Walking into the first day of her AP Physics class, junior Sally Sue* scanned the seating chart. Only one other girl made the list. She took a seat, hoping more girls would show up and were just accidentally left off the list.
Spoiler: they weren’t.
That spring, after spending a semester feeling like a fish out of water, she refused to take AP Physics 2 as a senior. She won’t be making that mistake again.
Sally Sue might not be real, but her experience is all too real to girls across high schools.
Despite a recent trend showing girls outperforming guys in the liberal arts, according to a 2023 University of Cambridge study, girls enroll in fewer higher-level STEM classes. This problem should be a major concern to administrators and educators across the country and at East, but they’re often more interested in attendance levels than keeping girls in advanced classes.
In both AP Physics and AP Calculus BC classes at East, boys nearly double the number of girls, according to this year’s enrollment data. This trend continues in AP Physics 2 and Calculus 3, where girls make up only a fourth of the students in both classes.
More girls make it to the graduation stage than boys, so these numbers should be reflected across all classes, according to a Brookings study, regardless of whether they’re STEM-based or in the liberal arts. Administrators should be asking themselves why female students decide to opt out of math classes beyond Statistics or College Algebra Trigonometry.
Currently, no STEM-related club at East caters directly towards women. Girls are easily discouraged from seeking out difficult classes by counseling services, according to female students at East. This situation must change.
Administrators and counselors must encourage female students to push themselves in higher math and science classes. Whether it be through a “Women in STEM Club” or advice during enrollment to continue on difficult tracks, this aid is vital to preventing girls from feeling isolated in STEM classes.
But this issue isn’t only limited to East. Preparation for careers begins early, and with fewer girls enrolled in classes such as AP Physics — making up only 30% of the class, according to College Board — less women are likely to end up in STEM-related careers.
Even in AP exam registration from last year, College Board statistics show boys made up an overwhelming majority of economics, physics and computer science classes. But girls only slightly outnumbered boys in liberal arts classes and the genders split evenly in history classes.
Just because girls enroll in fewer STEM classes doesn’t mean they can’t keep up. Girls outperform guys frequently in many advanced liberal arts classes. A University of Cambridge study found that during exams taken by 16-year-old students, female students outperformed male students in almost every subject, aside from classes like economics and physics.
Once women join the workforce, they only make up 28% of STEM careers, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study. Clearly, more strides need to be taken to shrink the gender gap in STEM-related careers, and it all starts in high school classrooms.
Women are capable of doing math. When counselors nudge a girl to drop an Honors Chemistry class because she’s taking “too many difficult classes,” it only harms her success long term.
With the February late registration date on the horizon, it’s still not too late for any girl to sign up and study for any AP exam. Even if she is hesitant to take the class itself, she can still study and attempt to gain college credit — and she should.
The issue is not that girls are incapable of taking a college-level math or science class. Something is holding them back. Whether that be external forces from counselors, the pressure of getting a good grade, or the already small number of girls in the class, it’s evident something needs to change. Now.
The “You Belong Fair” — a club fair aimed at inclusion for all East students — coming up on Dec. 3 is a great opportunity to introduce a new, administration-supported club, specifically for women in STEM.
With proper support from staff, the club could gain traction quickly and increase female involvement in STEM classes. With next year’s enrollment coming up, female students with A’s in their math and science classes shouldn’t be scared into taking easier courses.
Girls, don’t be afraid to take that AP class, and don’t let anyone say you’re not capable of challenging yourself. You have the potential — don’t let your gender define your academic success.
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