Why Boys in England Are Falling Behind in School

Introduction: The Gender Gap in English Education

Are boys in England falling behind their female counterparts? If the answer is yes, then why — and what can be done to address the problem? In an age of fierce competition, it is no longer enough to simply let "boys be boys." The real question is: how can we balance the learning needs of boys with the needs of girls?

Society seems to operate like a pendulum, first favoring boys, then favoring girls. We cannot continue swinging back and forth, favoring one gender at a time. The pendulum needs to stop, but how do we achieve balance in the classroom? This paper examines the gender achievement gap in England by reviewing international comparative data, exploring its biological and sociological roots, and evaluating proposed solutions.

While it might seem obvious, the best way to fix a problem is to go to its source. What is the source of the differences between the sexes? Is it biological, or is it social and historical? Women's suffrage began in England in the 19th century. In the Victorian era, women were seen as morally superior to men and were placed on an absurd pedestal. Part of the argument against women's suffrage was that women needed to be shielded from active society in order to protect their virtue. Gender roles were rigidly defined, and double standards ruled the day. Men were comparatively free from societal constraints. When the women's suffrage movement began, it faced considerable resistance; many men and women had ideas of gender so deeply ingrained that they could not imagine women being able to vote.

Biological and Sociological Roots of Gender Difference

Most sociologists agree that the differences between men and women are not merely sociological, but biological as well. Men and women differ in appearance, both inside and outside. Men are generally larger than women. Brain structure differs slightly — men have larger hypothalamuses than women do. Women appear to use more of their brain, especially when talking, reading, or writing. Men tend to perform better at certain mental tasks, such as spatial visualization and rotating objects in space.

The fact that men are more visually oriented while women appear to be more effective verbal communicators is not a sociological accident; it is a byproduct of evolution, which is itself a byproduct of ancient social roles. This was not a devious plot — it is simply the way mammals are organized. Women bear children and are primarily responsible for protecting and raising the next generation; men hunted. Biology and sociology have worked together to create gender roles. As Mooney-Marini writes:

"Although there is reason to believe that some sex differences in behavior and attitudes have a biological basis, the existence of historical and cross-cultural variation in gender role differentiation and stratification provides strong evidence that social influences play an important role in the determination of differences between the sexes." (Mooney-Marini, p. 122)

These gender differences are no reason to favor one gender over the other, or to give up on either. Few people in the modern world hunt and gather. Life for humans is very different from what it was 20,000 years ago. There is no question that biology still plays a significant role, but altering the sociology may be more achievable than altering the biology — even if neither task is easy.

Evidence of Boys Falling Behind

Are boys really falling behind their female classmates? The data suggest that this is indeed the case. According to the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, published in 2000, females scored 22 points higher than males on reading tests. Furthermore, English males scored among the lowest of the seven countries surveyed, only slightly above the Netherlands and nearly 40 points below boys from the United States. The study also showed that English girls are not performing as well as their foreign counterparts — English girls scored 30 points below American girls. Americans recorded the highest scores for both males and females in the study.

The problem is not limited to England, though it is most pronounced in England and Wales. In Canada, 11% fewer boys than girls graduated from high school in 1999, up from a 3.5% difference favoring young women in 1991. Educators in Canada attribute the growing failure of boys to the collaborative teaching style adopted there since the late 1980s. Mark Holmes, Professor Emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, observed: "Boys like to have a direct task, be responsible for it, and know when it is finished." (Literacy Trust)

There are other factors that may contribute to boys' disengagement from school. Researchers at Birkbeck, University of London, suggest that the underachievement of teenage boys may be partly due to the perception that studying is not considered masculine. Boys at that age are trying to prove they are men — focusing on wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and excelling at sports rather than concentrating on schoolwork. Boys who are seen as smart or studious risk being labeled as geeks, nerds, or even gay, and face the threat of ostracism and bullying in exchange for academic effort. A study entitled Young Masculinities found that other behaviors teenage boys associate with masculinity — such as swearing, and issues of control and dominance — had a detrimental effect on classroom performance (Channel Cincinnati).

Conclusion: Stopping the Pendulum

That doesn't leave much in the way of easy solutions. The burden of ensuring that boys and girls reach their highest intellectual potential falls squarely on the shoulders of teachers and parents alike. Teachers need better training and more resources to support the success of all students. Parents also need better tools to monitor and encourage their children's academic performance. Standardized tests, student performance reviews, portfolios, and active parental involvement are all important factors in student success.

History reveals a pendulum that has mostly favored boys and has more recently appeared to favor girls. That pendulum does not have to keep swinging. It can be steadied through thoughtful reconsideration of educational policy and sustained investment in school funding. It may seem like an ambitious dream, but it is worth remembering that many of today's advances — social, political, and technological — were once considered impossible too.

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