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Girls form the overwhelming majority of young people choosing to study for vocational qualifications in health and social care, according to the Equal Opportunities Commission.

A NOP family poll carried out for the commission found that 92 per cent of those taking an intermediate-level GNVQ in health and social care were girls. In contrast, of those young people choosing IT as a GNVQ, 81 per cent were boys.

The commission is using the findings as part of its What's Stopping You campaign to challenge gender stereotyping in the world of work, which it launched last week.

Adverts featuring a still from the film Billy Elliott as well as England's 1966 World Cup victory, with a girl's head superimposed on Bobby Moore's body (see left), will appear in a range of magazines throughout November and December, with the aim of giving young people the confidence to do something different. A resource pack for teachers and career advisers has also been produced.

"Working women are still concentrated in a narrow range of occupations, all at the lower-paid end of the labour market," said commission chairperson Julie Mellor. "We won't get true equality in the workplace unless measures are taken at school to encourage young people to pick from all the options available."

Anne Weinstock, chief executive of youth programme Connexions, endorses the campaign. She said: "Equality of opportunity is one of the principles that form the basis of the new Connexions service. This means raising participation and achievement levels for all young people, influencing availability, suitability and quality of provision, and raising awareness of opportunities."

She said a key element was challenging stereotyping and broadening the horizons of both girls and boys.