In Some Schools And Universities, Girls Tend To Choose Arts Subjects And Boys Tend To Choose Science Subjects | Band 7.5 IELTS Essay Sample

In some schools and universities, girls tend to choose arts subjects (e.g. literature), and boys tend to choose science subjects (e.g. physics). Why do you think this is so? Should this tendency be changed?

Here is a band 7.5 IELTS essay on this topic submitted by one of our students. Need help with writing? Get your writing samples corrected by me.

Band 7.5 IELTS Essay Sample

There are still many places in the world where science courses in schools are dominated by male students. There are many factors contributing to this phenomenon and it needs to be changed so that the choice of study is made entirely by the student’s genuine interest.

One of the reasons for this trend is that boys are generally more competitive and they choose more challenging and physically demanding courses like science and engineering while girls opt to study less competitive subjects like literature and history. Furthermore obtaining science degrees guarantee better job opportunities and hence boys who are considered as future breadwinners opt to study these courses. In developing countries, the majority of girls are still expected to become housewives to take care of the family and the idea of them pursuing a career as a medical doctor or a scientist is not much appreciated. Therefore because of the peer pressure and social influences, many female students end up taking less demanding arts courses just to receive a degree although they might have passion for studying science.

My view is that the decision to pursue art or science should be made according to their interest and preferences and not be influenced by social pressure. I have seen a medical student who wanted to study Philosophy but his parents forced him to join medical school and he ended up dropping out from the course because of his poor performance in studies. Students will excel in their chosen fields only if the choice was made willingly. Women should also be empowered to gain more confidence to enter male dominated environments like engineering or IT. History has proven that women are as good as men in science as we have witnessed a lot of female Nobel Prize winners in science.

In conclusion, gender stereotypes are still influencing the choice of study and career and I believe this trend should be changed. Every student should choose the subject they love regardless of their gender so that there will be more enthusiastic professionals in both art and science.

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