The University of Oxford faces fresh allegations of sexism, after its history department announced it would allow students to sit exams from home in order to help close the gender gap.
As of next term, students will be able to replace one of their five final-year exams with a “take-home” paper, as part of reforms to Oxford’s History Faculty.
The move is designed to boost results for female students at the top-ranking institution, who are statistically less likely to graduate with a first-class degree in the subject than their male peers.
A leading historian has criticised the decision, however, warning that it risks implying that women are the “weaker sex”.
Amanda Foreman, an honorary research senior fellow in history at the University of Liverpool, told the Telegraph: “The reason why girls and boys perform differently in exams has nothing to do with the building they are in,”
“I think it is extremely well intentioned and I applaud them for taking the matter seriously. But it is so insulting.
“You are saying that the girls can’t take the stress of sitting in the exam room, which does raise one’s anxiety levels. I don’t think girls are inherently weaker than boys and can’t take it. Women are not the weaker sex.”
