Katharine Birbalsingh is the media-savvy headmistress of Michaela – a successful London charter school often described as the “strictest school in Britain”. During a meeting of parliament’s Science and Technology Committee last week, she was asked why girls are “not choosing physics in the same proportion as boys”. (About 4% of girls
Thanks for this. I am told she was being asked about the figures for her particular school, not in general. In the light of the general issue this is not important, but it explains why she gave the answer she did, because she very probably knows what her girls said to her about their choices.
On the broader front, I too don't want to encourage "girls to do X" or "boys to do y". Students should balance their interests against what society needs. Perhaps we need only a few physicists (and only the outstanding ones) but have a more pressing need for biologists, medics, nurses.
However, if everyone were taught the basics of thermodynamics, a lot of silliness could be avoided.
"Things–People distribution, there are only 0.287 women for every man; so the top quartile is 78% male.” Pedantic Point: it’s 71.3%.....
That aside, I enjoyed the article! Glad to see the Swedish data. Which I’ve seen before. Interesting, that when women are in a gender neutral society they tend to choose the more classically “feminine” jobs than do women in less equal societies. That’s one needs a bit more widely spreading....
Also: why no struggle for gender parity in the dirty and dangerous jobs? Sewer workers, rat catchers and the like? I always wonder about that.
Also: what about when women > men in a particular area. Should we worry about *that*?? If not, why not? There are more women in ballet.... and Women already outnumber men in many College courses. Hmmm?
Thanks for this. I am told she was being asked about the figures for her particular school, not in general. In the light of the general issue this is not important, but it explains why she gave the answer she did, because she very probably knows what her girls said to her about their choices.
On the broader front, I too don't want to encourage "girls to do X" or "boys to do y". Students should balance their interests against what society needs. Perhaps we need only a few physicists (and only the outstanding ones) but have a more pressing need for biologists, medics, nurses.
However, if everyone were taught the basics of thermodynamics, a lot of silliness could be avoided.
"Things–People distribution, there are only 0.287 women for every man; so the top quartile is 78% male.” Pedantic Point: it’s 71.3%.....
That aside, I enjoyed the article! Glad to see the Swedish data. Which I’ve seen before. Interesting, that when women are in a gender neutral society they tend to choose the more classically “feminine” jobs than do women in less equal societies. That’s one needs a bit more widely spreading....
Also: why no struggle for gender parity in the dirty and dangerous jobs? Sewer workers, rat catchers and the like? I always wonder about that.
Also: what about when women > men in a particular area. Should we worry about *that*?? If not, why not? There are more women in ballet.... and Women already outnumber men in many College courses. Hmmm?