The Shocking Gender Imbalance in our High Schools
I am a lifelong, passionate advocate for the Humanities! Throughout my academic career, I have been fortunate to work alongside some of the most thoughtful individuals—people who truly care about improving the world and who get things done. It is with great sadness that I have witnessed the decline of the Humanities in British universities over the past decade—including my own university, Lampeter, which has now ceased undergraduate teaching entirely.
As a teacher of Psychology and Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies (RMPS) in a Scottish high school, I’ve always noticed more girls than boys in my classes. Then I saw the data – wow. The humanities – subjects that sharpen critical thinking, empathy, and our grasp of the world – are overwhelmingly female territory, both in enrolment and attainment. This isn’t a fluke; it’s a pattern etched across National 5 and Higher qualifications from 2019 to 2024. I’m not upset that women and girls and drawn to these wonderful subjects, of course, and I want to continue attracting them, but I’m horrified that despite the broad applicability and intellectual richness of these disciplines, boys are consistently underrepresented in classrooms. This has serious long-term implications for diversity of thought and for the career pathways of those boys.
The stats are stark, and they speak volumes about a gender gap we can’t ignore – these numbers have been parsed from publicly available data on the SQA Website.
National 5 Enrolment by Gender (2019–2024)
Psychology
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total | Boys % | Girls % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 230 | 760 | 990 | 23.2% | 76.8% |
| 2020 | 225 | 665 | 890 | 25.3% | 74.7% |
| 2021 | 235 | 735 | 970 | 24.2% | 75.8% |
| 2022 | 230 | 770 | 1005 | 22.9 | 76.6% |
| 2023 | 275 | 860 | 1135 | 24.2% | 75.8% |
| 2024 | 305 | 785 | 1090 | 28.0% | 72.0% |
Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies (RMPS)
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total | Boys % | Girls % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 725 | 1695 | 2420 | 30.0% | 70.0% |
| 2020 | 750 | 1575 | 2325 | 32.3% | 67.7% |
| 2021 | 735 | 1680 | 2420 | 30.4% | 69.6% |
| 2022 | 705 | 1645 | 2350 | 30.0% | 70.0% |
| 2023 | 670 | 1725 | 2395 | 28.0% | 72.0% |
| 2024 | 720 | 1770 | 2495 | 28.9% | 71.1% |
One of the starkest comparisons is between Psychology and Modern Studies. While only 28.0% of Psychology candidates in 2024 were boys, the male participation rate in Modern Studies was significantly higher at 38.4%. The same trend is seen at Higher level, showing a persistent gender disparity.
Higher Enrolment by Gender (2019–2024)
Psychology
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total | Boys % | Girls % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 810 | 2600 | 3410 | 23.8% | 76.2% |
| 2020 | 725 | 2380 | 3105 | 23.4% | 76.6% |
| 2021 | 760 | 2255 | 3015 | 25.2% | 74.8% |
| 2022 | 825 | 2335 | 3160 | 26.1% | 73.9% |
| 2023 | 720 | 2210 | 2930 | 24.6% | 75.4% |
| 2024 | 625 | 1865 | 2495 | 25.1% | 74.9% |
Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies (RMPS)
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total | Boys % | Girls % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 930 | 2670 | 3600 | 25.8% | 74.2% |
| 2020 | 905 | 2625 | 3530 | 25.6% | 74.4% |
| 2021 | 970 | 2900 | 3875 | 25.0% | 75.0% |
| 2022 | 1000 | 2540 | 3545 | 28.2% | 71.8% |
| 2023 | 1050 | 2830 | 3890 | 27.0% | 73.0% |
| 2024 | 935 | 2555 | 3490 | 26.8% | 73.2% |
The Grade A attainment gap is also stark. In Higher RMPS 2024, only 36.4% of boys achieved an A, compared to 43.4% of girls. Contrast this with Higher History, where the gap is smaller—21.0% of boys achieved an A, compared to 26.8% of girls.
Why Does This Matter?
This issue goes beyond statistics—it affects the very fabric of Humanities education. Without a balanced representation of perspectives, the richness of discussion and debate in these subjects is diminished. Moreover, fewer boys choosing Humanities means fewer male role models in careers that emerge from these disciplines, such as teaching, psychology, law, and social policy.
The goal is not to reduce female engagement but to increase male participation. We need to challenge stereotypes that cast Humanities as ‘soft’ subjects and dismantle misconceptions that Psychology and RMPS are ‘feminine’ fields. By doing so, we can broaden the appeal of these subjects to all students without discouraging those who already thrive in them.
What’s Next?
Over the next year, I will be gathering data, conducting discussions, and trialling interventions aimed at encouraging more boys to take up Humanities subjects. I welcome input from students, teachers, and parents on how we can make these disciplines more appealing to a broader audience.
Let’s work together to create more balanced, diverse, and engaging Humanities classrooms!
Call to Action
If you have any insights, experiences, or strategies to share, please get in touch. I want to hear from you!
A Quick Addendum – Rural vs. Urban Access to Psychology
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are fewer Psychology teachers in rural local authorities, but I thought these stats would be particularly interesting for my Psychology colleagues.
Is it true that only Scottish students in big cities are studying Psychology? Let’s examine that claim:
Psychology Uptake: Rural vs. Urban (Higher, 2024)
| Area | Entries | Population | Uptake per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Areas (Aberdeen City, Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh) | 670 | ~1,568,000 | 42.7 |
| Rural Areas (Argyll and Bute, Western Isles, Highland, Orkney, Shetland, Scottish Borders, Moray) | 179 (estimated, with [c] = 3 for suppressed values) | ~604,000 | 29.6 |
Conclusion
The claim holds: Psychology uptake is significantly lower in rural areas compared to urban ones, with rural uptake at 29.6 per 100,000 vs. urban uptake at 42.7 per 100,000 in 2024.
This could reflect access to teaching resources, subject availability, or cultural preferences in rural schools. Perhaps this adds another layer to the challenge—could rural boys face even steeper barriers to studying the humanities and social sciences? The data seems to suggest that attainment also takes a hit. There is insufficient data to draw conclusions about Psychology, but in RMPS, 39.8% of urban students received an A grade in 2024, compared to just 29.3% of students in areas classified as rural.
Final Thoughts
This data paints a compelling picture: boys are underrepresented in the humanities, and rural students face additional challenges in accessing subjects like Psychology and RMPS. If we want to revitalise the humanities, we need bold, evidence-based solutions to address these disparities.
Let’s keep the conversation going.