senior author of the study. “But if we take a step back a little and look at what the data say overall, we find that the two genders have tracked pretty closely.”

The study drew immediate criticism from advocates and researchers on both sides, with many saying it glossed over crucial gaps between the sexes or used criteria that biased the results. But several experts praised the work, saying the findings could bridge the often bitter, polarized debate that occurs whenever the sexes are compared.–Rob Stein —Boys, girls fare equally in U.S. (WashPost/MSNBC)