Statistics
Girls taking Physics at A-Level
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The graph shows plots of the numbers of girls and boys taking A-level physics from 1985 to 2004 (source AQA). It may be seen that there is a significant drop in the numbers of candidates since the peak year of 1989 for both genders: a drop of 39% for boys and a drop of 37% for girls.
In 2005, only 22%1 of A-level physics students were girls - less than a quarter of the students sitting the exams. Despite this under representation, the girls outperformed the boys in achieving the top A grade: 34% of the girls obtained A grades, compared to 27% of the boys.
These statistics show that there are still very few girls studying physics, despite the initiatives and projects taking place to encourage and motivate more young women to pursue the physical sciences. So why are there so few girls opting to study physics, when all the evidence shows that those who do study the subject, do extremely well? There are no simple answers to this question; however, the Institute is currently working on a number of projects to address this key concern, with the aim of understanding the most important factors that are contributing to the low participation of girls in physics A-level. The findings of these studies will form the basis of recommendations for actions, and will be published later on this year.
Useful links
- Girls in Physics - Key Messages
- Girls in the Physics Classroom: Review of Research on Girls’ Participation in Physics
- Girls in the Physics Classroom: A Teachers’ Guide for Action
- Girls in the Physics Classroom: Videos
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