Why Are So Few Girls Choosing A-Level Physics?

The Empty Seats in the Physics Classroom

When I look around an A-Level Biology class, there are usually plenty of girls. In many schools, Biology feels balanced, lively and full of students who can imagine themselves going on to medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, nursing, biomedical science, psychology, environmental science or research.

Then I look around an A-Level Physics class.

Sometimes there are a few girls. Sometimes there is one. Sometimes there are none at all.

This is not just something I have noticed as a teacher. Many physics teachers, tutors, parents and students notice the same thing. The question is not whether girls can do physics. They absolutely can. The more important question is this:

What happens between GCSE Science and A-Level choices that makes so many capable girls decide that physics is not for them?

It is a troubling question because physics opens doors. It supports careers in engineering, medicine, architecture, energy, climate science, computing, materials science, space technology, acoustics, robotics, finance, data science and research. Yet too many girls never get as far as considering those doors because they quietly rule themselves out before they even apply.

It Is Not About Ability

The first myth to remove is the idea that girls are somehow less suited to physics. That is nonsense.

Girls succeed in GCSE Science. Girls succeed in mathematics. Girls succeed in A-Level Chemistry and Biology. Girls go on to demanding university courses that require precision, memory, analysis, problem-solving and resilience.

So the issue is not ability.

The problem is more subtle. Physics has somehow acquired an identity problem. Many students do not simply ask, “Am I good enough for physics?” They ask, often without saying it aloud:

“Am I the sort of person who does physics?”

For too many girls, the answer society has given them is no.

The Stereotype Problem Starts Early

By the time students choose their A-Levels, many of their ideas about subjects have already been formed.

Physics is often presented, directly or indirectly, as a subject for boys who like rockets, cars, computers, electronics, engines and difficult equations. Of course, many girls like those things too, and many boys do not. But stereotypes are powerful precisely because they work quietly.

A student may never hear anyone say, “Physics is not for girls.” But she may still absorb the message through:

• toys marketed differently to boys and girls

• television and film showing male scientists and engineers more often

• family comments about “boys being good at technical things”

• jokes about physics being “for geniuses”

• a lack of visible female physicists in school displays and textbooks

• a classroom culture where boys dominate practical equipment or shout out answers

• careers advice that presents Biology as caring and Physics as mechanical

None of these things alone explains the problem. Together, they create a background atmosphere.

A girl may enjoy science, get good marks, and still feel that physics belongs to someone else.

Biology Feels Human. Physics Can Feel Distant.

One reason Biology attracts many more girls may be that its human relevance is obvious.

Students can immediately see links to health, disease, the body, genetics, ecology, animals, sport, nutrition and medicine. Biology is full of stories about living things. It connects naturally to people.

Physics is just as relevant, but that relevance is not always made visible.

Physics explains:

• how ultrasound scans create images of unborn babies

• how MRI scanners work

• how radiotherapy targets tumours

• how solar panels generate electricity

• how electric cars store and use energy

• how satellites track climate change

• how smartphones communicate

• how musical instruments produce sound

• how buildings stand up

• how sailing boats use forces, wind and water to move

The problem is not that physics lacks real-world meaning. The problem is that students are not always shown enough of that meaning early enough.

If physics is presented only as equations, circuits, mechanics and abstract diagrams, some students decide it is cold, dry and disconnected from life. That is a failure of presentation, not of the subject itself.

The Confidence Gap

Another issue I often see in teaching is confidence.

Some students need to feel almost completely secure before they will put themselves forward. Others are happier to have a go, make a mess, get it wrong and try again.

Physics rewards persistence. It also exposes mistakes quickly. If a student rearranges an equation incorrectly, forgets a unit, misreads a graph or chooses the wrong formula, the answer may collapse. That can make physics feel unforgiving.

A confident student may say, “I got that wrong. Let me try again.”

A less confident student may say, “I am not a physics person.”

This matters because subject choice is emotional as well as academic. Students do not only choose subjects based on grades. They choose subjects based on how those subjects make them feel.

If a girl has spent years being praised for neatness, accuracy and getting things right first time, physics can feel risky. It requires uncertainty, trial and error, rough diagrams, false starts and perseverance. We need to teach students that this is normal.

Getting stuck in physics is not evidence of failure. It is part of the process.

The Role of GCSE Teaching

It would be too simple to blame GCSE teaching. Many GCSE science teachers work extremely hard, often with limited time, large classes, pressure from exams and shortages of specialist teachers.

However, good teaching can make a difference.

A strong GCSE Physics teacher can help students see that physics is not just about memorising equations. It is about modelling the world. It is about asking:

• Why does the object move?

• Where is the energy going?

• What force is acting?

• What pattern does the graph show?

• How can we test this?

• What does the result actually mean?

When students experience physics as investigation rather than intimidation, they are more likely to consider continuing.

Practical work is especially important. A student who has built circuits, measured motion, investigated waves, used sensors, seen magnetic fields, explored radiation safely, or watched real-time data appear on a graph has a different relationship with the subject. Physics becomes something they do, not just something they read about.

In my own teaching, I have seen how much difference live experiments can make. A student who looks blankly at a formula may suddenly understand when they see a trolley accelerate, a wire heat up, a diffraction pattern appear, or a force sensor produce a graph. The subject comes alive.

Classroom Culture Matters

Sometimes the barrier is not the syllabus but the atmosphere.

In some mixed classrooms, boys may be quicker to grab equipment, answer loudly, dominate group work or take over practical tasks. They may not mean to exclude anyone. But the result can still be exclusion.

If girls spend practical lessons writing down results while boys handle the equipment, they may leave with less confidence. If boys are treated as naturally technical while girls are treated as careful note-takers, the message is absorbed.

