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.

If its any consolation, and if your dd wants to continue with physics, dd did a physics degree recently and there was about 30% female on the course.

This did quite surprise me.

My friend was the only girl in her physics class years ago. She loved it. The boys were a nice bunch, not laddy or disrespectful and they all got on well.

My DD was only 1 of 3 girls in her A level physics class but spent most of the time chatting to the boys who were more on her wavelength. She’s going on to study Astrophysics at University where again she’ll be in the minority.

It really is a non issue. Physics boys are normally kind and nice. She’ll be fine

If she's studying physics and plans to pursue a stem career, she's likely going to be in male dominated spaces her whole working life.
If she can learn to speak up and collaborate in that all boys environment, esp Physics A Level, she won't be as intimidated by those male dominated spaces later on in life. It's a really good thing long term.

I can understand why it would potentially be an issue and you are right to acknowledge this with DD.

I think as a general rule, confidence and resilience are traits that we all have to develop to some extent or another and they usually come from pushing ourselves a little out of our usual comfort zones. This absolutely isn't to say that she should be forced to stay in an environment where she feels unsafe.

It might be worth a conversation with the head of 6th form and the timetable to understand exactly what the changes would look like if she decided to move groups. If it were my daughter I would personally encourage her to give it a good go but make it clear that the option to change remains open. Sometimes all we need to push through an unfamiliar situation is the knowledge that we can leave it if we really want to.

I took one of my A levels at a nearby boys’ school over forty years ago. All male class and a male teacher. It was either that or choose a different A level. It wasn’t a problem at all. In fact, as I was at an all girls school it was probably a very good preparation for university.

I went from a girls’ school to a mainly boys sixth form and was the only girl in my further maths set. I wasn’t best impressed but after a bit of initial discomfort made a lot of friends because I didn’t have to default to working with the other girl in the set (had there been two of us) when we were talking through problems in pairs. Far worse, I think, would have been just one other girl as I would have been forced to buddy up regardless of whether we were actually friends.

It’s actually a good learning moment for her, she can do anything the boys are doing and better! My dd is one of only a handful of women to do her job and loves it, girls really do have it all now, don’t let her be put off

I'm surprised by how harsh some of these comments are!

OP, I really sympathise with your daughter as it must have been a surprise for her, and I'm surprised that the school didn't try to ensure a better mix in the class given that there are other girls doing physics in other classes.

All the data shows that girls do better in single sex (ie female) environments at school. They feel more confident asking questions and there is a much higher uptake of STEM subjects at A level as they are not viewed at all as being "boy" subjects. I realise that is a bit tangential to your daughter's issue as it's not a single sex school etc, but I think it demonstrates if a 50/50 mix is detrimental to girls, clearly being the only one in a class has the potential to be an issue.

Again, slightly tangential, but my kids both go to single sex grammar schools (one is all boys, one all girls). The respective sixth forms have this year decided to merge a level classes as a trial (while still being separate schools). Interestingly, the only ones they haven't merged are maths and the sciences - they have chosen to keep them single sex. They haven't given a reason, but I thought it was interesting given that they are the subjects that are traditionally male dominated.

Whatever your daughter decides to do, I hope she enjoys the course and that it works out for her. Hopefully it will all work out really well but I think that you are right to acknowledge her worries rather than just dismiss them out of hand like a lot of people seem to think!

At secondary school girls tend to prefer to sit with girls and boys tend to prefer to sit with boys. It's obvious to see. That doesn't mean that they won't or can't sit with the opposite sex but just feel more comfortable. It's something I absolutely think about when doing my seating plans.

OP we had a similar situation with A-level maths where we had two girls in a group but one dropped out so the other was left on her own. We also gave her the option to switch and she decided not to.

One other potential option besides your DD switching and having to change all her classes would be for a girl from one of the other groups to switch into hers if that doesn't mess up their classes.

One girl in a group can be ok depending on the girl, but your DD is upset so I would take it seriously.

I was the only girl in my Higher Physics class, and all the boys were the year above me (in Scotland we do Highers over two years). I couldn't fit it into my timetable at any other time so I dropped it, and I always wonder what my life would have been like if I had stuck at it because that one change totally altered the focus of my studies and I ended up studying humanities at university instead of something like engineering or architecture which had been my earlier ambition. I'd really encourage her to stick at it if she likes the subject.

I’d encourage her to stay if everything else works with her other groups. To take one of my A Levels I had to do it as the only girl in an all boys SCHOOL. And it was honestly such a positive for me.

