Letter: Boys who can only laugh at clever girls

Ms Taffa Nice
Tuesday 25 October 1994 00:02 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sir: I am writing in response to Judith Judd's article 'The trouble with boys' (18 October). I am 18 years old and in my second year of A-levels. I have often found myself stunned by the arrogance of boys.

It has become clear to me, through being in male-dominated classes for four years, that laughing at girls takes away the severity of what the boys feel is a threat to their own intelligence. If girls have become less confident, it is for one of three reasons: if a girl gets a question correct, she is laughed at; if she gets it wrong, she is laughed at; and if she doesn't answer at all, she gets laughed at. How can we get it right?

Why are boys excused the subjects they are not good at, due to lack of interest, when it appears that the only blame is their laziness? It seems, from a female student's point of view, that the basic problem (of boys falling behind girls at school) will not be solved by revising the 'equal opportunities strategy', but by the realisation that it has already been reached.

Yours sincerely, TAFFA NICE Canterbury 19 October

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in