5. Educational Attainment And Gender Flashcards
What is gender in relation to education
Gender is a social construction
Bob Connell suggested difference between genders is overstated
When gender was first studied, boys were more successful than girls and sexist practices were identified to oppress girls.
Studies are now concerned with boys under-attainment and the idea of masculinity as a barrier to success
Another concern is the genderisation of subjects causing people to opt for certain ones.
Helen Wilkinson (1994) coined the term genderquake to describe massive shifts that were taking place in traditional gender patterns such as: women now going to work
What are the causes of under-attainment with gender (1)
- Functionalists see gender as being linked to male and female social roles- what happens in education is a reflection of society.
- Marxists are concerned with class and therefore gender inequality isnt seen as important
- Interactionists show studies within schools show that teachers and pupils share ideas about gender roles and therefore, gender patterns are reproduced in schools through formal and informal curriculum
- Feminists show how the patriarchy extended into schools from society. They found evidence that girls systematically lost out in the education system but now males underachievement is seen as the problem rather than the continuing inequality that exists after school in the world of work.
What are the causes of under-attainment with gender (2)
- The New-Right theory agrees with functionalists but are concerned with the recent failure of boys and seek policies to overturn this pattern
- Postmodernists see gender as a choice and suggest that the way that children are forced into identifying with a gender in schools is an unpleasant and aggressive form of social control
How is gender linked to under-attainment
Gender is linked to under-attainment through:
- Genetic theories
- Gender socialisation
- School organisations
- hegemonic masculinity
- Feminism theory
- New right theory
how are genetic theories linked to under-attainment with gender
Educationists believe that boys and girls learn differently.
They believe a solution of male under-attainment is through same sex classes.
In terms of overall GCSE results, single-sex state secondary schools performed 11% better
However, if genetics were the cause of differences there would be statistics to back this up
How is gender socialisation linked to under-attainment with gender
Feminists such as Sue Sharpe in 1976 suggest that gender differences at school reflect the creation of gender identity.
This begins in the home and is reinforced by secondary socialisation in education and the media.
This offers an explanation on why children choose masculine or feminine subjects.
The national curriculum attempted to break down some of these gendered subjects.
Sue Sharpe studied a group of girls in the 1960-70s and found that their aspirations were to get a husband and fulfil a family. She redid this study in the 1990s and found that aspirations have changed and were focused more on careers
How are school organisations linked to under-attainment with gender
Recent studies show government policies and exams favour girls.
The teaching profession is dominated by women offering boys fewer male role models in schools.
As success in schools is now linked with femininity there is a concern that males will reject educational success to assert their masculinity.
Schools have been more focused on helping girls into masculine subjects, there has been less done to encourage boys into feminine subjects and challenge stereotypes.
It is suggested that the introduction of course work in the 1980s benefited girls learning styles more than boys. This is linked to the idea that girls are more willing to listen whereas boys prefer active learning.
Government statistics show that boys are 3 more times more likely to be excluded than girls.
What is Hegemonic masculinity in reference to under-attainment with gender
There is evidence such as Willis in 1997 that state that some boys are likely to reject the values of education and form anti-school subcultures.
This was linked to a form of masculinity linked to male work in traditional industries. This work usually needs less qualifications.
According to Francis in 2000 males feel threatened and distance themselves from femininity as girls move into traditional male areas of achievement.
This leads them to reject strategies that lead to educational success. These attitudes can be seen as a self-defeating as employment patterns have changed
How is feminism linked to under-attainment with gender
Increased opportunities at work and the accompanying economic independence mean girls no longer have the expectation of finding a husband to support them.
As this was happening within school traditional male work in the industry was more difficult to find as more jobs were demanding communication skills and the ability to get on with people, attributes traditionally associated with women.
How is the new right theory linked to under-attainment with gender
The new right have claimed that changed in the family and the increase of single mothers means that boys dont have good male role models in the home.
Boys look to the media for role models meaning they dont associate success with education therefore it leads to poor achievement and bad employability.
The new right link it more specifically to working class boys as middle class boys tend to do better than working class girls
