Education: Gender and subject choice

Question 1

Gender role socialisation

Answer 1

From a young age, children are dressed differently, play different toys etc which shapes childrens gender identity.

Question 2

What does this socialisation result in?

Answer 2

Murphy and Elwood suggest that these differences in socialisation leads to a difference in reading, which then lead to a difference in subject choices.

Question 2

Byrne (gender role socialisation)

Answer 2

Byrne believes that teachers encourage boys to be tough and not to be ‘sissies’ where as girls are encouraged to be helpful and tidy.

Question 2

Gender subject images

Answer 2

The gender image of a subject determines who will choose it e.g. science is seen as a male subject, Kelly argues that boys dominate science classrooms, and textiles is seen as a female subject.

Question 2

Gender role socialisatoin A03

Answer 2

Now, there are changing ideas about gender and ‘being a woman’, it is now less stereotypical.

Question 3

Colley (gender subject images)

Answer 3

Colley states that computer science is viewed as part of the male gender domain, this is because it involves working with machines and that the way it is taught is seemingly off putting to females.

Question 4

What about girls? (gender identity and pressure)

Answer 4

Many pupils view sport as a manly subject with a male gender domain, so girls who are particularly sporty have to deal with a image that goes against their stereotype, which can lead to more girls opting out of sport. Similarly, Dewar found that male students would call girls ‘lesbian’ or ‘butch’ if they chose sport based subjects.

Question 5

Gender subject images A03

Answer 5

Nowadays, there are more female science teachers and less sexist stereotypes.

Question 6

Gendered identity and pressure

Answer 6

It is argued that many subject choices are influenced by peer pressure, for example, boys opt out of sujects like music and dance as it falls out of their gender domain and is likely to attract bullying from peers so they opt for a more masculine subject that fits into their gender domain like computer science.

Question 7

Gender identity and peer pressure A03

Answer 7

Same sex schools make less traditional choices as there is no opposite sex peer pressure to conform to traditional subject choices.

Question 8

Gendered career opportunities

Answer 8

Employment tends to be highly gendered. Womens jobs tend to mirror to work that is typically done by housewives like childcare and nursing. Sex typing occupations can be particularly tough on boys because if it is viewed that being a nursery nurse is female, it can put them off from doing a course in childcare as they believe it doesnt truly fit to their gender domain.

Question 8

Gendered career opportunities A03

Answer 8

Changing views of gender, it is now less stereotypical.