More women on boards! No, not city boards, exam boards | City Eye Blog

women lookingWhat ever is the connection between Barbie and women composers?

It takes the next generation of young women to draw our attention to the invisible women. A 17 year old music student was surprised to find that there were no women composers on her music syllabus

Jesse McCabe, 17, launched a petition for more female composers, after realizing her Edexcel A-level papers featured 63 men and no women.

Charlotte Avery, headmistress of St Mary’s School in Cambridge said that exam boards do not have many female composers to choose from because so few are publicly known. She went on to say there is a marked absence of successful female painters, sculptors, and performers historically.

However, another leading educator Helen Fraser, chief executive of The Girls’ Day School Trust, whose schools have 20,000 pupils, said last month that there “seems to be a kind of default to a male list on everything from who should appear on bank notes to who features in exam syllabuses.”

The girls’ schools’ leaders are publishing a draft list of women they say should be central to exams in future. Exam boards said they were prepared to consider changes for syllabuses taught from next year. It wasn’t even pushing on an open door, they just hadn’t considered it.

This could partly be the the reason why the UK is so far behind in the world of Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.(STEM) Dame Athene Donald is only one of prominent scientists, calling for more women, more students to take on STEM subjects.

When she was interviewed about exam boards and girls education, she said in passing that the toys on offer form an early age, often determined future careers, in that certain o careers are not even considered, medicine engineering. One of the top rocket scientists, Dr. Aderin Pocock was shocked when her daughter came home form nursery t with 2 dolls, saying the boy will be the Dr. and the girl will be the nurse. Dame Athene’s was reported s saying “Step away form the Barbie” offer girls Meccano. Not a bad suggestion.

The reason that ionthecity.com was setup nearly 10 years ago, was to provide interviews with inspirational women, to act a role models for young women, from Baroness Boothroyd, to Dr. Aderin Pocock , there are so many inspirational, unsung women needing to be raised above the parapet. Always consider what you say to your daughters, god daughters, nieces, any young women in your world. Not just your daughters, also your sons.

© christina ionthecity.wordpress.com

About the author

City Eye became interested in Overlooked and Overshadowed women, both in contemporary times and through out history. The former would include the women passed over for the Nobel in favour of their male colleagues. The later would be the wives of famous men, such as Mrs. Mandela. Her study of women written out of history, led her to interviews with interesting and inspirational women, (and some men). Extracts will be published in the articles. In no way is this men versus women, as to who is better. Simply that an overly macho, military, testosterone fueled environment, mainly men, needs the balancing attributes, often, though not exclusively, assigned to women: caring, conciliation, communication. Find out more: City Eye Blog ©christina ionthecity.wordpress.com
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