Boys are better at physics then girls ...

[SmellsLikeTeenStrop]

according to dd1s science teacher.

I was at her parents evening last night and we were discussing why in some modules dd1 does brilliantly and in others she does adequately. It just so happened that in the module she scored most highly was a biology one and from that he said ''this might sound a little bit sexist but girls are better at biology, and boys do better at the physics side of things''.

No you arsehole, that was a lot sexist - I didn't say that but I thought it but I did point out to him that there is a lot of cultural conditioning which pushes girls towards biology while trying to dissuade them from doing anything mathematical and physics related. He then quickly changed the subject.

I'm really tempted to speak to the head about this, would that be an over-reaction?

Himalaya, I'm pretty sure they have actually tried girls-only science and math classes in schools in North America. I have mixed feelings about it.

Good on you for taking it up with the Head.

I was one of only 2 girls in my whole year to do Design and Realization (woodwork/metalwork) for GCSEs, and noone tried to discourage us, and we were treated the same way as the boys (althought I don't think they would have dared treat us any different! )

Also ,my A-Level Physics teacher (a man) told me that girls generally do better at physics, especially at higher levels.

Also - I was always better at Physics and chemistry than Biology, and Physcis was my best subject out of the three.

I did Materials Science as my degree, and I found the polymers part quite a struggle, because it's more chemistry than physics and a lot of it didn't really seem to follow basic rules of physics!

There are plenty of talented female physicists.

See this for a list.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_scientists_before_the_21st_century

In the past women often had problems with men taking credit for their work.

I used to work as a physicst before I had children. It is hard to combine a career in science with children.

An appropriate xkcd strip

and one other scientists might find amusing

I liked the way things were run in DD1's US high school. If you were on the selective college track you did all the sciences at the highest honours level for three years (one each year) and then repeated one at AP level (first year of university standard) for your final year. No questions asked about class makeup, no eyebrows raised at the presence of girls, no self selection out of physics (or AP calculus) unless you were a complete idiot or unless you were prepared to apply to less selective colleges (which the advisors would try to talk you out of if you had the potential to aim higher). The criteria for admission into selective colleges in the US mean that able students and schools just get on with it.