Boys left behind at school while girls get trip

[Quickchat1]

Recently my sons class went on an educational trip to a local university. But only the girls. The boys were left behind with a cover teacher listening to music and generally doing very little. My son is GCSE year and would have benefited from a computing and science event. No it was only for the girls with no mention of anything for the boys. I understand this was a STEM event for girls only but if there was a STEM event for boys only there would be uproar! AIBU?

Oh God! So there was a trip to encourage more girls into STEM and you're upset it didn't include boys? Girls are under-represented in STEM jobs. That's why there are so many initiatves encouraging them to take STEM subjects and consider STEM jobs.

But there should have been something for the boys to do back at school.

Gotta be all about the men’s. Maybe your ds should have self identified for the day. 🙄

MENZ not men’s

I agree with Noblegiraffe. You dont need to study coding from primary in order to be able to make a living at it.
I didn’t go anywhere near a computer until I was 22 ( it was the 80s)

Maths is the key. I didn’t take it at A level, although my degree is in Economics so it would have been useful as it had a strong mathematical element.
Good language/linguistic skills are also useful.

Mostly what I need day to day is the ability to handle logic problems- no other subject gives you this like maths. I use set theory all the time for example.

I don’t think the school was unreasonable to take the girls to a women in STEM event.

I do think they were unreasonable to not come up with a productive use of the day for the boys left behind.

This isn't a new thing. I remember all the girls at my school going to W.I.S.E day (Women In Science and Engineering) when I was at school and that was back in 1984! Doesn't sound like things have changed an awful lot so I'd imagine it's very much needed.

Could someone please list actual jobs that come under this vague 'stem' umbrella. Teens (boys and girls) need proper careers advice not a vague 'stem degree'

The fact that you are clueless about the meaning of the term STEM doesn't make it 'vague', I'm afraid. It does perhaps make you rather 'vague'.

Google time!

My degree is in maths and I work in data analytics. Didn’t take ‘computer science’ at school.

The statistics show that women make up just 17% of the IT industry workforce. Fewer than one in five IT workers in the UK are female and those that do carve a living from the industry are paid – on average – 15 per cent less than men, (from a study by the BCS), in 2017.

I don't think your son has to worry about getting a job in IT, OP, but the girls....

Quickchat1 is a very recent poster on MN and has not chosen to respond to his/her thread.

One very close to International Women's Day.

The actual conversation was about my daughter chosen career path. She wanted to work in aviation engineering . The boy (14 years old) told her that wasn't a job girls could do. My daughter turned round and asked him which part of an A380 was put together using a penis.

Brilliant response!

I'm a woman working in STEM, and get involved in these types of events regularly. It's absolutely vital we are educating our teenage girls to consider these types of careers. My office environment is about 70% men and we have a long way to go.

I have a young son and have no issue with girls in a class being taken to such an event. Still, the school should have at least left the boys with something interesting to do. I'd be tempted to raise this with the school as some feedback - though 'choose your battles' as they say.

I agree, OP. The fact is, girls don't really need any more help as they are streaks ahead of boys these days. Working class boys are the minority at uni these days.
The reason why you don't find girls in STEM is because it doesn't interest them. In Sweden, where they have really pushed equal gender opportunities, numbers of girls in STEM are falling. It's just natural.

@Sexnotgender I'm 39 so it was a few years ago. However, I do think that there still are parents around that still think this way.

The reason why you don't find girls in STEM is because it doesn't interest them.

Luckily we have more nuanced research that suggests it is far more complicated than that.

Lack of confidence in girls is a big issue when it comes to taking perceived ‘hard’ A-levels.

IM0GEN wow that would be useful advice if I was a 13 year old kid choosing gcse subjects and thinking about what I want to 'be' when I grow up!!
Teens need PROPER careers advice. I'm sure if I was a paid careers advisor and I just said "ask Google" to an overwhelmed and baffled teen I would soon get fired.
CostanzaG this girls only stem thing would come under careers advice. To be honest careers advice is mostly non existent for teens. This is why any event that explains what jobs are out there should be for girls and boys.
So basically no one can actually say what a 'stem' job could be. If I don't know at 43 how on earth would a 13 year old girl or boy know? All I am asking for is some job titles.

The fact that you are clueless about the meaning of the term STEM doesn't make it 'vague', I'm afraid. It does perhaps make you rather 'vague'.

Google time!

There’s another thread running that shows that if you don’t know, you often don’t know where to look. You can’t reaearch what you don’t know exists.

If you care so much, and are oh so wise, why can’t you offer help and advice?

@Aquilla you are right in that girls out perform boys in all topics throughout school, so we need to be asking ourselves why are girls so underrepresented in STEM when they are more than capable. It's incredibly ignorant to say it "doesn't interest them". The matter is much more complicated than that!!

I expected you to be older grinningcheshirecat!

I’m 36 and happily took maths and physics at school and did a maths degree. Shame on your dad (and mum?) for holding you back like that.

@bookmum08

Exactly .

book Career guidance in schools was decimated by the coalition government BUT it is improving and we should start to see an increase in the support offered to young people.

This might help you though www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/careers/stem-careers/

Yes there would be uproar if it was an event just for boys because the STEM sector is already saturated with men, and historically has been.

Sorry I just can't get annoyed about this.

MENZ not men’s

I think the word you were looking for is just "men". Menz just looks ridiculous.

Yanbu - there should have been an equivalent trip or adequate teaching provision for the boys. There would have been uproar if boys had been taken off on a trip and girls left behind.

That link allows you to look at different subject areas and what careers they could lead on to.

That event is open to boys and girls but it is still important that there are events and activities which specifically target underrepresented groups - in the case of STEM this means girls/women.