Watching a 1940 BFI film called Village School. It's very interesting, looking at how the classrooms are organised and how the children are helping with the war effort. However, I was struck by this: while the girls hoe and weed the garden...

...the boys get to go and play cricket. No wonder that girl on the right is gazing longingly towards the field.

I do wonder what the educational rationale was. "Boys need to play and girls don't"? "Girls enjoy working hard for others"? "We can't get the boys to help in the garden but we can force the girls to do it"?

Thanks to @Tangent3 for linking to another very short film showing exactly the same thing. Ann and Sally have to abandon their game of cricket to pick the vegetables, cook them and set the table.

Meanwhile the boys, Alan and David, much about with paper planes.

I genuinely think it comes down to not daring to ask boys to give up their time and freedom, while knowing girls often won't have the confidence to object.

You might say, Yes but that was 80 years ago.

I can tell you, that conditioning is still going strong. In many places and situations, girls are still expected to stay and help while boys skip off to play.