| At first glance, higher education today might seem | | | | 2004, compared to 37% of young men. |
| like a woman's world. | | | | Hefce chief executive Professor David Eastwood |
| Government officials have warned that men will face | | | | said: "We need to understand better why this is |
| a struggle for good jobs in future as teenage boys | | | | happening and start taking some action sooner rather |
| shun university. | | | | than later." |
| In 2006, 22,500 more young women than men went | | | | Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said "The |
| on to higher education. Ministers are increasingly | | | | government has introduced a number of strategies |
| concerned at the widening gender gap in higher | | | | to address the gap in gender achievement and to |
| education. Employers increasingly look to hire staff | | | | raise the performance of all pupil". |
| with degrees. | | | | The Raising Boys' Achievement Project which looked |
| Consequently, men might find themselves | | | | at exciting and innovative ways of raising |
| marginalised in the jobs market. | | | | achievement across a range of primary, secondary, |
| Girls have been outperforming boys at GCSE, A-level | | | | and special schools to identify and evaluate strategies |
| and in university for years. But now girls are doing | | | | which are particularly helping motivating boys. |
| better at work too, earning more than boys in the | | | | Schools will be better able to address |
| first eight years of their careers. | | | | underachievement in the performance of boys and |
| In 2005, 80% of girls passed national curriculum tests | | | | girls if they know when and where they emerge. A |
| in English, compared with 67% of boys. | | | | careful analysis of data, mapping the development of |
| At A level, girls passed 23.9% of exams at grade A, | | | | male and female pupils, particularly the value-added |
| compared with 21.5% of boys. | | | | data, including a breakdown of data by key pupil |
| According to Higher Education Funding Council for | | | | sub-groups, will enable schools to plan when andhow |
| England Figures last year showed 47% of 17-30 | | | | to intervene. Schools should monitor pupils' progress |
| year-old women had gone into higher education in | | | | regularly by gender. |