An amount of learning outcome variance has been attributed to the environment in which teaching and learning are conducted. The intent of this study was to examine the influence of five aspects of the socio-cultural environment in science classes with particular reference to how these are perceived by boys and by girls. The 30-item Socio-Cultural Environment Scale (SCES) was used to collect data from 707 Nigerian secondary school students in classes four and five (grades 10 and 11 respectively). Authoritarianism, Goal Structure, African Worldview, Societal Expectation, and Sacredness of Science were the five subscales studied. Sex differences were recorded in the Societal Expectation subscale. Most of the female subjects are of the opinion that society has a negative or low regard for their ability to do science and this has an effect on their motivation to undertake science-based careers. The reverse is true for boys. This perception is in agreement with the literature on sex differences in science education and highlights the social pressure that brings about subject preferences. The implications of these findings for science teaching and further research are highlighted. The SCES items are appended and 36 references are listed. (Author/YP)