Gender differences in the choice of advanced and basic courses in senior high school

The study presented is based on statistics provided by the Laender Ministries of Education regarding curricular options of senior high school students in choosing advanced and basic courses. In addition, information gained from an international survey on students' opinions concerning, among other things, the quality of the advanced courses they had taken is utilized for a broader interpretation of the observed gender differences in curricular options. The concluding discussion focusses on the contrast between gender-specific curricular options and the process of an equalization of male and female formal educational careers that has been observed during the last three decades.