It is also true that life was very different for boys and girls at this time, with entirely different life expectations and opportunities. However, acceptance of this as a reason to treat boys in the way they did ran right through to the commencement of the total ban. This was where females decided that they would try and pick and choose which areas of equality they actually wanted.
The cultural aspect of people’s attitudes to corporal punishment is very strong. I am always amazed to find as many exceptions to the rule where girls were actually caned or slippered, particularly in the UK. The gender rules for corporal punishment were very rigidly imposed by Britain throughout its Empire. Wherever the Brits have been in the world, we seem to have left them with a keen interest in using corporal punishment.
Notably, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and of course Australia & New Zealand. In nearly all of these countries, corporal apartheid in terms of gender became the norm and still is today, whether it relates to Judical or School corporal punishment. Australia seems to be the odd one out, as there were some small pockets of dissent where girls were corporally punished on occasion.