Natcha Unn Leeungkul

Mr. Abel Cadias

English 10/01

June 5, 2019

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Studying in a Male-Dominated Class

There are two genders that can be identified physically in our world, male and female. They

are both different in characteristics and their behavior in the environment. According to Thailand’s

population 2019 report, the ratio was 0.97 male per female. Many schools tend to have more females

than males in a classroom. Even at Mahidol University International Demonstration School (2019),

only a few classes of grade 10 have more males than females. ​What are the girls’ feelings in the

class ​where ​the majority of students are boys? In a male-dominated class, one advantage is there will

be less girl problems while one of the disadvantage is that they are chaotic.

The purpose of this research report is to find out the opinions of ​females in ​a ​male-dominated

class using a sur​vey by females in 1001 class. ​The importance of the research is know how female

students feel in a male environment. The author uses four academic articles from different sources to

relate the results and interpretation of the survey to other research studies.

5/5 +5=10

This survey asked seven female students in 1001 class. The first question asked to choose

three major advantages out of six advantages. The choices that are chosen are: “I get more creative

ideas​,” “I can tell them to do work for me​,” “they entertain our class​,” ​“there are less or no girl

problems​,” “I become more confident​,” and “they can help me carry heavy stuff​.” Figure 1 below

shows that 85.7% suggests that “they entertain our class” or “there are less or no girl problems​,”
followed by “I get more creative ideas​,” and “they can help me carry heavy stuff” with percentage of

28.6%. There are no responses for the choices “I can tell them to do work for me” and “I become

more confident.” The second question asked to choose three out of five disadvantages. The choices

are “they lower my confidence​,” “they are chaotic​,” “they are loud​,” “they ignore my comment​,”

and “they are too talkative.” Figure 2 below shows that 100% says that “they are loud​,” followed by

“they are talkative​,” “they are chaotic​,” “they lower my confidence” with the percentages of 71.4%,

42.9%, and 14.3% respectively. There are no responses for the choice “they ignore my comment.”

Most female students think that the advantage of having male students in the classroom is that they

make the classroom more entertaining, while the disadvantage is that they are too loud. ​As a female

student in a male-dominated classroom, the author thinks that having more male students is

beneficial because they make the class atmosphere energetic and cheerful, but will also result in

uncontrollable chaos.

Figure 1 Major advantage of having more male in class Figure 2 Major disadvantage of having more male in

class

Being in a gender-dominated class can affect the overall class atmosphere. From

observations of high school classrooms, male students tend to lead classroom discussions because

they raise their hand more often and speak more loudly. As a result, teachers provide male students

more feedback while asking female students fewer questions (​Alber, 2​017). Female students tend to

group up with each other and would rather talk among themselves than participating in class
discussions. When female students group together, they tend to gossip more than men because they

found that gossiping has greater social value which allows them to gather more information about

others (McAn​drew, 2​017), whereas having more male students in class makes female students

become more interested in other activities, such as sports or interaction with other peers. However,

having more male students or more female students in class is not important as both have equal roles

in class (S​adker, 2​016). Although there are still some gaps in gender equality in modern day society,

this doesn’t mean that school should always have single-sex education. In reality, society has both

genders in imbalanced numbers, and therefore schools should be the place where students can

prepare themselves in order to be able to live in the society (McGui​re, 20​15).

⅘ +5= 9

This research report concludes that having more male students in class can affect the

atmosphere and learning process of students. Most female students in class 1001 think the

advantages of having more male students in their class are that they entertain the class and there are

less girl problems. On the other hand, some disadvantages are that they are too loud and too

talkative. However, the author believes that advantages or disadvantages depends on different

perspectives. Besides, the most important thing is that students are preparing themselves to face the

society.
 References

Alber, R. (2017, January 27). Gender Equity in the Classroom. Retrieved from Edutopia website:
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/gender-equity-classroom-rebecca-alber

Live Thailand population (2019). Info, C — Countrymeters. Retrieved

from ​https://countrymeters.info/en/Thailand

McGuire, P. (2015). Gender imbalances in the classroom – and all the way up. Retrieved from The
Irish Times website:
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/gender-imbalances-in-the-classroom-and-all-the-w
ay-up-1.2067438

Sadker, D., & Silber, E. S. (2016). Gender in the Classroom : Foundations, Skills, Methods, and
Strategies Across the Curriculum. Routledge.​ Retrieved from
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429238178

McAndrew, F. (2017). The Oxford Handbook of Women and Competition. Retrieved from Google
Books website:
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Oxford_Handbook_of_Women_and_Competi.html
?id=I40tDwAAQBAJ

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