WHAT are to make of the latest figures on the number of men and women taking certain subjects at university? According to new analysis by Edinburgh University, 56 per cent of students studying medicine and dentistry in Scotland are women, with the figure for law even higher at 63 per cent. It is not a new trend, but even so, the figures are striking and seem to show that three of the great university subjects are now dominated by women.
In one respect at least, the new figures should be seen as a good sign. For generations, women were under-represented in law and medicine and the fact that more women than men are now studying law and medicine is an obvious sign of progress. But the problem of female inequality in education and the professions is far from fixed. It would also appear the improvement in the representation of girls has emphasised another problem: the under-attainment of boys.
Some of the factors which may be leading to male under-attainment have already been identified, the most obvious being their relative lack of interest in reading. There is also a culture of bravado among some boys which can create a disincentive to achieve and do well.
Some efforts have already been made to tackle this issue – such as trying to make reading more male-friendly in class – but there are a couple of problems with this approach. Firstly, there is no evidence boys are becoming more interested in reading as a result of such measures. And secondly, a focus on reading misses the bigger picture. Yes, boys are under-achieving compared to girls, but more specifically, it is boys from poorer backgrounds who are doing worst of all.
Fixing that problem, so that more boys from poorer backgrounds can go on to university, will require a much stricter focus on the attainment gap in general, and on that the Scottish Government’s record has been patchy. The Pupil Equity Fund, which targets £120m at primary pupils from poorer backgrounds, is a welcome measure – and it is good news that North Lanarkshire Council has backed off from plans to spend some of their money from the fund on other things. But the Government has still to develop a convincing, long-term strategy to close the attainment gap between the rich and the poor, which in turn would close the gap between girls and boys.
We should also be cautious about assuming that the new figures on who is studying law, medicine and dentistry indicate that there is equality in the wider professions. Far from it. The university courses in these subjects may be female-dominated, but the upper echelons of the professions are still dominated by men and that is unlikely to change until there are more incentives for women such as family-friendly working hours and better childcare. The female dominance of law and medicine is also not replicated in the important stem subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths.
Against such a backdrop, the high numbers of women studying law and medicine at university is encouraging. But the high numbers cannot hide an uncomfortable fact: the inequalities in education are still far from fixed.
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