My DD was one of only two female students in one of her A level classes. She did not actually gel with the other female and initially worked independently and then, over time, more closely with some of the male students.

She also was not particularly confident initially but the male teacher was good at dialling down boisterous over confident shouting out of answers etc and encouraging my daughter to speak up and pitch in. Over time, her confidence grew and that has stood her in good stead since.

Though she works in a sector with a good balance by sex, she oversees an all male team and recently said her sixth form experience, as described above, has been a big help in many different ways.

Best wishes to your daughter.

I was the only girl that did Physics A level, the only girl on my entire Physics university degree (top university). I now teach Physics.

At least she has been given the choice, but I’d stay and just crack on and say biological sex is irrelevant.

Last year I had two literature groups. Each had one boy and the rest were girls. The other options both had chosen meant that they could not be in the same group without dropping one of their chosen A levels.

We arranged the timetable around their chosen subjects.

Before opening the thread I knew it would be physics.

Its the way of the world.
The vast vast majority of physics graduates in many countries are male.

I was the only girl in my school to do A level physics in the 80s and to make matters worse I was new to the school so didn't know anybody. To be honest, it wasn't great and I got patronised a lot by both the other pupils and the (male) teachers initially. However, I soon established myself as the best in the class so most of them shut up quite quickly. I made good friends with a couple of the boys but most pretty much ignored me for 2 years. One teacher really, really didn't like it though and did his best to undermine me for the whole course. It actually just made me more determined to prove him wrong which was probably good for me as Physics was my least favourite and weakest A level so it kept me working hard. It didn't have a negative effect on my attainment but it wasn't a particularly nice experience, I was slightly on edge all the time and knew that I had to prove myself continually. Most of the same boys were in my Chemistry class and some in Biology but the atmosphere in those was quite different. Largely that will be due to the fact that the other teachers weren't misogynistic bastards I suppose but I think the presence of other girls did improve things too.
Given the choice, I'd opt for a more balanced class to be honest, but possibly not if it causes a lot of disruption to other subjects. It needn't be a huge issue, especially if the teacher is alert to the fact that it could be problematic and keeps an eye on things but I wouldn't say it's a complete non issue either.

A levels is a big, often nervewracking change to begin with; she may be having outsized feelings about this just because she's generally unsettled. I would probably encourage her to hold off on switching groups and see how things go.

I would also point out that one of the big changes at A level is that they do more work outside of the designated lesson times. I'd encourage her to take advantage of knowing other girls taking physics and see if she can plan a small work/study group either during a mutual study period or after school. That might reassure her that she's not actually alone and has other support besides the boys in her lesson group.

The same physics students will be in mixed male/female classes for their other subjects. You fear that they ll descend into horrible sexism, once they are in a class with just the one girl.... It's possible, but probably unlikely?
If the teacher is sensitive to your DDs disquiet now, then he's probably on board to not indulge sexist comments/behaviour further down the line.

I was the only girl who did physics higher in my year. The teacher was also male. It was a bit uncomfortable to begin with but I settled in. I’d suggest she give it a few weeks and see how she feels then.

I teach physics. I know that, however well meaning the boys are, when there are lots of them and one girl, it can be difficult for her to feel comfortable and confident. Students tend to discuss answers to problems, both in class and as part of their homework, with each other and I can see her getting left out.

Yes, she will be moving in a male dominated world if she continues with physics based subjects, but she’ll be an adult then not 16.

If the school say that moving her group is possible, I’d speak to them and see what it will mean for other subjects then make a more informed decision.

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.

But she can still do that with her peers from the other subjects.
This is only one of her classes, not the entire 6th form.

That's exactly what I said in my previous post.

Only girl in A Level Physics 30 years ago, aware of it but was fine

I was the same, OP ; the only girl in my year who did A level Physics. It was fine. We were the ‘boring swots’, we shared interests in all manner of uncool geeky stuff and we all wanted to go to good universities.

The lads were my mates. Spending time with them was actually a nice respite from all the nonsense teenage girls get up to, like friendship group politics. I remained good friends with ‘Andy’ & ‘Paul’ for many years & went to their weddings. Happy memories.

Sexism isn't her concern, it's more a basic nervousness/shyness around the the opposite sex and feeling more comfortable with girls. She's never had a boyfriend, she's not a confident girl. She likes boys just fine, she has male friends, she's worked in groups with boys at school plenty. But that doesn't mean a whole class full of boys isn't intimidating.