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IOP responds to ‘girls don’t like physics’ comment

Physics World June 2022

Physics World

 
News & Analysis Physics World  June 2022

IOP responds to ‘girls don’t like physics’ comment

The Institute of Physics (IOP) says that it is “alarmed” by comments made by the UK government’s social mobility commissioner that more girls decide not to study A-level physics because they “don’t like it” given there is a lot of “hard maths”. 

In April Katharine Birbalsingh – headteacher of the Michaela Community School in London and chair of the UK government’s social mobility commission – told the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM that “Physics isn’t something that girls tend to fancy.” She said that girls “don’t want to do it”, adding “They don’t like it…There’s a lot of hard maths in there that they don’t want to do.” 

Amid an outcry at Birbalsingh’s remarks, the IOP called for a move away from such “outdated” views and suggested a united effort to encourage a range of people to take up the subject. “We need to listen to the experiences of young people before making assumptions that can further perpetuate the challenges they face in doing physics,” says IOP deputy chief executive Rachel Youngman. 

Physicist Sheila Rowan from Glasgow University, who is IOP president, noted that Birbalsingh’s comments were not only disappointing but also not borne out by the evidence. Rowan told BBC News that the latest figures show that some 38,000 girls studied maths at A level, in which 22,000 were awarded an A or A* – the top marks. “Girls do maths in large numbers and when they do it, they excel at it,” says Rowan. 

In England around 22% of physics A-level students are female and Rowan says that taking a “whole-school approach” is the most effective way to get people to engage with physics. “When we think about how teaching is done in schools, when we show female role models, and explain what physics really is and what physics careers really are, then that can significantly change the number of girls who choose to engage in what is a wonderful career,” adds Rowan. 

Michael Banks 

  • See also “Physics is something that girls fancy