Profound shift in kind of families who are home schooling their children: shift to girls

[Liberal_in_LA]

Parents who home-school children increasingly are white, wealthy and well-educated — and their numbers have nearly doubled in a decade, a new federal government report says.

What else has nearly doubled? The percentage of girls who are home-schooled. They now outnumber home-schooled girls by a wide margin. ** TYPO HERE, they meant to say 'boys'**

As of spring 2007, an estimated 1.5 million, or 2.9% of all school-age children in the USA, were home-schooled, up from 1.7% in 1999.

The new figures come from the U.S. Department of Education, which found that 36% of parents said their most important reason for home schooling was to provide "religious or moral instruction"; 21% cited concerns about school environment. Only 17% cited "dissatisfaction with academic instruction."

Perhaps most significant: The ratio of home-schooled boys to girls has shifted significantly. In 1999, it was 49% boys, 51% girls. Now boys account for only 42%; 58% are girls.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-05-28-homeschooling-report_N.htm?csp=24&RM_Exclude=Juno

[dkf]

1. "may well be a result of parents who are fed up with mean-girl behavior in schools"

I didn't realize it was such a real life problem. I guess its not just the movies?

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. In general, boys bully physically, girls engage in social bullying

[vadawg]

3. hell yes, some of the urban schools in particular are a nightmare

not that all the rural schools are better, but at least there is not such a huge gang problem, though myself and my wife are already considering home schooling our kids as it would be easier on them and i think my wife would enjoy it.

[LeftyMom]

4. Affluent families are more likely to have girl children.

Relative affluence is associated with delayed childbearing. Late childbearing results in an increased ratio of female births both because females are hardier and more likely to survive in various less-than-ideal reproductive circumstances more common in older mothers, because timed conceptions (more likely to be needed in sub-optimally fertile older couples) favor girls, and because assisted reproductive technology favors girls. Also, a lot of more affluent parents have adopted from countries such as China where the children available for adoption are disproportionately female. (I would be curious to see if families created via assisted reproduction or adoption are more likely to homeschool. That would be an interesting survey.)

Without comparing the sex ratios of homeschooling families to a similar demographic group with children in other educational circumstances, it's quite possible that really says is that older, more affluent couples are more likely to be able to homeschool. Which we knew.

This may also be an anomaly borne out of a fairly small sample size.

In any case, it's an interesting statistic. Thanks for posting.

-LM, mostly-white, broke-assed, well-educated homeschooling mother of one boy

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. good points!

:hi:

[TheMadMonk]

6. 36% for reasons of Religious or Moral instruction. That's frightening.

Isolated and indoctrinated. Subservient females. Boys and men neatly slotted into a rigid heirarchy. And the number of girls is increasing rapidly. Not good. Not good at all.

[vadawg]

7. i guess if parents want their kids to be brought up in a religious way

the public schools are not going to help so unless they can afford to go private there is no other option, i think this trend is going to increase as well as more and more people are becoming unhappy with the public school system.

[TheMadMonk]

8. Kids brought up in this way have a tendency to distorted world views.

Sometimes dangerously distorted.

[vadawg]

9. i guess you could argue that public schools distort views as well

lots of people whroughout the world manage to survive being schooled either in religious schools or at home with no ill effects, personally i say leave it up to the parents as long as the kids learn the basics to a certain standard.