Social benefits of a single-sex education

Dr Deborah Priest reflects on the social benefits of a single-sex education for girls.

Many of the points I discuss with families are captured succinctly in a book about education and human behaviour written by well known author and sociologist Katherine van Wormer. Wormer particularly investigated comparisons of learning experiences for girls in both single-sex and co-educational settings. In her book Human Behaviour and the Social Environment she noted the following:

girls exposed to high achieving boys in the classroom are apt to set their educational goals lower and to lack confidence in their own abilities than girls not so exposed
girls in classrooms with high achieving females are more likely to pursue ambitious educational goals even when of average ability themselves
greater exposure to high-achieving boys in high school negatively impacts girls’ science and math grades, according to recent findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research
teachers are shown to be more attentive to boys than girls in the classroom and to call on boys more often than girls
in general, teachers interact with boys more often than with girls by a margin of 10 to 30 percent, depending on the grade level of the students and the personality of the teacher
teachers’ bias toward boys is especially apparent in science and mathematics classes
when children learn with single-gender peers, they are more likely to attend to their studies, speak more openly in the classroom, and feel more encouraged to pursue their interests and achieve their fullest potential
girls in same-sex schools are more apt to excel athletically and to have opportunities for school leadership roles.

While the points noted above are well-known and widely reported, Wormer adds an additional long term and enduring benefit of a girl being educated in an all-girls’ school. She writes:

"when girls go to a single-sex school, they emotionally invest in relationships with each other. In contrast, when they attend a mixed-sex school, they put a lot of this energy into cross-gender relationships and dating. These boy-girl friendships most often get defused later in life for obvious reasons. The girl friendships that achieved an intensity in the all-girls school, on the other hand, can only grow stronger over the years." — Katherine van Wormer

When I talk to former students at Ivanhoe Girls’ reunions, I can see clearly the long term connections that have been made and the importance of the shared experience of learning together at Ivanhoe Girls’. I can see the confidence nurtured in these women during their school days and I can see the agency it has brought them in adulthood.

Dr Deborah Priest
Principal