Only female in A level class

[Coldddddd]

Not sure if this is the right place but I'm looking forward opinions please. DD started 6th form yesterday and found in Physics she's the only female with 14 males and a male teacher. She's quite upset about this, she gets on fine with boys, no past trauma or anything like that. But she feels uncomfortable.

She had her 1st lesson this morning and was told she can swap to a different group (there are plenty of girls in the school doing physics), but doing so means she has to move groups in all her other subjects which she's currently happy with. The teacher broached this with her directly so they obviously recognise it's a potential problem for her.

I just wondered what other people's thoughts were, do you think I should advise her to stay or move groups? Is her learning outcome likely to be impacted by being with all males? Sorry if this seems like a non issue, DD is really quite upset and I'm not sure what to say for the best.

I was the only girl in one of my a level subjects (not physics) which also had a male teacher.
I was a bit nervous to start but soon got over it. The boys were there to learn like me and we just worked together ok. There was plenty of time to interact with girls in my other lesson and out of school.
OP was this something your DD was concerned about before the teacher mentioned it? Perhaps you could suggest she gives it a couple of weeks to see how she settles in before thinking of changing all her subjects to accommodate something that might actually be ok in the end.

I’d suggest that she stats where she is but asks to have an allocated female Physics teacher as a ‘Physics mentor’. If she does ever feel intimidated or not able to ask a question in the male-dominated space, then she can go to her mentor, and either ask the question or simply have them pass on the feedback that she feels intimidated.

The male Physics teacher absolutely needs to step up, to recognise the possible problem and implement solutions. It will enhance his teaching skills too.

I think when it is only one of three classes then it is hopefully OK, I was one of only 4 girls doing chemistry as well and it was mostly boys in my maths class. Which was also OK at the time but it did mean that I ended up with mostly male friends (and I did a largely male degree too). I am still friends with my male college friends but I do lack the long-term close knit female friendship group that so many women my age have, I didn't have a hen night because I didn't really have any female friends for example, I only really started making more female friends when I had my babies in my 30s. Now I do have more female friends but I notice that they often have very close long term female friendship groups from school and college and I instead have a male group which is different, we are close and the partners all get on, but I do sometimes wish I had made more female friends in my formative years.

Yes, many of us (myself included) have been the only woman in the room for most of our careers. For some individuals it might not be a problem, but systemically it definitely is.

If she's upset by the situation then her concerns are real and valid. Physics is the A-level subject with the second worse gender balance (~1/5 female, despite decades of effort to improve it). The Institute of Physics has done many studies and interventions over the years. They found that the culture of the school plays a significant role.

Here's an overview of some of the findings and recommendations:
https://www.iop.org/sites/default/files/2019-07/IGB-results-recommendations-2017-report.pdf

Your DD's school shouldn't have let this happen, nor should they have made it her problem to solve (by rearranging all her other groups).

(I'm cross on her behalf but also sending solidarity and best wishes - physics is a subject I'm absolutely passionate about and one that can open so many doors. I hope she won't be put off.)

She should choose the group she feels most comfortable in. At A Level they really need to feel confident in asking stupid questions and taking the lead in experiments. It's so tricky because she might find herself as the only girl getting extra attention from the teacher or being ignored. I would trust her to choose for herself as she likely knows the biases of the teacher(s).

You surely can tell the difference tween a female-dominated space and a male one.

It’s a physics class, not a social occasion. The only thing she’s there to do is learn - what difference does it make if she’s the only girl? At A level there is no time to sit chatting or mess around during lessons even if she did have other girls in the class. It will be a good learning opportunity for her to get on with people who she otherwise wouldn’t choose to work with.

It happened with a friend of DD’s during her physics A level - there were very few girls to start off with but only one took the subject right through to A2. She survived just fine in a class full of boys and is now a medical student.

I was albeit many years ago now, the only girl in my A level geography & economics classes, of about 12 boys.
Once the initial surprise wore off, it was fine and made some great friends!

I know it's not a social occasion, but the people you sit with in class are also the ones you see in the canteen and sit with because you know them, or walk into town with at lunchtime, then it becomes a social occasion, that is how people make friends at college. I know I have said my experience was fine, and it clearly was for many others on this thread but I am quite tomboyish and confident and was OK with it, if she is uncomfortable then her feelings are valid and she might want to explore the possibility of changing, at her age it is really up to her and you could support by talking through the options and supporting her whichever way she chooses.

This happened to me in my A Level economics class thirty years ago and my teacher also asked if I wanted to switch to the other class that had two girls in it. Similarly to your daughter it would have meant having to move my other choices, which I didn't want to do. I knew the boys in the class already though so it didn't bother me - does she know any of her classmates? I went on to study in a very male dominated field (20% female on my MSc course) with a similar make up in the industry I eventually worked in. It worked well for me and I had no problems with offering my opinion in class etc - though I did always get the bumps on my birthday! If I was her, I would give it a few weeks and see how it goes.

