Why don't as many girls study science and in particular physics as boys?

I read with interest a letter in the June 2012 edition of School Science Review about the topic of addressing the lack of girls in physics.

Do girls dislike physics because we don't teach a curriculum that appeals enough to them? Should physics include more references to the way that it can help people and be less about nuclear bombs?

I would agree in my experience girls do find physics less relevant to them and their lives. The context of the forces module in OCR Gateway is transport; we often use firing guns as an example of momentum. Is it fair to constantly link physics with these more traditional applications? What are the alternatives?

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Location:Gloucestershire