UCL stated that in Year 9 maths, 21% of boys and 9% of girls reported they were very confident, while 38% of boys and 60% of girls reported they were not confident. The gap between confidence in boys and girls is not a complete fluke; instead of blaming our educational system, we should instead be turning our focus to how we present subjects to children within our society. From the minute they’re born, boys are encouraged to play with toy cars and watch television shows such as Bob the Builder or Chuggington. Girls, on the other hand, are encouraged to dress up dolls and play imaginary games, or watch shows such as Little Princess or Fifi and the Flowertots. Think of the way we speak to children too: boys want to grow up to be ‘big and strong’- so is it such a surprise that boys take more of a liking to STEM subjects?
Think of the way we speak to children too: boys want to grow up to be ‘big and strong’- so is it such a surprise that boys take more of a liking to STEM subjects?
Jobs that are associated with science and maths are usually, even to adults, associated with men. Builders, doctors, and engineers are still thought of as male, and - while society is finally beginning to try and unravel that harmful stereotype - children are still affected by it as they think about their future careers. Girls are more likely to be good at English and art, a statistic which is again likely influenced by gender stereotypes. Girls are considered to be ‘more imaginative’ and boys are told to be outside and focus on more practical subjects. Whilst this might appear initially harmless for children, it also impacts university degrees and jobs. Women make up 28% of STEM in university and 26% in the actual industries, outranked by men by miles. These unspoken biases are still affecting students as they choose their degrees and careers, while society repeats the cycle with our new generation.
The gender gap in STEM and Humanities subjects at school is not just a performance issue, but a societal one; girls and boys are held to such different standards and expectations when it comes to future careers that they are withholding themselves in education. It’s emphasised that women and men can have the same careers, but there’s still a brutally old-fashioned mentality of which gender is suited to which subject. While kids are still influenced by that sexist way of thinking, we might be denying ourselves of the next Marie Curie or Oscar Wilde. Maybe girls just don’t like maths - or maybe they’ve been conditioned to believe it isn’t available to them.