Tag Archives: girls

BBC Science Focus Magazine survey reveals girls uninspired by STEM subjects at school

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  • A third of girls cite Maths as their least favourite subject
  • Boys inspired by STEM, list Computing and Maths as favourite subjects
  • Girls dream of becoming teachers while boys aspire to be computer programmers

 

To commemorate International Women in Science Day today, BBC Science Focus Magazine has launched an investigation into why many girls are not choosing to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics at A-level and University. To get to the heart of the issue, BBC Science Focus Magazine conducted three separate surveys in a bid to discover why certain subjects get a thumbs-down, and whether anything can be done to stop them turning away.

 

The survey sent to 11 to 14-year olds conducted by agency CINT UK Ltd/Immediate Media Co, discovered that there is notable gender difference in the respondents, with no STEM subjects listed in the Top 3 subjects for girls, whilst STEM subjects feature twice (ICT and Maths/Statistics) in the boys Top 3.

 

Girls Favourite Subjects

  • Art            (43%)
  • English     (28%)
  • Drama      (28%)
   Boys Favourite Subjects

  • ICT/computing    (41%)
  • PE                          (36%)
  • Maths/Statistics  (35%)

 

Those polled citing, ‘I’m good at them’ (68%) and ‘I find them interesting’ (65%) as the main reasons behind favourite subjects.

 

When it comes to Least Favourite, Maths/Statistics comes top for girls polled. Both boys and girls also cite similar reasoning for their least favourites: 57% find the subjects boring, 42% because they are not good at them and 35% find them difficult to understand.

 

Girls Least Favourite

  • Maths/Statistics (33%)
  • RE                         (29%)
  • Languages           (28%)
   Boys Least Favourite

  • RE                         (33%)
  • Languages           (29%)
  • Maths/Statistics (23%)
     

This attitude is certainly reflected nationally. According to the Your Life campaign, at A-level, just 19% of girls choose two STEM subjects, compared to 33% of boys. Maths and physics fare particularly poorly: according to the JCQ (Joint Centre for Qualifications), last year 59,270 boys took A-level maths, compared to 38,357 girls; and 29,422 boys took physics, compared to 8,384 girls.

 

Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Production Editor at BBC Science Focus Magazine commented, “From our research, we found that interest in the sciences drops off when girls enter secondary school. This is troubling, as many of them want to follow career paths where science, technology, engineering and maths would be helpful. In fact, these subjects are useful for loads of careers – whether you want to be a journalist, a video game designer, an astronaut or a lawyer.”

 

But how do the younger girls view STEM? When we spoke to around 100 readers at Girl Talk, a magazine for girls aged 7 to 11, they told us they enjoy their science lessons, especially the experiments and hands on learning, which would suggest that girls are less interested in STEM, the older they get.

 

With 40,000** STEM jobs lying vacant each year, there is a huge opportunity to get more women into science-based roles. When asked what careers the 11 to 14-year olds would like to do when older, there is a marked difference between the genders. Girls are aiming for traditionally nurturing roles with teacher (8%) taking the top spot, a career in the medical profession (7%) orworking with animals (7%), complete their Top 3, whereas boys have opted for computer programming (10%), engineering (8%) and becoming a blogger/vlogger at 6%.

 

Considering that STEM qualifications are needed to pursue several of the girls’ dream jobs, the magazine also surveyed more than 2,000 adults to ascertain whether STEM subjects are suggested by School Careers Advisors, or indeed whether pupils career aspirations are considered.

 

Considering that it can, and should, play an important part in future careers, over a third (37%) of our audience agree that better, or the presence of, careers advice would have altered the career path they followed. A huge number of those polled (63%) agree there should be more advice from schools, whilst 40% wished they had understood what qualifications were needed to pursue their preferred career, as 30% of those would have taken the necessary subjects more seriously at school.

