State schools enhancing gender stereotypes_BBC news

Now, almost half of the mixed
state-funded schools in England

are reinforcing gender stereotypes

when it comes to students' choice
of A-levels,

according to a study
from the Institute of Physics.

The Science charity found not enough
was being done to challenge the idea

that certain subjects were for girls
and others were for boys.

Its warning is that it prevents young people
from discovering their potential.

All the students in this Physics class
are absorbed by their experiment.

But when it comes to choosing the subject at A-level
something puts many girls off.

There are gender stereotypes associated
with certain subjects,

so, for example,
many more girls than boys

choose English and Psychology A-level,

whereas many more boys choose
Maths and Physics.

And according to this report,

many mixed schools in England
are reinforcing these stereotypes.

In England, just one girl
for every four boys

takes Physics at A-level.

And this research found

that in half the country's
mixed state schools

the proportion of girls
taking the subject

was even lower.

It means that that gender bias
is getting worse,

and that's happening for several
different subjects.

It's putting up barriers
to students choosing certain A-levels,

which mean that they feel that
some subjects are not appropriate to them,

whether they're girls or boys,

and we want students to be able to choose
from the whole range of subjects.

Here at Cheney school in Oxford

teachers particularly encourage girls's interest
in Physics and Maths,

and boys with an aptitude for subjects
that are generally more popular with girls.

And this has beaten the trend.

The hope now is that
more schools will help to stop students

turning away from subjects

simply because they don't see them
as 'suited' to their sex.

Victoria Gill, BBC news.