Fewer differences between boys and girls at school

Choice of future study

Traditional notions about male and female jobs often determine the course of study chosen by teenagers. The government wants to challenge this. For instance, girls still tend not to opt for technical courses and boys tend not to to opt for training as carers or primary school teachers. The government wants boys and girls to explore and identify their talents and skills at an early age and to make later educational choices on that basis.

The careers orientation and guidance provided in schools provides an important foundation for this. Teachers will be asked to be aware of gender-based differences in choice behaviour and the need to encourage boys and girls to make well-considered choices based on their own particular talents.

Gender sensitivity

Gender inequality is often caused by young people's vulnerability to gender stereotypes. This may include set ideas about how boys and girls should behave.

Besides subject choice and achievement at school, social influence is also a significant factor that influences pupils' results, for example, strong peer pressure among teenagers. This often leads to an anti-school attitude, particularly in boys, whereas girls are expected to be hard-working and do as they are told. As noted above, these stereotypes often dictate the subject combinations that pupils choose or their further education.