 

 

For more on the subject, the full feature is at www.sciencefocus.com

Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World By Reshma Saujani

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Getting women into STEM is a passion of Frost Magazine. We need more girls who code and Reshma Saujani has founded the leading international movement to close the tech gender gap. This book is a New York Times Bestseller and it is easy to see why. The back cover has glowing endorsements from Jack Dorsey, Sheryl Sandberg and Melinda Gates. It is part how-to and part girl-empowerment. It is written in an engaging way that is easy to understand and fun. This is a brilliant book which should be bought for any girl in your life. Books have power and this book has it in droves. The perfect mix of inspiration and knowledge. Crack the code to your future dreams Since 2012, the organization Girls Who Code has been leading the charge to get girls interested in technology and coding. Now its founder, Reshma Saujani, wants to inspire you to be a girl who codes! Bursting with dynamic artwork, down-to-earth explanations of coding principles, and real-life stories of girls and women working at places like Pixar and NASA, this graphically animated book shows what a huge role computer science plays in our lives and how much fun it can be. No matter your interest—sports, the arts, baking, student government, social justice—coding can help you do what you love and make your dreams come true. Whether you’re a girl who’s never coded before, a girl who codes, or a parent raising one, this entertaining book, printed in bold two-color and featuring art on every page, will have you itching to create your own apps, games, and robots to make the world a better place. Part how-to, part girl-empowerment, and all fun, from the leader of the movement championed by Sheryl Sandberg, Jack Dorsey, and other giants of the tech world. Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World By Reshma SaujaniGetting women into STEM is a passion of Frost Magazine. We need more girls who code and Reshma Saujani has founded the leading international movement to close the tech gender gap. By 2020 1.4 million jobs will be open in computing fields in the US alone, yet only about 30% of them will be filled with computing graduates, and only 3% of those will be filled by women. This is despite women using social media apps 600% more than men. Girls are getting left behind. Girls Who Code is an organisation that aims to teach 1 million girls to code by 2020. This is the project’s first book and is a New York Times Bestseller and it is easy to see why. The back cover has glowing endorsements from Jack Dorsey, Sheryl Sandberg and Melinda Gates. It is part how-to and part girl-empowerment. It is written in an engaging way that is easy to understand and fun. This is a brilliant book which should be bought for any girl in your life. Books have power and this book has it in droves. The perfect mix of inspiration and knowledge, all written in an accessible way. Frost loves.
Crack the code to your future dreams

Since 2012, the organization Girls Who Code has been leading the charge to get girls interested in technology and coding. Now its founder, Reshma Saujani, wants to inspire you to be a girl who codes!

Bursting with dynamic artwork, down-to-earth explanations of coding principles, and real-life stories of girls and women working at places like Pixar and NASA, this graphically animated book shows what a huge role computer science plays in our lives and how much fun it can be. No matter your interest—sports, the arts, baking, student government, social justice—coding can help you do what you love and make your dreams come true.

Whether you’re a girl who’s never coded before, a girl who codes, or a parent raising one, this entertaining book, printed in bold two-color and featuring art on every page, will have you itching to create your own apps, games, and robots to make the world a better place.

 

Part how-to, part girl-empowerment, and all fun, from the leader of the movement championed by Sheryl Sandberg, Jack Dorsey, and other giants of the tech world.

 

Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World By Reshma Saujani is available here.

 

Parenting Gender Truths: Do Mums Want Boys or Girls?

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childbirth, birth, labour, labour tips, labor, childbirth book, what to expect, catherine BalavageTwice as many mums want baby girls over boys 

  • 39% of mums wish for girls compared to just 18% for boys – but dads are three times more likely to want sons

 

  • Four in five mums say a gender preference is normal – but still taboo to talk about

 

  • A quarter admit to feeling very disappointed if child is wrong sex, with three per cent bravely admitting it affected their ability to bond with their child

 

  • One boy / one girl is seen as the nation’s ideal family – but 18% of families have suffered negative comments about their family’s gender mix

 

  • Over a third of modern mums plan ‘Gender Reveal’ parties – but modern trend for instant family ‘Pink & Blue’ twins putting parents under pressure

 

IT MAY BE a man’s world – but modern mums are twice as likely to want daughters over sons, a new study from parenting site ChannelMum.com shows.

 

Two in five mothers (39%) said they wished for a girl while pregnant, compared to just 18 per cent who hoped for a son. But for fathers the reverse is true, with men a whopping three times more likely to want boys. A huge 31 per cent of men expressed the preference to have sons, while only one in ten wanted a daughter.
While four in five mums (80%) said they believe it’s normal to have a preference on the gender of your child, the report revealed the subject is still strictly taboo with few families willing to admit it.
Of the 2,189 mums polled, over a third (36%) didn’t tell anyone they had a gender preference, and under half (48%) confided in their partner. Only a third (33%) admitted their feelings to their own family. However, the desire for a certain sex is so strong that only 18 per cent of mums claimed to feel ‘guilty’ for wanting their favoured gender.

