  This study examines the complex interplay of gender and other demographics on
continuation rates in high school physics. Using a diverse dataset that
combines demographics from the Canadian Census and eleven years of gendered
enrolment data from the Ontario Ministry of Education, we track student cohorts
as they transition from mandatory science to elective physics courses. We then
employ hierarchical linear modelling to quantify the interaction effects
between gender and other demographics, providing a detailed perspective on the
on continuation in physics. Our results indicate the racial demographics of a
school's neighbourhood have a limited impact on continuation once controlling
for other factors such as socioeconomic status, though neighbourhoods with a
higher Black population were a notable exception, consistently exhibiting
significantly lower continuation rates for both male and female students. A
potential role model effect related to parental education was also found as the
proportion of parents with STEM degrees correlates positively with increased
continuation, whereas an increase in non-STEM degrees corresponds with a
reduced SCR. The most pronounced effects are school-level factors. Continuation
rates in physics are very strongly correlated with continuation in chemistry or
calculus - effects which are much stronger for male than female students.
Conversely, continuation in biology positively correlates with the continuation
of female students in physics, with little to no effect found for male
students. Nevertheless, the effect sizes observed for chemistry and calculus
markedly outweigh that for biology. This is further evidence that considering
STEM as a homogeneous subject when examining gender disparities is misguided.
These insights can guide future education policies and initiatives to increase
continuation rates and foster greater gender equity in physics education.
