Editorial: Report for parents - do as I say, not as I do

Never mind broad questions about the nanny state; this plan falls down on simple efficacy

Concerned that today’s schoolgirls are lacking in ambition, the Government is putting together a guide for parents.

The material will, the Culture Secretary hopes, help baffled mothers and fathers to bring up the “aspirational young women” that modern notions of equality and economic efficiency demand.

Really? Granted, the aim to “broaden girls’ aspirations and job choices” is an entirely laudable one. A government-sponsored “information pack” is hardly the way to do it, though.

Never mind broad questions about the nanny state; this plan falls down on simple efficacy. A few pointers about female astronauts or captains of industry will achieve little, particularly given that they come from a Government with just four women out of a Cabinet of 22. Forget the nonsense of info packs and parental nudges. To make a real difference to girls’ aspirations, that would be the place to start.