How important is gender representation in schools?

I think representation is key, as you can't be what you can't see.

If girls predominantly see photographs or illustrations of male scientists in text books or learning materials, then they are naturally going to think, “this field isn't for me”. At the same time, boys are going to form their own thoughts and opinions, potentially acting in a more exclusionary manner. 

The research conducted by Access Education looking at AI and gender stereotypes was encouraging, as women were equally represented in certain roles, and perhaps this goes against what many would have presumed as the outcome - especially given the negative press AI sometimes receives.

I know, for instance, that if you search “cartoon professor” in Google Images, almost every result is a man, so I was encouraged that AI wasn’t doing the same. This sort of thing can make an enormous difference on a child’s development.

Does other research paint the same picture?

There's one really interesting study that found if girls complete a science test with illustrations of only male scientists, they will do worse in that test than if the illustrations are evenly split between men and women, which is pretty extraordinary.

There's another study showing that if pupils have to confirm their gender at the beginning of a maths test by ticking a box to say if they’re a boy or girl, girls do worse than if they confirm their gender at the end of the test. This is called the negative stereotype threat.

These examples show that if you believe a field isn't for you or that you are not going to be good at it because of your gender, as soon as the topic of gender is mentioned it makes you perform worse, subconsciously.

How does this impact young people?

This sort of mentality can be particularly detrimental in subjects where you would use a tried and tested solution to find an answer, such as maths and science. Those lacking confidence in their own ability will be less likely to put their hand up through a fear of getting the answer wrong and in turn this looks like a lack of engagement.

Generally, boys would be more confident to throw an answer out there and not be too concerned if it was wrong, whereas girls can typically be perfectionists and worry about being judged by other people or their classmates.

Another amazing study I came across involved interviewing women now working in STEM-based careers who would have watched the X Files when they were younger and been influenced by the leading female character named Scully, back in the 1990s.

The X files was actually the first TV series to feature a really cool female scientist, played by Gillian Anderson.

The results of this study found that 63% of respondents said they had chosen to pursue a career in STEM because they'd been so inspired by Scully.

If one character in one TV series can have that sort of life changing impact on a whole generation of girls, this really highlights how important representation is in proving to younger generations that they can also be successful in STEM-based roles.

Does tackling this issue go beyond the classroom?

Tackling this issue shouldn’t just involve a review of the curriculum and how girls are taught in schools, as the general news media also plays a part. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 19 out of the 20 scientists who were regularly quoted in the media were male.

It was probably subconscious, but male journalists were automatically more likely to get a male expert to comment. Society as a whole needs to be made aware of the issues created by bias - whether it’s intentional or not, and learn how to prevent it.

How can teachers spot signs of gender bias in the classroom?

As well as having an effect on engagement, gender bias can sway the subjects some choose to study at GCSE or A Level. Interestingly, those attending all-girls private schools are 2.5 times more likely to take A Level physics than girls at co-ed state schools.

Given the significant difference, you’d argue that this isn’t a question of ability or enjoyment, it must be to do with the social and cultural ethos of the school itself.

What tends to happen at co-ed schools is that boys get much more attention from the teachers. For example, they’re allowed to call out more without putting their hand up while girls are rewarded for being quiet and well behaved. Over time, this can have a real impact on overall confidence.

Often, this happens without the teacher even realising, as it’s not mandatory to have any form of gender bias training, it’s understandable that when juggling the priorities of a classroom it could go unnoticed.

Similarly, across England and Wales only one in five secondary school teachers have received training in recognising and tackling sexism - despite the problems starting even earlier and appearing to affect children from age 6 onwards.

There was a really interesting study focusing on five, six and seven year old children emphasising just how early these problems can start. The children were shown photographs of boys and girls, and they were all asked which ones they would choose to join a game which needed really, really smart children. At five, girls were more likely to choose girls, and boys to choose boys. By the age of six, though, both boys and girls were more likely to choose boys to join the game.

I’d say that the questions that need to be asked are about what’s actually causing this and I’m sure it’ll be an array of different factors.

One study of British parents found that they estimated their sons, on average, to have a higher IQ than their daughters, by quite a large margin. This is despite the fact that girls develop faster than boys, have a bigger vocabulary than boys, on average, and outperform boys at every educational level from pre-school right through to PhD.

What action can schools take?

One thing schools could do is invite men and women working in roles that wouldn’t stereotypically be associated with their gender to talk to pupils. Being able to see what working in a certain role is like will inspire children to pursue whatever career interests them, regardless of their gender.

It might also help to address the asymmetry of girls choosing to study humanities and boys choosing to study science and maths. I think there’s an assumption that humanities subjects are more feminine, therefore more girls assume that they should follow that path.

In America there’s been a lot of discussion of why so few girls decide to study computer science. The research found that it’s not because the girls found it too difficult or that they weren’t interested; it was more because they  were concerned about the gender bias they would encounter.

While great strides have been made, more can certainly be done to inspire young people to smash stereotypes and to create real gender equality.

Discover how Access Education are engaging learners, improving confidence and accelerating student progress with Access GCSEPod.