Gender Inclusivity in Secondary Chemistry: A study of male and female participation in secondary school chemistry

This paper gives a nuanced analysis of participation rates in secondary chemistry by developing the “story” behind national trends and subject selection patterns within an independent school located in a large Australian city. It supplements the documented quantitative data by presenting a case–study where 30 Year 12 chemistry students were interviewed about what motivated them to enrol in secondary chemistry. The students’ comments indicate that, despite the quantitative transformations that demonstrate increasing female success over the past few decades, chemistry is not totally gender inclusive. Secondary chemistry has not yet reached total gender inclusion due to the common gender differences that still occur in the students’ motivation to select chemistry and the influence that gender stereotypes still have on students’ subject selection.