Sounds familiar: Fawcett research results out today.

[Xenophile]

Thought this might be of interest to some.

Sounds familiar

And the reaction of a Sky News presenter will be familiar to all who read the posts on here about how it's all women's fault. here

Thanks for posting this xenophile Female inequality is an issue often discussed in my workplace so it will be helpful to have an up to date report to refer to when the whatabouterry starts. (Even if it does say 'identifies as') Although from just skimming I can hardly bring myself to read the full report. Sounds familiar indeed.

What a wanker that presenter is. There's no need to play "devils advocate" in this discussion because there's no need to put across the viewpoint of a rapist, FFS. Such a cowardly response from Sky.

The Fawcett Society which found almost two out of five men and a third of women thought a woman was totally or partly to blame if she went out late at night wearing a short skirt, got drunk and was then sexually assaulted

33% of women think this?

OMG. Just OMG. I can't believe that news person and then the woman rowing in on his side. So depressing that they are allowed airtime to pedal thus horrible attitude.

I can't believe what I just heard. I'm truly stumped. May post again when I can speak coherently. I haven't heard anything so bad on rape since the 1970s.

33% of women think this?

33% of the women around that table certainly do, if that's a representative sample for you?

Thanks for the link to the report: very worth having.

Think I'll skip the Sky News reaction. Not sure my blood pressure can take much more at the moment.

That report says

Default young women into maths and science subject choices at school with an opt out, rather than relying on them to opt in, sending a clear message that ‘girls like you do subjects like this

What is this closing comment supposed to mean?

Maths was a default subject for everyone when I was at school up to 4th year (15/16) when we sat Ordinary Grades (Scottish equivalent of O - levels). It was a default subject for my son too (and what a struggle that was). There were no opt outs for anyone.

Is Maths being optional a feature of English education ?

General science combining physics, chemistry and biology were default subjects with no opt out for everyone in 1st and 2nd year of Secondary. We chose O Grade subjects in 3rd year and sat O Grades in 4th year. I stuck with Biology and passed O Grade and passed the Higher level in 5th year. It would have been insane to have taken Chemistry or Physics even at Ordinary Grade "just because" - it was perfectly clear to me they weren't for me.

As it was , having passed Maths O Grade at A I was forced to do Maths Higher as one of my 6 Higher subjects - and failed it. As I knew I would. O Grade was as far as I was ever going to get.

Had the school allowed me to do Higher Latin or even Modern Studies at Higher I'd have passed them.

Maybe schools have changed terribly since I was there but my perfectly ordinary state comprehensive never once gave the idea that girls don't do science and maths.

Maths and science are core subjects in English schools. Science has different possible GCSE choices, you can do triple science, double science or single science (at least that was the case a couple of years ago when I was last teaching). Triple science is aimed at high achievers, double science for the majority and single science was aimed at those who struggled with the subject. Whichever one you choose to do, they all cover Biol/Chem/Phys. It only becomes optional at A Level.

My ordinary state school that I went to definitely gave the idea that only boys did A level physics. The head of physics was incredibly sexist, openly so, and although I was very good at all the sciences, there was no way I'd have chosen to do Physics A Level as it would have meant 2 years of putting up with his horrible attitude at close quarters. The A level class was all-boy for as long as I was at the school.