I was the only girl in my alevel geography class and it was bloody fantastic.
I was also in a small group of girls on my chemistry class and I found that worse than being the only girl.
If she's uncomfortable though then she should move.

I was one of two girls in my A levels Further Maths but there was only one set so I had no choice. The same girl and I were in the O Level Greek group with one other.
I had friends in other groups (but I also liked Mary a lot) so it didn't bother me that we were so outnumbered. I'd have been annoyed to be the only girl or one of two in EVERY A level set but Maths, Physics and Chemistry, my other A levels, were more mixed and I also remember a couple of my good male friends were in Chemistry and Maths, I'm guessing they did Biology or Chemistry as their third.

Lighthearted, sorry, but I was the only girl in an engineering class and I met my husband there 😅

My DD started this week and is the only girl in ALL three of her a level classes! She’s switched from an all girls school to a boys school with co-ed sixth so she knew what she was getting in to but even so it’s been a shock, esp as the boys know each other already.

She’ll get there I’m sure, but I think this first week is more challenging than expected. She certainly didn’t expect to be the only girl in every one of her classes (no physics for her!).

I hope your DD settles in to it. I’ve told mine to make sure she takes up space in the room - get her hand up early and use her voice. It’ll be good practice for how the real world sadly still is.

What is her long term goal? If she is wanting to do engineering for instance.. unfortunately it will be a common scenario.

(If there is another way of doing all her options with properly mixed classes it seems strange the school didn't pick up on it earlier. )

I think talking to her about her concerns is the first step - get her to verbalise what it is that is upsetting her about the situation. That will help her to understand why she’s uncomfortable, whether it’s a dealbreaker and how to handle it moving forward. I did engineering at uni 20 years ago and was the only female in my year. Loved it - even though my first year project assigned to me was looking at the tensile strength of different nappy brands while the guys were down in the workshop or working on nanotech etc (gods give me strength). I went to an all girls school though so I really enjoyed being in such a different environment, and learned a huge amount about both asserting myself and bringing value as a minority.

@Devotedpizza my school had changed to mixed from boys when I started but was a bit better than that in 6th form - I moved into an all women hall of residence at uni though!

Happened to my DS at a hobby once. I told him that girls are human beings- some you will like and some you won't. He made two really good friends there.

@Coldddddd If I were you I would say the same to my daughter. Doesn't she have any male friends? If I was to only describe my DS's character ; sensible, kind, creative most people would think he's a girl. I wish we had gotten further than this in 2025. And also, they all have a common interest in Physics so why not focus on that?

DD was the only girl in her Computer Science class. I think it entirely depends on your daughter and her personality. DD thrives in a mainly male environment with banter and competition. She has a big group of friends/majority boys many that she's known since she was in nursery. She's going to Cambridge to do comp Sci so will again be in a small minority of females. Your DD needs to be where she feels most comfortable and supported and only she can decide.

I was the only girl in my maths class in A level. It made no difference at all. Why is she upset by it? It’s only the class, she can just meet her friends after for lunch etc?

my daughter currently does a sport where she is the only girl and the other 35 are boys. Makes no difference really.

Wow, this is more polarising than I thought. Thank you all, especially @pookahchoo for the links I'll take a look later.

I'll chat through with DD later, my current plan is to reassure her she can stick or switch but probably encourage her to have a try where she is.

FWIW I think those that see no issue for her are lucky to be so confident. Confidence isn't a trait DD has much of unfortunately.

And to the poster who mentions it's not a social occasion, I think you're missing the point.

She only started yesterday, and I don't think you should be encouraging her to act on what's essentially a kneejerk reaction with no real rationale behind it.

There is every chance that at some point in life she will be the only woman on a team at work or whatever, especially if she ends up working in a physics-related field. If there is no reason for wanting to move classes other than 'a feeling' about it, then I think you should strongly encourage her to stick at it - one day really isn't long enough for her to have decided she doesn't like it.

She needs to up her resilience. Seriously. All things being equal (so no trauma etc) her learning environment should be able to encompass both sexes without issue. She’s using her brain as are they and if she wants to continue with physics or end up working in science then she will be working with a lot of men.
I work with physicists and mentor them and the best ones I know currently are women and they have learnt to stand their ground and be the best at what they do. Regardless of their sex. Your daughter should start now and you should be encouraging her.

I personally think the school should have had a better balance in each class if there are more girls doing it. I'd see how she gets on though. DDs have been the only girl going to football club sometimes and DD1 was certainly in a minority doing product design A-Level, but did well.

Though having come from a super-selective all girls grammar to a slightly more standard mixed grammar (choosing to do A-Levels instead of IB) she was incredulous in the first couple of weeks "Boys come out with some really stupid things. You'll never guess what X said today..." 😆

Bit of an eye-opener!

I think this.

She will soon get to know everyone better and feel more relaxed. Dealing with this will set her up for future surprises.