The study also showed parents are now so desperate to discover their child’s gender that almost two thirds of parents (62%) find out at a scan, while only 38 per cent remain on ‘Team Yellow’ – the modern code for not finding out your baby’s gender until birth. And over a third (35%) of pregnant mums now plan ‘gender reveal’ events or parties complete with pink or blue-hued balloons and cakes.

However, a quarter of mums quizzed admitted to feeling ‘very disappointed’ if their child was the ‘wrong’ gender. (24%). Bravely, a further three per cent even admitted this affected their ability to bond with their child long-term.

This disappointment means two in five mums (41%) say they tried for second child to get ‘right’ sex, while 26 per cent opted for a third and 10 per cent kept going for four or more children. A further six per cent would even fly abroad for gender selection IVF which is currently illegal in the UK.

Worryingly, 18 per cent of families have had negative comments on the gender mix of their children, with close family and mother-in-laws most likely to make rude jibes, followed by strangers and then friends.

The study also unveiled the nation’s ideal family as one girl / one boy, voted for by 54% of mums quizzed. But 15 per cent of mums claim the growing celebrity trend to have ‘pink and blue twins’ – like Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez – is putting pressure on normal mums.
Two in five mums polled said the ‘PBT’ phenomenon is being used to make working mums to have an ‘instant family’ and take less time away from the workplace, and 15 per cent had even felt pressured to try for mixed-sex twins themselves.

But despite so many parents favouring one gender over another, surprisingly just three per cent of parents polled tried to ‘sway’ the sex of the child. The most popular method was timing sex, followed by eating a special diet and even calculating dates to conceive using astrology.

The study also revealed the most common reasons for wanting a certain sex.

Top Reasons for Wanting Girls

  1. Girls stay closer to their parents when she grows up (41%)
  2. Girls more fun to dress up (40%)
  3. Girls are better behaved (7%)

 Top Reasons for Wanting Boys

  1. Boys are easier (14%)
  2. Boys are more fun to play with (9%)
  3. Cultural reasons (4%)

Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum.com said: “Boy or girl – every child is a blessing, but the issue of gender disappointment is something we need to talk about and bring into the open. With mums and dads often at odds about the gender they really want, one parent will usually end up disappointed, so we must ensure families have the support they need to bond with their baby. It’s worth remembering a child isn’t their gender – they are their own people with their own personality. So whatever the gender, let your child be who they are, not what you hoped them to be.”

http://www.channelmum.com/topic/gender-reveals/

Not That Kind of Girl By Lena Dunham Book Review

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9780008101268Where to start? I guess with the fact that this book is not what I thought it would be. It’s not bad, it’s just not what I expected. Let’s get the controversy out of the way: I don’t believe Lena molested her sister. The passage about ‘spreading open her vagina’ makes for very uncomfortable reading but, in my opinion, is very different from sexual abuse. Same gender curiosity in young children is different from sexual abuse, many have said that if this book was written by a male things would be different, but not if the male did what Lena did to his brother. Young children don’t even know what sex is. So, end of.

The thing is, I don’t relate to Lena Dunham. Or at least I thought I did until I read this book. I don’t get the drug use, I am very anti-drugs and always have been. I don’t even care if I come across as boring but mentioning casual drug use as if it is not a thing to me is irresponsible. Many people think drug use is ‘cool’ and ‘artistic’ but it’s not. Drugs ruin lives and society. Now go ahead and judge me for my controversial view: I don’t care. The book is full of sex: masturbation and sexual encounters. This also makes for uncomfortable reading. Not bad reading, just uncomfortable. Dunham seems to want to punish herself with jerks and bad sexual encounters. It’s a version of self-loathing and it made me want to pick her up and hug her. Then of course there is the fact that Dunham was raped. Rape is never fun to read about, but Dunham’s courage in telling her story is commendable. The book is full of brutal honesty.

