Why maths for girls still doesn’t add up

When I grew up, boys were encouraged to take all kinds of further maths, girls were not, writes Chris Blackhurst. Have things got better? Statistically, perhaps. But why is it that so many girls – as good as or better than the boys – still drop maths after their GCSEs?

‘Girls don’t realise or know that without maths, especially for many of the careers of the future, their options are severely limited’ (PA)

When I was at my single-sex grammar in the North of England plenty of my contemporaries studied maths and further maths to A-level. Some did additional maths. No, I never got it either: maths, further maths and additional maths.

The school also encouraged the three sciences and lots of boys went on to study for science, engineering and medical degrees that required the application of mathematics as well as degrees in pure mathematics.

Not so for the girls next door. Barrow-in-Furness Grammar School for Girls did not approve of its pupils taking maths beyond O-level, nor did it like them pursuing careers where advanced mathematical knowledge would come in handy. Instead, they were steered towards the arts and non-scientific subjects.