- Mother’s education was the most important independent predictor of the type of school a girl attended.
- In one state, attendance at a girls’ school was a significant predictor of a girl’s exposure to key social influences, her enrollment in a science course in year 12, and her academic achievement. In the other state, however, the sex composition of the school did not affect academic achievement or selected antecedents.
- Upper-middle class parents choose single-sex schooling for their daughters. In both states, the daughter of a better educated mother is significantly more likely to attend a girl’s school.
- In both states, friends’ plans are directly affected by the sex composition of the school.
- The educational level of a girl’s mother has powerful influences on the type of school a girl attends, on the encouragement she receives to obtain a level of education akin to her mother’s, and on her association with friends who have similar educational plans.
- Girls in girls’ schools have higher academic achievements, even when social origins, social influence, and curriculum are controlled.
- The sex composition of the school not only predicts a girl’s exposure to key social influences and curriculum choices but also mediates the effects of the social structure upon achievement and clearly plays a role in reinforcing the social and cultural advantages of particular girls.