Boys flood into hardest HSC maths as girls lose confidence
Mathematics extension 2 now has 3,769 HSC students, with boys making up 90 per cent of growth over the past decade.
Enrolments in the toughest HSC mathematics course are near record levels this year, with a stark gender imbalance. Of the extra 500 students who have taken extension 2 in the past ten years, boys account for 90 per cent.
Teacher Eddie Woo says girls who excel at maths often do not feel confident enough to choose it. Girls tend to internalise failure harder than boys do, he explains, leading them to believe they are not naturally good at the subject.
Meanwhile, enrolments in the new mathematics standard 1 course have jumped 60 per cent since its introduction in 2019, to 8,389 students this year.
- 3,769 students
- Extension 2 enrolments
- 90 percent
- Boys in growth
- 500
- New students over decade
- 60 percent
- Standard 1 growth since 2019
Why it mattersThe gender gap in advanced maths narrows pathways to science, engineering, and tech careers where women are already underrepresented.
AustraliaNSW HSC students choosing maths shape the state's future workforce in high-skilled fields; a confidence gap in girls may limit talent in critical industries.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
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