Education: Gender Flashcards
External factors that explain why girls have outperformed in education
-The impact of feminism
-Changes in the family
-Changes in the job market and women’s employment
-Girls changing attitudes and ambitions
-Girls mature earlier
-Differences in socialisation and behaviour
Internal factors that explain why girls have outperformed in education
-Equal opportunities policies
-Positive role models in schools
-Teacher attention and classroom interaction
-GCSE and Coursework
-Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
-Selection and League Tables
The impact of feminism
-Since the 1960, they have challenged traditional roles of women as mothers and housewives, broadening women’s ambitions and self perceptions. This was done through advocating for equal rights in all institutions.
How has the increase in lone parent families lead to the outperformance of girls
-The rise in female headed lone parent families present a new role model for girls: the financially independent woman who takes on the role of the breadwinner
How has an increase in divorce rates led to girls outperformance
-Encourage girls to seek financial independence through qualifications rather than relying on a husband as a provider.
Examples of changes in the job market
-1970 Equal Pay Act
-1975 Sex Discrimination Act
-Since 1975, the gender pay gap has halved from 30% to around 15%
-Women in employment: 1971= 53%, 2013= 67%
How does girls’ earlier maturity explain their outperformance
-This maturity gives them a more responsible attitude toward exams and career planning, contributing to their academic achievement and understanding of long term goals.
How does differences in socialisation and behaviour explain why girls have outperformed
-Socialisation has historically emphasised feminine roles like caregiving, however parents are increasingly encouraging girls to pursue higher aspirations.
GIST and WISE
-GIST (Girls into science and technology)
-WISE (Women into science and engineering)
Through initiatives like school visits from female scientists and non-sexist career guidance, these policies have actively encourage girls to pursue non traditional career paths and aimed to broaden girls aspirations. (able to see role models)
What was the impact on girls attainment of the introduction of the National Curriculum 1988
-Required boys and girls to study mostly the same subjects, removing a significant source of gender inequality and giving girls equal access to academic pathways.
Criticisms of the impact external and internal factors for girls outperformance
-The change in girls aspirations like in Sharpe’s study, may not be universal. For example, Diane Reay’s study on working class girls aspirations
-The education system still retains some underlying gender biases, like subject choices and career guidance, which may limit girls true potential in specific fields
-Coursework in subjects has been reduced in recent years, and so girls continued high performance could be due to more influential factors
-While female representation is increasing, certain fields and higher level roles still lack strong female representation, limiting the full impact of role models for girls in some career paths
-Despite improvements, schools remain patriarchal places where male dominance persists
-There still remain significant differences in achievement based on social class and ethnicity due to barriers like lack of resources. These explanations overlook this factor.
Female identities that impact achievement
-Relationships (Boyfriends and family)
-Loud identities
-The working class girls dilemma
(peer approval and preference for the familiar and local)
-Impact of Symbolic capital and hyper heterosexual feminine identities
Key factors in the construction of gender and sexual identities
-Double standards
-Verbal abuse
-The Male Gaze
-Male Peer groups
-Female peer groups: policing identity
External Factors influencing boys underachievement
-Boys poorer literacy skills
-Globalisation and the decline if traditional male jobs
-The moral panic about boys underachievement
-Different leisure activities
Internal factors influencing boys underachievement
-The feminisation of education
-Shortage of male primary school teachers
-Laddish subcultures
-Lower expectations
-Male subcultures and evolving anti school attitudes
Criticisms of explanations for boys underachievement
-Feminist perspective: policy focusing on raising boys achievement could send a message that boys needs and successes are more important than those of girls ,potentially impacting girls self esteem and aspirations.
(wasn’t a major concern when girls were thought to be underachieving)
-Boys underachievement is not a universal thing and can vary based on different backgrounds e.g social class, ethnicity and individual circumstances. The focus on general patterns may overlook the need for targeted interventions that address specific challenges faced by particular groups of boys
-Weiner et al (1997):
Concerns about boys underachievement have been exaggerated leading to a moral panic. Boys have shown a slower rate of improvement in GCSE and A levels compared to girls, however both groups have made significant progress overall. Instead the problem is concentrated in specific socio economic groups
Explanations for gender differences in subject choice
-Gender role socialisation
-Gender Domains
-Gendered subject images
-Peer Pressure
-Gendered career opportunities
What did Leonard (2006) find on gender differences in subject choices
-Single sex schooling can reduce stereotypical subject choices.
-Girls in all girls schools are more likely to choose maths and science, while boys in all boys school may feel freer to pursue subjects like English.
