I agree that this is just a generalisation as well. There are eight students on the Australian Physics team that competed in Croatia and half of them were girls. I think that Physics is a matter of interest rather than being appropriate to either gender.

Maybe there are more guys that have interest in or leaning towards Engineering (not that Physics is a prerequisite), and therefore 'more' guys are taking Physics. But this is just a generalisation of course.

My school had a pizza day for physics girls since there are so few. I think every subject is just as appropriate for each gender. Social patterns just determine the intake, but these can be broken. If people feel excluded and isolated an idea like a girls pizza day might do the trick!

'Appropriate'? Physics is definitely more popular among males as a VCE subject (as evident in previous grade distrubitions) but I do not believe physics is more appropriate for either gender.