A new international analysis based on TIMSS results finds global math achievement gaps have shifted against girls after the pandemic, with fourth- and eighth-grade disparities favoring boys in a majority of participating schools. The report, produced through analysis by UNESCO and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, attributes part of the widening to disrupted learning opportunities and uneven recovery. At the fourth-grade level, boys scored higher in most schools, while eighth-grade advanced gaps also skewed toward boys in more than half of the jurisdictions reviewed. The study points to the first TIMSS post-pandemic measurement set as a turning point that reverses prior progress in math equity. The findings align with U.S. analysts’ concerns about pandemic-driven learning loss patterns affecting confidence and opportunity for girls and other groups. Experts cited hypotheses that longer disruptions reduced access to learning environments and may have reinforced achievement inequality. For higher education and teacher preparation programs, the report strengthens the evidence base for embedding learning recovery and equity training into education workforce pipelines and professional development.