Not all of this might be due to gender differences

I am among the first to acknowledge that there are basic differences between genders.  While there is a spread for boys and girls, on the average boys will tend to be stronger and have greater spatial ability while girls will tend to be more sensitive to social interactions and more nuturing. 

A recent BBC article reports that Boys are more confident communicators, survey finds.  I am sure some of this is due to the biology, but I have to wonder what factor public schools play into this. 

Susannah Sheffer's book A Sense of Self: Listening to Homeschooled Adolescent Girls is a fascinating account of how girls who have been homeschooled don't have the problems that typical adolescent girls have in our society.  So the question you have to ask is how much of these problems are due to general or society in general, and how much is due to the "Lord of the Flies" situations that often exist in government schools.

I know that my three daughters, who have been homeschooled all their lives, are very confident communicators.