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Physics is not the only subject that has a substantial difference in participation according to gender. The Institute of Physics in the UK has explored whether there are common patterns with other gendered subjects. In this report it looks at six such subjects, three with a male bias and three with a female bias. For each co-educational school in England it looks at how the school compares in terms of its gender progression relative to the national figures. In general, its finds a woeful picture, with the majority of schools failing to counter whatever external factors drive school children to make such gendered choices.
A statistical study exploring the links between gender and subject choice.
This report uses the National Pupil Database to look at progression to a number of gendered A-level subjects from co-educational schools.
Main points include:
- Nearly half of co-educational state-funded schools (49%) are actually making the gender imbalance in these subjects worse
- The small number of schools (19%) that send on relatively more girls to do A-level physics also have a smaller gender imbalance in progression to other subjects
- It follows that whatever factors limit the progression of girls to A-level physics in a school are likely to depend on the whole school environment