Gender and Subject Choice – Section 1

Russell Haggar

Site Owner

Section One:

Gender Differences in Subject Entries in GCSE and GCE Advanced Level Subjects 2019-2022

  •  Students may click here to access the 2022 data from the Joint Council for Qualifications. Click on GCSE and Other Results Information and then On GCSE [Full Course] Results Summer 2022
  •  Click here [2019] for EXCEL Charts GCSE : Gender and Subject Entry: the 10o Most Popular GCSE Subjects ; Separate Sciences and Modern Languages and Click Here to download   subjects with especially high percentages of female and male entries

The 10 Most Popular GCSE Subjects 2020-2022

[First figures indicate majority gender entry%; Second figures indicate %gender differences in GCSE grades9-4 attainment]

 

 

 

Science, Mathematics and English are compulsory subjects at GCSE Level and so gender differences in subject entry will obviously be small,  Gender differences in subject entry are slightly greater [but still small]in Geography and Religious studies. In the case of Art and Design female entries are significantly higher than Male entries.

[First figures indicate majority gender entry%; Second figures indicate % gender differences in GCSE grades 9-4 attainment]

 

Whereas gender differences in subject entry and in pass rates are small in GCSE Single Science subjects they are greater in Modern Foreign Languages except for entry rates for GCSE German

  Examples of very significant gender differences in subject choice often in subjects with relatively few entries

 Students may click here to access the 2022 data. Click on GCSE and Other Results Information and then scroll down to GCSE Additional Charts Summer 2022

Students may   click here to access the 2023 data. Click on GCSE and Other Results Information and then scroll down to GCSE Additional Charts Summer 2023

Recent GCE Advanced Level Statistics

Before looking at the GCE Advanced Level Charts below use this exercise to estimate of gender differences in subject choice at GCE Advanced Level

In the following list of subjects relating to 2023 there are 7 subjects which appeared in the top 10 most popular subjects for females and for males,3 subjects which appeared only in the female Top 10 and 3 subjects which appeared only in the male top 10. Can you decide which subjects appeared in which of these three categories? Mathematics, Physics, English Literature, Chemistry. Biology, Economics, Business Studies, Sociology, History, Geography, Psychology, Geography, Computing,  Art and Design,

Once you have decided which you think are the 10 most popular Female Choices try to rank them from 1 -10 in order of female popularity.

Once you have decided which you think are the 10 most popular Male Choices try to rank them in order of male popularity.

Estimate/guess what percentages of students were males and females respectively in the following subjects in 2022.  Physics? Economics?     Mathematics? Sociology? Biology? Chemistry? History?

  • Click here [2023]  for  EXCEL Charts showing the 10 Most Popular GCE Advanced Level Subjects with percentages of Male and Female entrants for each subject

Click here For Section 2