We have all heard the saying that men are from Mars, and women are from Venus. According to society’s view, ladies are expected to like clothes, flowers, pink things. and everything that is sugar, spice and anything nice. Guys are the complete opposite, and it’s considered an insult to all things manly, not to like things like video games, shaving, and NASCAR.

Nowadays, it’s almost to easy delineate the two sexes by their effeminate or masculine traits. Even in school, some classes have a unproportionate  ratio of male to female, where the opposite sex borders extinction. Yet, some classes have mixed proportions, even when it would seem unexpected.

It seems obvious that some classes would conform to the traditional gender roles. It’s no surprise that classes like JROTC  and weight training have high male population. Meanwhile, girls rule the world in courses like fashion.  Still, there are some classes that stump gender roles. For example, seemly androgynous classes like yearbook and TV production have unequal proportions in different ways. TV production has more guys, but has a more even ratio than yearbook. In it, there are three guys in the class full of girls.

“I barley notice it, most of the time, because it has been like this for me since I started school. My fifth grade class had only six guys and there were like twenty five girls. Now, I’m used to it. I have no clue why there are always more girl,” said junior Oliver Robles, member of yearbook.

Many classes, just by chance, have more males or females. In these environments, there does not necessarily have to be hostility. Many alumni, like Oliver , don’t feel like they are being subjected to the tyrannical rule of the opposite sex. Students feel that the battle of the sexes has no place for it in the classroom. Even in classes that are commonly attributed to a sex, there is a thriving mentality of cooperation, unity, and respect. 

“I really enjoy the class. JROTC is not just a class, it’s a family. It’s a group of people that you learn to live and learn with. JROTC helps young people be better citizens. There are mostly boys, but there are a lot of girls too! It doesn’t really matter there because all of us are the same. We all serve the same purpose. I don’t feel different at all. I am female, but I work as hard as any boy so that doesn’t mean anything to me,” said sophomore, JROTC member Laura Prado.

Physically there are some differences between males and females. Yet, not all bodies are the identical, just like no two minds are alike. Even among the same sex, there are major psychological, physical, and mental variation. Together they encompass a wide spectrum, yet, how do the two sexes compare in schools?

This year, as of the second quarter, there were a total of 1145 students enrolled in AP courses. About 35% of pupils attending Coral Gables Senior High are taking at least one AP this year: 58% were female, and 42% were male. In comparison, last year in 2013, 1020 students took an AP exam. Of the pupils, 56% of test-takers were female and 44% were male. Both sexes have very similar passing rates, and at a national level, girls had a much higher graduation rate than boys.

So are girls smarter than boys? Maybe. From the statistics, we can possible draw that girls are at least more dedicated to school. Therefore,there might be more of girls in the higher level classes. Even so, women are still often referred to as the “weaker” sex. In this case, women are just as capable, or even more so, at excelling at school than their male companions. The differences in the concentration of sexes might simply be lack of interest by some males and vise verse, or it could be due to the lack of support to pursue an area of interest because it is to “girly” or “manly”. Still, if the two sexes are equal, then there should be no ground for variation. If we perceived the world with openness, equality, and common interest, instead of sticking to stereotypical gender roles, we might find classes more enjoyable.