Advanced classes face gender imbalance

While girls narrowly outnumber boys in CVHS AP or honors classes, by 1,239 to 1,234, some of these specific classes have a very skewed ratio. These classes include Honors ASL, Honors Afrocentric, Honors Physics, AP Biology, AP Computer Science, AP Economics and AP Art. 

The class with the largest gender imbalance this year is Honors ASL, which has 20 girls and no boys at all. However, there isn’t any observable cause for this occurrence. 

“It’s just a matter of who continues in ASL, so there’s no way to fix it. It just worked out that way,” said ASL teacher Amy Ryken. 

With a seven to one ratio, AP Art is also a very female-dominated class. There are only four boys, compared to 28 girls. However, this data may not be completely accurate.

“The arts are a safe space for people who don’t subscribe to the gender binary,” said teacher Alexis Knudsen. “I want it to feel welcoming to everybody.” 

Honors Physics has a ratio of 49 boys to 14 girls. This means that there are more than three times as many boys as girls. This ratio, however, is thought to be more systematic. 

“It’s a historical thing a lot of people work to try and change,” said teacher Sean Fottrell.

Physics has classically been a male-dominated field. According to the American Institute of Physics (AIP), “In 2017, women earned 21% of physics bachelors’ degrees and 20% of physics doctorates.” However, other data from the AIP show that this percentage has been steadily increasing over time. This is partially due to an increase in female mentors. 

“Having women role models always helps, such as female physics teachers,” said Fottrell. 

Another class that has been historically skewed is AP Computer Science. Currently, the class has 62 boys and only 20 girls. This is approximately a three to one ratio. Computer science in general also tends to have a female minority. In an article from UC Berkeley, only 21% of computer science degree recipients were female. This is largely due to a systematic push of men towards the field. 

“Men are more likely to take computer science because either they want to or it’s something that they feel like they should do,” said teacher Mander Kraut. 

However, this expectation is reflected by how students do in the class. It is evident that the girls taking the class actually want to be there. 

“On average more of the women do better in AP Comp Sci because they are more likely to actually have a passion for it,” added Kraut.

While the girls in the class are more likely to want to be there, it isn’t always the best environment for them, because of how male-dominated the class is. 

“I sometimes feel excluded from the others in the class,” said senior Hannah Kinsley, one of the few girls in the class. 

AP Economics is another class that reflects a classically male-dominated field. This class has 34 boys and 17 girls, which means it has twice as many boys than girls. While this is in part a result of societal pressure, it may also stem from parental pressures. 

“Trends and habits and kinds of social norms take a long time to change, and so I think we’re in that process. But I still think there’s probably a lot of parents that push,” said teacher David Roth-Rossi.

The Honors Afrocentric History and Literature classes, which are open to all students but specifically catered towards Black students, have a little over twice as many girls than boys, with 45 girls and 20 boys. In this case, some may speculate that this is in part due to the factor of race. 

“Structural institutions in schools in history have told young Black men that school isn’t for them so they don’t see themselves in honors and AP classes,” said history teacher Kevin Batchelor. 

Surprisingly, not all male-dominated fields yield male-dominated classes. Among these classes is AP Biology, which has only 43 boys, yet 78 girls, which is unusual for this subject. While it may be because the teacher is a woman, there is no other actual explanation for why this happened. 

While all these classes have significant disparities, it is not always the best way for a class to function.

“It’s always better to have a more heterogeneous mix of students because a more diverse class allows for a mix of perspectives,” said AP Biology teacher Emily Ledford.

Class	Number of Boys	Number of Girls
Advanced Ceramics	4	11
Advanced Chemistry	113	109
Advanced Graphic Design	5	5
Advanced Journalism	8	5
Advanced Photography	5	8
Advanced Theater	3	8
AP Art History	88	75
AP Biology	43	78
AP Calculus AB	105	90
AP Calculus BC	68	54
AP Chemistry	35	29
AP Computer Science	62	20
AP Economics	34	17
AP English Literature	79	104
AP Environmental Science	80	73
AP French	1	2
AP German	8	8
AP Japanese	12	6
AP Mandarin	9	14
AP Spanish	17	43
AP Statistics	57	39
AP Studio Art	4	28
AP US History	57	39
Honors American Literature	107	120
Honors Choir	13	16
Honors Physics	49	14
Honors Spanish	30	34
Honors Theater	7	6
Honors Afrocentric	20	45
Honors ASL	0	20
Int 3 Advanced	111	119
Total	1234	1239