Separated by gender: there are still girls' schools
There were only six schools in Hesse where girls were completely on their own last school year. In the classroom, in the playground, in the corridors - with a few exceptions, boys are nowhere to be seen. Pupils are not welcome at girls' schools.
In the past school year, a good 4,000 pupils attended girls' schools in Hesse. These so-called mono-educational schools were located in Bensheim, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Fulda, Hanau-Großauheim, Königstein im Taunus and Offenbach, as the Hessian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs informed the German Press Agency. There was also a single boys' school in Sinntal in eastern Hesse.
The Marienschule for girls in Fulda explains: "From the point of view of developmental psychology, girls are one to two years ahead of boys of the same age in the lower and middle school years." Girls' classes therefore enable "more targeted teaching and easier access to learning content for female pupils".
According to scientific studies, female pupils benefit from girls' classes, especially in the so-called STEM subjects of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. "Discussing scientific and technical topics without gender bias makes it easier for girls to get excited about physics, chemistry or computer science," explains the Marienschule. It is no coincidence that "even today, a disproportionately high number of female university graduates in science subjects come from girls' schools".
Koblenz education professor Wiebke Waburg also explains: "It is evident, for example, that girls in mono-educational contexts are not so reticent in physics." The choice of course in particular falls into a phase "in which girls and boys are developing their gender identity". The question of who someone wants to be attractive to still plays a major role in our society at this age. Some girls withdraw from joint lessons in physics because it is a "subject with male connotations".
But doesn't this separation emphasize gender roles and reproduce supposed differences? "There is a paradox: first of all, gender is the basis for inclusion, but then diversity can become more apparent," says Waburg. "Because you don't think: I have to behave like a typical girl."
However, the Fulda Marienschule has now made a U-turn for its upper school, 290 years after it was founded: for a few months now, it has also been accepting boys in general and not just in individual inter-school courses. "After middle school, the developmental and psychological differences between girls and boys have largely evened out," explains the school. And the number of female students in the upper school is declining. The male onslaught is still manageable. The Marienschule says: "We have two or three boys in the sixth form so far." Word of the new offer still needs to get around.
Girls' schools continue to play a significant role in promoting education, especially in subjects like STEM. According to the Marienschule in Fulda, these schools enable more targeted teaching and easier access to learning content for female students, which contributes to a disproportionately high number of female university graduates in science subjects from these schools.
Source: www.dpa.com
