Catherine Haeck contributes to the documentary L’écart silencieux on boys’ under-schooling

The documentary L’écart silencieux, directed by Flavie Payette-Renouf and broadcast by Savoir Média, addresses a pressing social challenge: the persistent educational gap between boys and girls in Quebec. Each year, women obtain roughly 20,000 more college and university diplomas than men, and the high school graduation gap remains at 10 to 12% in favor of girls.

The film presents concrete solutions, highlighting the crucial role of early and daily reading in preventing school dropout. Political leaders and experts contribute to the discussion, including Catherine Haeck, Professor at UQAM, CIRANO researcher and Fellow.

The documentary also draws on the book La sous-scolarisation des hommes et le choix de profession des femmes, funded by CIRANO and co-authored by Robert Lacroix (CIRANO, Université de Montréal), Catherine Haeck (CIRANO, ESG UQAM), Claude Montmarquette (CIRANO, Université de Montréal) and Richard E. Tremblay.

➡️ The documentary is now available. To watch it, click here.

➡️ To read the book, click here.

CIRANO warmly congratulates Catherine Haeck and all those involved for their continued engagement with this vital issue for Quebec’s educational and social future.