Band 6+: In schools and universities, girls tend to choose arts while boys like science. What are the reasons for this trend and do you think this tendency should be changed?

In many schools and universities, girls have a tendency to learn arts while boys prefer science. In this essay, I will mention several reasons behind this trend and discuss whether it should be changed

There are several reasons leading to this tendency. Firstly, the gender-specific competency is considerably attributed to this trend. It is scientifically proven that right brain is better developed in girls while left brain is powerful in boys. It means that the majority of girls have artstic and expressive abilities . In contrast, boys are more logically inclined and jobs related to analytical reasoning skills are particularly suitable for them. Moreover, this trend is partly driven by gender stereotypes. In the past, people held a belief that males are more competent compared to their female counterparts. Therefore, schools were only accessible and available for male students, in which they learn science subjects such as maths, physics and biology. Meanwhile, people believed that female students were fragile so they should stay at home and engage in activities related to arts such as weaving. Thus, this belief has been ingrained in our society, leading many students to giving up their dreams and follow old-fashioned beliefs.

However, I think that this trend should be completely eliminated due to some drawbacks it brings. Firstly, this trend may hinder students from reaching their full potentials. Our competency does not solely depend on each gender but on each individual. For example, Marie Curie who was a notable female scientists won two nobel prizes. Her achievements have proven that our gender can not completely determine our capability. Furthermore, This trend can negatively affect our labor force. If gender stereotypes continue to be propagated in our society, students are deterred from pursuing their own dreams which may not align with conventional beliefs. This not only prevents students from reaching their full potentials but also negatively affects our society as a whole.

In conclusion, this problem is driven by innate talent and gender stereotypes. I believe that this results in unwanted outcomes wherein students cannot reach their full potentials and labor force is not reinforced.