In common with other OECD countries, there is a gender gap in educational achievement in England favouring girls. This carries through to tertiary education. On the other hand, boys are far more likely to engage in STEM in post-16 vocational education and at university. The underachievement of boys overall, but over-representation in STEM, presents significant challenges for policy. This paper documents changes in the gender gap over the last 20 years in England and discusses findings in the light of international evidence. It concludes that education policies, in academic and in vocational spheres, can be designed to reduce gender inequalities that exist in both.

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20 October 2020     Paper Number CVERDP032

Download PDF - Gender, achievement, and subject choice in English education

This CVER Research Paper is published under the centre's Education programme.

This publication comes under the following theme: Vocational education and training