-This suggests that the school environment plays a critical role in shaping students subject choices
What did the Institute of Physics find (2012- policies)
Reports that the proportion of girls taking a level physics has remained at around 20% for two decades, questioning the effectiveness of policies like GIST and WISE for overcoming deeply ingrained gender norms
Limitation of the National Curriculum
-While the National Curriculum aims to reduce gender bias by making some subjects compulsory, gendered subject images and peer pressure continue to shape students choices
Sue Sharpe’s ‘ Just like a girl’ study
-1970s: girls aspired for love, marriage and children, and viewed education as ‘unfeminine’
-1990s: girls more career orientated and sought financial independence through academic success and qualifications
McRobbie’s study on changing representations of women
Magazines
-1970s: emphasised getting married and avoiding being ‘left on the shelf’.
-1990s: Featured images of an assertive woman who was self sufficient and attained influential positions
This reflects the broader impact of feminism
Example of changes in the family
-Rising divorce rates
-Increasing cohabitation and fewer first marriages
-More lone parent families, 90% female headed
-Smaller family sizes
What did O’Connor (2006) find about girls changing attitudes
-14-17 year olds did not consider marriage and children a significant part of their future plans
What did Beck Gernsheim (2001) find on girls changing ambitions and attitudes
-Links the change in attitude to the trend toward individualism in modern society, where independence is highly valued.
-A career promises recognition and economic self sufficiency, which girls now see as achievable through education
What did Fuller (2011) find about girls changing ambitions and attitudes
Educational success has become central to many girls identities.
-Girls in her study saw themselves as responsible for shaping their futures, believing in meritocracy and aiming for careers that enable them to support themselves independently
What did Diane Reay (1998) find about working class girls aspirations
-Some working class girls continue to aspire to traditional gender roles and see marriage and children as achievable goals.
-She attributes this to the limited job opportunities perceived by these girls, leading them to focus on traditional family roles as a source of status
What did Biggart (2002) find about working class girls aspirations
-WC girls facing uncertain futures in the labour market often see motherhood as their only viable option.
-This leads them to place less emphasis on educational achievement.
What did Hannan (2000) find about differences in girls socialisation and behaviour
-Girls tend to socialise through talking, developing language skills essential for educational success earlier than boys, who tend to bond through action based activities.
What did Burns and Bracey (2001) find out about differences in girls socialisation and behaviour
-Girls put more effort into homework and are more likely to revise and redraft assignments, demonstrating a commitment to high academic standards
What did Boaler (1998) say about the role of equal opportunities in girls improvement
-Equal opportunities= key reason for girls improvement.
-With many barriers removed, schools have become more meritocratic, enabling girls-who generally world harder than boys- to excel
How has the rise in female role models in schools contributed to girls outperformance
-The rise in female teachers and headteachers provides strong role models for girls, showing them that women can attain influential positions. This not only reinforces the value of education but also encourages girls to set ambitious, non traditional girls for themselves
-Female teachers who have succeeded through academic achievement can demonstrate to girls that academic and professional success is attainable, inspiring them to invest in their own education
What did Gorard (2005) find out about the impact of the introduction of GCSE and coursework
-The gender gap in achievement widened with the introduction of coursework, suggesting that this system change may contribute to girls higher achievement
What did Mitsos and Browne (1998) find out about the impact of the introduction of GCSE and coursework
-Girls are generally more organised, spend more time on their work, take greater care with presentation, and are better at meeting deadlines. These skills help girls to perform better in GCSE, coursework and A level assessments.
-Girls typically have higher developed language skills (due to the way they socialise) and so they have an advantage in oral exams, which have become more common in GCSEs
What does Elwood (2005) say about the impact of GCSE and Coursework on girls outperformance
-While coursework may contribute to the gender gap, it is unlikely that they are the sole cause since final grades are still largely influenced by exams (which boys do better in)
What did Jane and Peter French (1993) find out about teacher attention and classroom interaction
-Boys receive more attention from teachers- much of it in the form of reprimands rather than academic feedback
What did Francis (2001) find about teacher attention and classroom interaction
Found similar results to French
-Boys are often more disciplined more harshly, which can result in feelings of being ‘picked on’ by teachers who hold lower expectations of them.
What did Swann (1998) find out about teacher attention and classroom interaction
-Boys tend to dominate whole class discussions, while girls prefer cooperative pair or group work.
-Girls cooperative, turn taking approach to group work contrasts with boys more disruptive style.
Teachers often respond more positively to girls because of this behaviour, viewing them as less disruptive. This can lead to a self fulfilling prophecy.
What were textbooks and learning resources like in schools before the 1980s
-Often portrayed images of women in stereotypical roles, such as housewives, while men were depicted in varied active roles. This bias could have limited girls aspirations.
-Since then, schools have made efforts to challenge such stereotypes, with teachers actively promoting non traditional gender roles.
