Why are male students at Oxford getting more firsts?

Research out this year has shown that once again more male students at Oxford were awarded firsts than female students. 

In 2013, male Oxford graduates received more first class degrees in 26 out of the 38 schools in which both genders were examined.

Almost a third of male candidates at the University of Oxford were awarded firsts in 2013, compared with just a quarter of female candidates, according to statistics released by the university on 22 January this year.

In chemistry and English, two of Oxford's biggest subjects, the gap is startling. In chemistry, 52% of men gained firsts, compared with just 30% of female students. In English literature and language, 42% of men were awarded firsts, compared with 29% of women. 

In history last year, 29% of male candidates gained firsts, compared with 19% of female candidates. 

The gender gap in exam results at the university is something that has come up repeatedly, causing the university to announce last year that "steps should be taken" to give all students the degree they deserve.

This gender gap is not reflected nationally. In UK universities last year, there was almost no difference between the number of firsts being awarded to men and women. All the students will have entered Oxford with top grades – a full set of As and A*s is obligatory in almost every case.

A female English student who graduated from Oxford in 2013 suggests that Oxford's masculine environment could contribute to a loss of confidence among female students.

She says: "There's a certain type of confidence that seems to come from being at a certain type of all-male, public school. When you come to Oxford and it feels familiar, you may have a sense of belonging that isn't accessible to everyone.

"If you don't feel like you should be there, or feel that you're an 'admissions error' that could mess up at any moment, this confidence is always in jeopardy."

Deborah Cameron, professor of language and communication at Oxford University and author of The Myth of Mars and Venus, suggests that women's experiences at Oxford contribute to the gap. 

She says: "Under-performance by [some] women is the end result of their whole experience of being educated at Oxford."

Cameron says some female undergraduates on the borderline between a 2.1 and a first "are not getting the same attention that men of similar ability get from tutors".

She says: "The men are getting pushed harder because of the cultural tendency to think that men should excel, whereas it's OK for women to be competent rather than brilliant."

The 2013 Oxford examiners report for English literature and language states: "Gender statistics were monitored and raised some cause for concern. In 2011-12, discrepancies in performance between men and women had been thought to be traceable to anomalies within that year group. But the discrepancies were even more marked this year."

The report concludes: "It is important to monitor this discrepancy and see whether it continues under the new syllabus." 

A spokesperson from the University of Oxford says: "Oxford University works continuously to ensure that its examinations are fair and do not disadvantage any group. The university's undergraduate panel of education committee closely monitors examination results every year, including attainment by gender. 

"The committee also asks each academic division to consider its own results by gender. Where a subject does show a gap in performance, that division is asked to conduct further analysis into the particular reasons and to identify ways of addressing them.

"Since 2007, the university has itself conducted extensive research into gender attainment, focusing on a number of possible hypotheses. The results showed that the issue is complex, with no one significant factor influencing results across the board. Instead a range of factors are involved, which vary from subject to subject, from student to student and from year to year. 

"Focusing on one year's results can be misleading as cohorts are often small and the advantage between male and female frequently fluctuates in some subjects." /Guardian