Teachers need to be alert to this.

Good physics teaching should make sure that every student:

• handles apparatus

• makes measurements

• explains results

• draws diagrams

• uses equations

• leads part of the investigation

• makes mistakes without embarrassment

• sees themselves as capable

This is not about lowering standards. It is about widening access to high standards.

Role Models Are Not a Decorative Extra

Role models matter because students need examples of possible futures.

When girls see women working in physics, engineering, instrumentation, research, education, design and technology, the subject becomes more imaginable.

People such as Dr Nicola Swann at Lascells provide powerful examples because they show physics as practical, creative, technical and useful. This is not physics hidden away in a textbook. It is physics turned into equipment, experiments and learning tools. That matters.

Role models do not need to be celebrity scientists. They can be:

• teachers

• engineers

• laboratory technicians

• medical physicists

• product designers

• science communicators

• researchers

• former students

• local business owners

• women working in technical industries

The key is visibility. Students cannot aspire to what they never see.

Parents and Subject Choices

Parents also play a quiet but important role.

Many parents want to support their children but may unintentionally reinforce stereotypes. A parent might say:

“Physics is very hard.”

“You have to be brilliant at maths.”

“Biology gives you more options.”

“Are there many girls in the class?”

“Wouldn’t Chemistry be more useful?”

Each comment may be well meant. But together they can make a student cautious.

A better conversation might be:

“What parts of science do you enjoy?”

“Do you like solving problems?”

“Would you enjoy understanding how things work?”

“Have you looked at where physics can lead?”

“Would you like to speak to someone who teaches it or uses it?”

Parents do not need to push girls into physics. They simply need to avoid quietly pushing them away from it.

The Maths Barrier

Physics and mathematics are closely linked, and this can be both a strength and a barrier.

Many girls who could succeed in physics do not choose it because they worry about the maths. Sometimes they are perfectly capable, but they lack confidence. Sometimes they enjoy science but dislike the way physics questions require algebra, rearranging formulae and interpreting graphs.

This is where early support matters.

Students need to see that the mathematics in physics is not there to frighten them. It is a language for describing the world. A graph is not just a graph; it tells a story. An equation is not just a set of symbols; it links quantities together. Rearranging a formula is not a trick; it is a way of asking a different question.

If students are taught the mathematical tools gradually and clearly, physics becomes much less intimidating.

Why This Matters Beyond School

The gender gap in physics matters because physics feeds into many important careers.

We need physicists and engineers working on:

• renewable energy

• medical imaging

• climate monitoring

• transport systems

• artificial intelligence hardware

• telecommunications

• materials science

• robotics

• sustainable buildings

• battery technology

• water systems

• space science

If girls are underrepresented in physics, they are also underrepresented in shaping these areas.

That is not just unfair to individual students. It is a loss for society.

Different people bring different questions, experiences and priorities. A more diverse physics community is likely to ask better questions and design better solutions.

What Schools Can Do

Schools cannot fix society alone, but they can make a real difference.

They can:

• challenge stereotypes early

• display diverse scientists and engineers

• make physics visibly connected to real life

• ensure girls handle equipment in practical work

• offer physics taster sessions before A-Level choices

• invite female physicists, engineers and technicians to speak

• link physics to medicine, environment, music, sport, sailing, photography and technology

• give students more experience with problem-solving before A-Level

• make careers information specific rather than vague

• encourage capable students personally

That last point matters. Sometimes a student needs to hear:

“You are good at this. You should seriously consider physics.”

A general assembly about STEM is useful. A personal word from a teacher can be life-changing.

What Tutors Can Do

As tutors, we also have a responsibility.

When I teach physics, I try to make it practical, visual and connected. I want students to see that physics is not simply a set of equations to survive for an exam. It is a way of understanding the world.

That might mean using sensors to collect data, filming motion, investigating circuits, using a thermal camera, modelling waves, looking at forces on a sailing boat, or connecting electricity to the fields around wires rather than pretending it is simply something that “flows through” a cable.

Students need to experience the subject as something rich and powerful.

For girls who are unsure, the aim is not to give false confidence. It is to build real confidence through understanding.

What Students Should Know

If you are a student considering A-Level Physics, especially if you are one of only a few girls in your year thinking about it, here is the truth:

You do not need to be perfect before you begin.

You need curiosity. You need a willingness to practise. You need to be prepared to get things wrong and try again. You need to work steadily at the maths. You need to ask questions.

Physics is challenging, but so are Biology, Chemistry, Maths, History, English Literature and every serious A-Level. Difficulty is not a reason to avoid a subject if it interests you.

Do not ask only, “Will I find this hard?”

Ask, “Would this be worth learning?”

Conclusion: Physics Must Feel Like It Belongs to Everyone

The lack of girls in A-Level Physics is not caused by one thing. It is not simply bad teaching, poor confidence, weak careers advice, stereotypes, lack of role models or fear of maths. It is all of these things interacting over many years.

The good news is that none of these barriers is inevitable.

Girls can do physics. Girls do succeed in physics. Girls belong in physics classrooms, university laboratories, engineering companies, research teams, medical physics departments, energy projects and technology businesses.

But belonging does not happen by accident. It has to be built.

It is built when teachers notice who is holding the equipment. It is built when parents talk about physics as a real option. It is built when schools show female physicists as normal, not exceptional. It is built when students see physics connected to health, climate, music, sport, sailing, technology and everyday life.

Most of all, it is built when a girl looks around a physics classroom and does not feel like a visitor.

She should feel that physics is hers too.

Reference In 2025, girls made up only 24.1% of A-Level Physics candidates, even though more than 10,000 girls took the subject for the second year running. Physics remains one of the most gender-imbalanced A-Levels. (Institute of Physics), IOP