Education: Gender Flashcards
internal factors: identity, class, and girls achievement
symbolic capital: this is the status, recognition, and sense of worth we obtain from others. if working-class girls adopt a feminine identity, they gain symbolic capital from their peers. however, this causes conflict with school ideals. they adopt a ‘hypersexual feminine identity’ having a boyfriend and liud.
many of these girls spent time, money, and effort on looking glamorous and desirable. this brought the females status from their peers. girls were punished at school for too much makeup/jewelry. therefore the school labels them as worthless, this is symbolic violence.
some WC girls adopt aloud feminine identity in which they are outspoken which fails to meet the school’s ideals. WC girls face a dilemma of symbolic capital or education capital.
internal factors: factors within the education system
equal opportunities policies: equal opportunity is now embedded into the curriculum e.g. GIST. the introduction of the national curriculum meant boys and girls were required to study the same subjects. schools are now based on a meritocracy so girls who work harder than boys will achieve better.
positive role models: there has been an increase in female teachers and heads. this provides positive role models for girls as they have someone who has also been through years of schooling.
GCSEs and coursework: the gender gap was consistent until the introduction of GCSEs and coursework. girls tend to be more organised and conscientious and succeed in oral examinations.
teacher attention: teachers give boys more attention, give them harsher punishments, and have lower expectations. boys dominate classroom discussions, girls prefer paired work, and are more cooperative.
league tables: since the introduction of marketization, it has caused competition within schools, so girls are more desirable recruitments as they tend to get better grades.
internal factors: boys underachievement
boys and literacy: the gender gap is mainly due to poor literacy and language skills. One reason is due to parents are less likely to read to boys. also, it is seen as feminine to read. hobbies also differ, football does little to encourage language development.
feminized education: schools don’t nurture masculine traits such as competitiveness and leadership, instead they opt for more feminine traits such as methodical working and attentiveness.
laddish subcultures: there appears to be an increase in subcultures. WC boys who tried in education were labeled as ‘gay’. this could be due to the fact working class is equated to manual work and trying hard is a middle-class tendency. male subculture is becoming widespread as women are moving into stereotypically masculine jobs.
internal factors: gender and subject choice
boys tend to opt for maths and physics, whereas girls tend to opt for languages and English. at A-Level, 93% of the computing class were boys, and 7% were girls. In the apprenticeship for Childcare, 99% were females, with 1% being boys.
internal factors: reasons for gendered choice
gendered subject images: science is seen as a boy’s subject because the teachers are more likely to be male, and the textbooks are aimed at males. ICT is also seen as a boys subject because working with boys is seen as masculine.
gender identity and peer pressure: boys are more likely to drop out of music and dance as it falls out of their gender domain and they may recieve negative comments.
gendered career opportunities: womens jobs are often similar to work performed by housewives, such as childcare and nursing.
internal factors: pupils sexual and gender identities
double standards: these double standards regarding sex and morality. sexual conquests are given status by male peers and ignored by male teachers, whereas female promiscuous behaviour attracts negative labels and teacher’s attention.
the male gaze: this is how male pupils and teachers look girls up and down, seeing them as sexual objects and making judgments.
male peer groups: these groups often have an anti-school subculture in which male dominance is reinforced with sexual conquests and derogatory language. working-class macho lads look down on the working-class boys who tried hard in school.
teachers and discipline: teachers tend to ignore boys’ abuse and at times blame girls for distracting boys. some male teachers reinforce subordinate women as they come into lessons to save teachers from naughty pupils.
external factors: official statistics on the gender gap
starting school: 2013 teacher assessments showed girls were ahead of boys at the end of year 1. The difference was 7-17% across 7 key areas: literacy, language, Maths, and PSE. girls were seen to be better than boys at concentrating.
Key Stages 1-3: girls consistently do better than boys, especially in English where the gap widens with age. in science and maths, the gap was smaller, but girls performed better.
GCSE: the gender gap is approximately 10%, with girls performing better.
A-Level: girls are more likely to sit, pass, and get higher grades than boys but the gap is narrower.
Vocational Subjects: more girls obtain distinctions, even in boys subjects such as construction and engineering.
external factors and gender differences
changes in family: since the 1970s there has been several changes in the family: increased divorce rate, increased cohabitation, increase in lone parent families, and smaller families.
changes in women’s unemployment: The 1970 Equal Pay Act means it is illegal to pay women less than men. Since 1875, the pay gap has decreased from 30% to 15%. some women are breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’ and breaking into high-level professional careers and managerial jobs.
changes in ambition: Sue Sharpe 1994 interviewed girls in the 1970s and 1990s. these interviews showed the changes in girls’ ambitions. 1970s= they believed educational success was unfeminine, and ambition was unattractive. their priorities consisted of family, children, and marriage.
1990s= there was a change in order of priorities: careers and independence, being able to financially support themselves.