I know that in many ways this review will seem like a bad review, it’s not. I still think Dunham is talented, amazing, brilliant: a trail blazer. We are similar in age and I also made a web series about young twenty-somethings struggling to find their way in life, though with less success than the juggernaut that is Girls. We are both writer/producers/actors/directors and I always thought that Dunham was so together. I think she is now and that is what is interesting about this book. After all of the self-loathing, punishing herself dating/having sex with men who treated her terribly and other self-destructive behaviour the book comes beautifully full circle: she no longer runs away from people and herself, she in many ways, becomes a grown up. She finally stops causing herself pain. While I related more to Amy Poehler and her awesome book, Yes Please, there is something here to learn. Dunham is unvarnished, naked, almost embarrassing in her honesty. Dunham has been called the voice of her generation many times. Truth is, she doesn’t speak for me or many people that I know. But the thing is: it doesn’t matter. She is still paving the way for women, still creating waves in the film and TV industry, still making progress in a brutal, sexist industry. It doesn’t matter that I don’t 100% relate to her: she is still awesome.  I may not write endlessly about my vagina the way Dunham does but then, maybe my vagina just isn’t that interesting. There is a lot of stories of bad sex in this book, and I hope that other women who read it don’t think this is par for the course. It shouldn’t be.

This book is certainly worth a read. It really made me think and feel. This is essentially a collection of autobiographical essays which Dunham was paid £2.3m for by Random House. It is not as good as it could have been, and Dunham could have done with more editing, but she is certainly a talented writer and I am sure there will be more to come. As Dunham says in the book: “There is nothing gutsier to me than a person announcing that their story is one that deserves to be told, especially if that person is a woman,”

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s Learned is available here.

 

 

 

 

Sciku: The Wonder of Science – In Haiku! Book review

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Sciku: The Wonder of Science – In Haiku! By Students of The Camden School For Girls.
scikuwonderofsciencehaiku
Published 20 November 2014, this book was an instant hit at Frost because it is a science book written by girls. Women, and girls, are underrepresented in science and many a sexist thinks that us girls just aren’t smart enough to handle big subjects like maths and science. So, read this book and shove your thoughts!

Humourous and fun: the book fuses poetry with scientific knowledge. As entertaining as it is fun, I really loved this book. It is a great idea that is well-executed.

 

Gravity:
An attractive force
Between all objects with mass
Just like you and me

Physics, Chemistry and Biology are things of magic and wonder. They reveal complex patterns – and often thrilling chaos – at the heart of nature; the strange alchemy of reactions between invisible atoms; the bewildering origins of our universe in the furthest reaches of time and the connections in our brains that create love, fear, joy – and poetry.

Sciku brings together more than 400 revealing, poignant, witty haiku on scientific subjects. Written by students at Camden School for Girls – with all royalties from the sale of this book donated to the campaign to modernize their school science laboratory – these poems show that science may have given us the atom bomb, the laptop and the artificial heart but that it remains elegiac, enigmatic and often mind-bogglingly beautiful.

Photosynthesis:
Carbon dioxide
And water combine to form
Glucose thanks to light

Camden School for Girls is a comprehensive secondary school for girls, with a co-educational sixth form, in the London Borough of Camden in North London. The girls who contributed to this book range from the ages of 11 to 18.

Sciku is edited by Karen Scott, a teacher of English at the school and Simon Flynn, a teacher of Science at the school. Simon is the author of the Science Magpie (‘a cornucopia of curious facts, anecdotes and quotations … sure to entertain and surprise’ New Scientist) and is a teacher of science at Camden School for Girls.

Sciku: The Wonder of Science – In Haiku! is available here.

 

 

Girls, Let’s Talk About Our Vaginas

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Right girls, we need to talk about something women don’t talk about enough. It’s the ‘V’ word, yup, our vaginas. Thing is, they are nothing to be ashamed of, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be talking about our vagina. (Keep saying it ‘vagina’)

In fact, Vagisil commissioned a survey of 1,000 women and discovered a shocking lack of knowledge amongst British women about intimate health, as well as a surprising reluctance to talk about their intimate area. As the expert in intimate health, they want to end the lack of knowledge, the whispers, the secrecy and the embarrassment. In fact, 42% of women are uncomfortable even mentioning the word vagina in daily conversation and just a quarter know what the plural for vagina is. Even worse; more than half (52%) would still be embarrassed to ask for advice from a pharmacist or other medical professional if they had an intimate health problem. Nearly a quarter (23%) of British women admit they have never even properly looked at their own vagina. Rather shocking statistics.

lets-do-something-about-it-550x330

It is important to know about your vagina. Too many of us don’t know anything about our own gynecological health, or are too shy to seek help if there is a problem. Vagisil have launched a Let’s Do Something campaign. Check out the video above and let’s get more acquainted with our vagina. It is beautiful and amazing after all.

