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Girls dissuaded from choosing Physics at A-level (BBC Breakfast, 9th Dec 2013) )

Stephen Booth
Did anyone else see the item on Physics A-level on BBC Breakfast this morning?  Apparently girls choosign their A-Levels are being actively discouraged from choosing it by their teachers on the grounds that it's not a girls subject.  Fortunately I wasn't eating or drinking at the moment that was said else my TV and the wall around it my have gotten a brand new coating.  Apparently the only STEM subject deemed suitable for the delicate sensibilities of young ladies, by their teachers, is Biology.



They did report that whilst schools with no sixth form (so pupils have to go to a college or another school) tend to be very poor in supporting girls in choosing Physics A-Level where the school has it's own sixth form a higher proportion of girls do choose to study Physics as they can often see girls from the previous 2 years doing the subject so the "Physics isn't for girls" arguement is weakened.


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    Sarah,



    What I saw on screen was more hand wringing than jumping.  I do think things have regressed.  I did my O and A levels in the 1980s (I was in the last year to do O-levels) and my recollection is that there was a big break down of the distinction between of Girls' subjects and Boys' subjects.  Some boys did Home Ec, Typing and Care, some girls did Physics and Chemistry.  It wasn't perfect, I was only boy in my Typing class (although the year below me there was 4 boys IIRC) and there were a lot more girls in my Biology class than my Physics class.  Also in CDT when we came to choose our specialism whilst the gender split was around 50/50 the girls tended more towards art, pottery and sculpture whilst the boys tended towards Design Communication, Carpentry and Metalwork (which I think was actually called 'Engineering').  I was pushed into Design Communication (what used to be called Technical Drawing), actually pushed probably isn't a strong enough term...abducted and stapled to the chair in the DC room because I was the only one who wanted to do my first choice (Plastics) and the metalwork teacher (my second choice) was intimidated by my welding (well, that's what I choose to believe).



    There was however a feeling that the next few years would see a balancing of the subjects.  Looking at what is happening now I feel that we very quickly shifted back.





    Stephen
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    Sarah,



    What I saw on screen was more hand wringing than jumping.  I do think things have regressed.  I did my O and A levels in the 1980s (I was in the last year to do O-levels) and my recollection is that there was a big break down of the distinction between of Girls' subjects and Boys' subjects.  Some boys did Home Ec, Typing and Care, some girls did Physics and Chemistry.  It wasn't perfect, I was only boy in my Typing class (although the year below me there was 4 boys IIRC) and there were a lot more girls in my Biology class than my Physics class.  Also in CDT when we came to choose our specialism whilst the gender split was around 50/50 the girls tended more towards art, pottery and sculpture whilst the boys tended towards Design Communication, Carpentry and Metalwork (which I think was actually called 'Engineering').  I was pushed into Design Communication (what used to be called Technical Drawing), actually pushed probably isn't a strong enough term...abducted and stapled to the chair in the DC room because I was the only one who wanted to do my first choice (Plastics) and the metalwork teacher (my second choice) was intimidated by my welding (well, that's what I choose to believe).



    There was however a feeling that the next few years would see a balancing of the subjects.  Looking at what is happening now I feel that we very quickly shifted back.





    Stephen
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