What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Academic gulf between genders at school has me worried our boys are lost

Our boys are lost. I know that’s a pretty blunt statement, but at the moment I reckon it sums up the situation of many young males. And I’m not sure what can be done. Now, there could be many who read this and disagree, however, in my profession, I see a lot of adolescents on a regular basis and therefore in many respects have some “skin in the game”. One glaring example is how males are generally performing, or underperforming at school. In recent times, say the past five or so years, females are generally receiving more acclaim, when it comes to academic awards. At the school I teach, Principal’s Awards are regularly handed out at a school assembly. These awards are given to students who have excelled in a subject in a particular year group. Lately, these awards have been presented to very worthy recipients, but most of them have been female students on a basis of almost five to one. In fact, in some year groups there are no males receiving accolades, at all. The population of the school is much closer to 50/50 than that, so, why is this the current situation? When I went to school back in the 1980s, it was just fellas, and we had plenty of academic performers across the board from maths and science to English and drama, along with some very accomplished athletes. And, perhaps, this is still the case at single sex institutions, but from where I’m standing, at the moment, I believe, there are a number of males who have the capacity to rise to the bar. But for some reason, they are not doing it. Why? Well, there are probably a myriad of reasons such as boys aren’t made for school, males think differently or there is a lack of role models. Even though all these have some validity, I reckon the lack of role models seems to make the most sense to me. I could even go as far to say that there is no real role model for today’s young man. Some of you might suggest that I’m just not getting it. “Peter, you need to start to understand the concepts of gender equality, same sex marriage and the notion that individuals should not be part of one stereotype or another,” you might say. And that I have to consider that the patriarchal society of the past several thousand years just doesn’t exist anymore. Yes, I get that, and this 50-something middle class male is definitely a work in progress in accepting change. Despite this, I sincerely believe that there is definitely a difference in the make up of males and females, not just physically. There is no doubt we both look at things from at times polar perspectives. I see it first hand in the classroom every day. So, maybe it’s a result of societal conditioning that has been wrongly occurring for centuries — men being moulded to fit a somewhat foiled prototype. Is this the same prototype that is constantly being ridiculed with past role models, now, being given their used by date. Well, if that’s the case, the prototype is struggling to stay on the track and the carnage is steadily growing. Peter Fiorenza hosts Fiorenza on Sunday between 10am and noon on Radio MAMA