Sponsored Post

 

The Kills In New Online Film Exploring Double Acts In Art

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In Unlock Art: Great Double Acts, The Kills investigate the importance of collaboration to the artistic process, and how artists have always collaborated in some form or other throughout history including Rubens, Jeff Koons, Gilbert & George and Jake and Dinos Chapman. The film challenges the popular myth: that art is made by solitary, angst-ridden artists, and reveals just how varied and abundant artistic creation can be when collaboration is involved.

jamiehince

madeinheaven

thekills

thekillsfilm

This is the sixth Unlock Art film in the series of eight produced in collaboration between Tate and Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts which aims to unlock the big stories and ideas behind art. Other presenters in the series include author and broadcaster Dawn O’Porter, HBO Girls star Jemima Kirke, actor Alan Cumming and new Doctor Who actor Peter Capaldi.

Unlock Art aims to take viewers on a journey through various art movements and themes, from the history of the nude and humour in art, to Surrealism and Pop – offering the need-to-know facts, and making the arts more accessible to a wider audience.

Le Méridien ‘Unlock Art’ microsite: www.lemeridien.com/filmseries

#UnlockArt

Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2014

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Here it is: a list celebrating the most desirable women. AskMen Readers Celebrate Actresses, Performers, Athletes and Other Leading Ladies in Global Poll.

After more than one million votes were cast internationally, Game of Thrones darling Emilia Clarke was voted No. 1 on AskMen’s Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2014. The 13th edition of the Top 99 poll called on readers to elect women who most closely match their ideals, voting on criteria including sex appeal, character, talent and potential for 2014.

mostdesirablewomen

Rounding out this year’s top five are Mad Men’s Alison Brie (No. 2), Blurred Lines music video model Emily Ratajkowski (No. 3), The Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence (No. 4) and Harry Potter’s Emma Watson (No. 5). After an eventful year, Miley Cyrus was featured on the list for the first time ever — at No. 99. “AskMen readers are big television fans — the proof is the 27 current and former TV stars that they voted to this year’s list. Emilia Clarke being crowned Khaleesi of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2014 is attributable to the strength and character she portrays onscreen, as well as the global popularity of Game of Thrones. It’s great to see a Brit top our list this year,” commented Mike Goldstein, Publisher of AskMen.

Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2014

British women are appealing to men across the globe: 28 British ladies were voted into the Top 99 this year – with Emma Watson (No.5) and Kate Moss (No.10) also making it into the coveted top 10 spots. There were also spots for It-girl of the moment Cara Delevigne (No.13) and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton (No.35).

The Year of the Musician: Female artists were also incredibly appealing for men around the world, with AskMen readers voting in their droves for Beyonce (No.11), genre-blurring singer Rita Ora (No.18), Harry Styles’ ex-girlfriend and singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (No.30), Brit award-winner Ellie Goulding (No.34), Australian recording artist and model Iggy Azalea (No.95), and Brit singer-songwriter Eliza Doolittle (No.86).

The Reign of the TV Starlet: AskMen’s readers are clearly fans of fantasy series Game of Thrones, electing Clarke’s co-stars Oona Chaplin (No. 43) and Rose Leslie (No. 61) to the 2014 list as well. Additional TV favourites who secured a spot include New Girl’s Zooey Deschanel (No. 17), TV presenter Holly Willoughby (No. 37),  Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara (No. 40) and Fresh Meat’s Zawe Ashton (No.51).

Athletes are hot and coveted this year! AskMen’s readers are seemingly impressed by the drive, dedication and healthy figures of the likes of British Olympians Jessica Ennis (No.59) and Laura Trott (No.93)
and surfers Alana Blanchard (No.36) and Anastasia Ashley (No.67).