1.3 Education - Gender Differences in Education

Question 1

What are the 4 external factors that impact girls’ achievement?

Bonus: Explain them and check using reading pack.

Answer 1

1. The impact of Feminism (McRobbie Study)
2. Changes in the family
3. Changes in women’s employment (EPA 1970)
4. Girls’ changing attitudes (Sharpe interviews and Fuller’s study into education becoming part of a girl’s identity)

Question 1

What are the 6 internal factors impacting girls’ achievement?

Bonus: Explain them and check using reading pack.

Answer 1

1. Equal opportunity policies (GIST and WISE)
2. Positive role models in school
3. GCSE and Coursework (Gorard)
4. Teacher attention (Francis & Swann)
5. Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum (Weiner)
6. Selection and league tables (Jackson & Slee)

Question 2

What are Liberal Feminist views on girls’ education?

Answer 2

Celebrate the progress so far in
relation to girl’s achievement
* Further progress will be made as
a result of equal opportunities
policies, encouraging positive role
models and overcoming sexist
attitudes.
* Similar to functionalism they view
education as meritocratic (all
individuals have an equal chance)

Question 3

What are Radical Feminist views on girls’ education?

Answer 3

Even though girls are achieving
more, the system is still patriarchal
and conveys the message it is a
man’s world:
* Sexual harassment of girls at
school
* Limits girl’s subject choices and
career options
* Male teachers are still more likely
to be heads of secondary schools
* Women are underrepresented in
the curriculum. Weiner (1993)
secondary school history as a
“women free zone”.

Question 4

What are the 3 strategies girls adopt to create a sense of self according to Archer?

Answer 4

1. Hyper-heterosexual feminine identity
2. Having a boyfriend
3. Being ‘loud’

Question 5

What did Evans find when studying working class girls?

Answer 5

Working class girls wanted to go onto university but not for themselves, to increase their earning power and help their families.

Question 6

What are the 2 external factors that impact boys’ achievement?

Bonus: Explain them and check using reading pack.

Answer 6

1. Boys and Literacy
2. Globalisation and the decline in traditional male jobs (Mitsos and Browne)

Question 7

What are the 3 internal factors that impact boys’ achievement?

Bonus: Explain them and check using reading pack.

Answer 7

1. Feminisation of Education (Sewell)
2. Shortage of male primary school teachers
3. Laddish subcultures (Epstein)

Question 8

What did Read (2008) find which acts as evaluation for the argument that a lack of male teachers negatively impacts boys’ achievement?

Answer 8

Found most teachers used the “masculine” disciplinarian approach
which would disprove the argument the culture of education is feminised, also
disputing the claim only men can provide strict classroom discipline.

Question 9

Name at least 2 policies to address boys’ underachievement.

Answer 9

• National Literacy Strategy (improving
  boys’ reading)
• Dads and Sons (encouraging fathers
  to be more involved)
• Teacher recruitment (trying to attract
  more men into teaching)
• Raising boys’ achievement (introduced
  a range of strategies such as same
  sex teaching).

Question 10

Name at least 2 policies aimed at helping girls achieve in education.

Answer 10

• Equal opportunities policies
• WISE (encouraging girls to pursue
  careers in non-traditional areas
• Non-sexist, stereotyping careers
  advice
  *National Curriculum (science part of
  the core curriculum, girls and boys
  study same subjects)

Question 11

What does Osler (2006) say the problem is with focusing on failing boys?

Answer 11

A focus on underachieving boys has led to the neglect of girls. This is
because girls are likely to disengage from school quietly, whereas boys turn to “laddish” behaviour which attracts the attention of teachers.

Question 12

What was found when looking at gender and social class together?

Answer 12

Girls and boys of the same social class achieve similar results.

Question 13

What was found when looking at gender and ethnicity together?

Answer 13

The gender gap among black Caribbean pupils is greater
than other ethnic groups.

Question 14

What are the 4 explanations for difference in subject choice?

Answer 14

1. Gender Role Socialisation
2. Gendered Subject Choices
3. Gender Identity and Peer Pressure
4. Gendered Career Opportunities

Question 15

When looking at sexual and gender identities, what did Lees find?

Answer 15

That there are double standards in sexual morality between boys and girls. For example, boys are applauded when they are sexually active whereas girls are condemned.

Question 16

What is the male gaze?

Answer 16

Where girls are made to feel like they need to be subservient to what a man wants them to be e.g. ‘easy on the eye’. This can be seen in schools with girls being objectified.

Also reinforces boys’ behaviour too - they must appear to be facilitating this ‘male gaze’ if they are to gain status e.g. wolf whistling or bragging about their sexual conquests.

Question 17

What did Ringrose find when studying female peer groups?

Answer 17

There was a conflict between having an idealised feminine identity, which was loyal to their friends. Or having a sexualised identity which was competing for boys in the dating culture. This was all in the pursuit to be popular.

Question 18

What did Mac an Ghaill find when looking at male peer groups?

Answer 18

Working class “macho lads” were dismissive of other working class boys who worked hard and aspired to middle class careers.

Question 19

How did Haywood and Mac an Ghaill find teachers played a part in shaping gender identity?

Answer 19

Male teachers often told boys off for ‘behaving like girls’ but ignored boys’ verbal abuse and even blamed girls for attracting it.