Male and female students are closing the gap in study scores for VCE subjects including business management and physical education, but a sharp gender divide in outcomes remains across STEM and humanities courses.
Data from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority shows that boys continue to get higher numbers of top scores in STEM subjects, with mathematical methods, specialist mathematics and physics ranking in the top 10 subjects among male students.
In mathematical methods, which ranked third among boys, 771 male students scored above 40. But the same subject was ranked 10th among girls, with only 281 students receiving marks over 40.
Across humanities subjects, girls showed massive top-score figures. In psychology, 849 female students received scores above 40, while 847 students had top marks in health and human development, and 467 in legal studies.
In English – a compulsory subject – 1690 girls dominated the top scores last year, while 1176 boys achieved a score over 40. In general mathematics, however, the trend reversed, with boys securing 1188 top marks compared to 879 for girls.
Physical education was placed eighth among male and female students, with 390 girls recording top scores, compared to 343 boys.
Andrew Hamilton, who teaches VCE physical education at Melbourne’s Carey Baptist Grammar, has seen the subject’s popularity grow in recent years.
He says the subject includes a mix of practical activities, as well as elements of chemistry and biology, and is a course applicable to various areas of students’ everyday lives.
For example, in a physical education lesson where a class monitors a V02 max test on a stationary bike, students learn about measuring the volume of oxygen in an athlete’s blood and how these levels vary according to exercise intensity.
“It’s a very applicable subject that doesn’t have gender connotation,” Hamilton says. “There’s no societal expectations around PE and what that should look like, compared to the humanities, which have always been somewhat skewed to female participation. And if you look at the STEM subjects, engineering and specialist maths have [also] traditionally been gendered in their approach.”
Hamilton also says Australia has deconstructed many gender stereotypes around sport, pointing to the Matildas being an inspiration to young boys and girls around the country.
As more girls join the subject over time, he now says the class is evenly split between male and female students.
“It creates a wonderfully collaborative space that reflects society in our workplaces and university settings,” he says.
Physical education student Tilly Kotzmann says she was attracted to the science aspect of the course.
“I wanted to learn how the body works in terms of exercise, and that really drew me to the subject,” the 17-year-old says.
Tilly wasn’t surprised to hear that girls and boys were excelling equally in the subject, and feels there aren’t barriers holding her or her female classmates back.
The equal outcomes also aren’t a surprise to the president of the Victorian Association of State Secondary School Principals, Belinda Hudak.
She says that in the past, there were more distinct pathways for boys and girls, and the courses they chose. But that has changed – particularly in sports subjects as more female leagues in sports like soccer and the AFLW grow in popularity.
“We’re seeing much more grounded engagement in those subjects,” Hudak says of the changes in recent years.
As more women in sport also succeed at an elite level, it also shows young girls that sport can be a pursuit either professionally or at an allied health level.
“I could surmise or guess why we’re seeing a balance in that space, but I think that we’re seeing a lot more girls really engaged in sports at different levels.”
But while the gender gap still persists in high scores between STEM and humanities subjects, there has been some change.
“Kids always do better in the subjects they think are interesting, and I think the work teachers are doing in opening up or removing gender stereotypes across specific career pathways goes a long way to show young people that anything is possible for them,” Hudak says.
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Caroline Schelle is an education reporter, and joined The Age in 2022. She previously covered courts at AAP.Connect via X or email.