EDUCATION - gender differences Flashcards
summarise the attainment gap between gender using a statistic
For the last 23 years, there is a higher % of girls getting better GCSEs than boys. 2021 —> 50% of girls went to uni compared to 38% of boys
What are the 4 external factors affecting gender differences in education?
-impact of feminism
-changes in the family
-changes in women’s employment
-changing girls attitudes
Explain the impact of feminism on gender differences in education
-since 1960s, feminism has challenged traditional female stereotypes
-boosted women’s self esteem + expectations of themselves
-more ambitious and crave equal education
Explain how changes in the family has impacted girl’s education
-women can now be seen as a breadwinner + as financially independent (90% of single parent families are headed by women)
-therefore women need well paid jobs and therefore good qualifications
How has women’s change in employment improved their educational achievements ? What major changes have occurred?
Major changes include:
-1970 Equal Pay Act
-75% of women are now employed
-more women in managerial roles
these encourage girls to see their future in paid work
How has changing girl’s attitudes impacted their education ? Use a study by Sharpe
-Sharpe interviewed school girls 1974. Found that 67% of the girls wanted to leave school at 16 & prioritised marriage, children
-Sharpe repeated the interviews with school girls in 1994. 67% of the girls wanted to stay In education until at least 18 + prioritised their careers
What are the SIX internal factors affecting gender differences in education?
-equal opportunities policies
-positive role models in school
-GCSE & coursework
-Teacher Attention
-Selection & League Tables
-Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
Explain how equal opportunities policies improve girls educational achievements
GIST - girls into Science & technology
encourage girls to pursue male-dominated careers. Boaler sees this as removing the barrier for girls and making school more meritocratic.
How do positive role models in schools improve girls education
Increase in female teachers and heads. Women in senior positions can inspire girls to work hard and be ambitious. Secondary schools: 1992, 22% of headteachers were female. 2020, 40% of headteachers were female
How do sociologists argue that GCSEs and coursework impact gender differences in education
Gorard found that the gender gap in achievement increased sharply in 1989 when GCSES were introduced, bringing in coursework. Mitsos&Browne support this in saying girls are more successful in coursework as they are better organised, better at meeting deadlines etc
How does teacher attention affect gender differences in education?
Francis - whilst boys get more teacher attention, they are disciplined more harshly + picked on more by teachers
Swann - boys dominate whole class discussions whereas girls prefer pair work and are better at listening
How does selection + league tables affect gender differences in educational achievement?
SLEE argued that boys appear less attractive to selective schools as they are more likely to suffer from behavioural difficulties + are 4x more likely to be excluded than girls
How do liberal feminists interpret the changes that have contributed to the success of girls in education?
They celebrate the progress made so far. They believe further progress will be made
How do radical feminists interpret the changes that have contributed to the success of girls in education?
Critical - they believe the system remains patriarchal. Examples :
-uniform is policed much more for girls, more often by male teachers
-allocated sports
-male teachers still more likely to become heads of secondary schools
-women are under represented in many areas of curriculum like history
How does Archer use the concept of symbolic capital to explain why working class girls do well
She suggest working class girls are performing their working class feminine identities to gain symbolic capital (status)
What are features of hyper-heterosexual feminine identities?
-enjoy spending considerable time/effort on their glamorous looks. Brings status to their group
-often punished by school for having the wrong appearance, lowering expectations
-girls interested in relationships rather than their educational progress
-independent/ outspoken (loud). Question teachers authority
How can working class identity still limit successful girl’s university success?
-want to help their family, caring
-fearful of debt
-preference for the local & familiar ovef the distant
Give 3 reasons suggested as to why boys tend to underachieve in education
-teachers have lower expectations of boys
-boys are more disruptive for status
-anti-school subcultures dominated by working class boys
-lack of male role models in schools
-boys don’t like reading
-boys over estimate their ability
What are the 2 external factors explaining why BOYS tend to UNDERACHIEVE in education
-boys and literacy. Parents spend less time reading to their sons + mothers tend to read therefore feminine activity
-since 1980s, significant decline in industries like steel. Traditionally these roles filled by men. ‘Identity crisis for men’ give us trying for qualifications
What are the 3 internal factors explaining why BOYS tend to UNDERACHIEVE
-feminisation of education
-shortage of male primary school teachers
-‘Laddish’ subcultures
What is the feminisation of education
-schools don’t nurture masculine traits, instead they celebrate more feminine qualities like methodical working and attentiveness in class
-too much coursework now, which
favours girls
Why can the shortage of male primary teachers impact boy’s educational achievement
Yougov 2007: boys surveyed said that the presence of a male teacher made them behave better + 42% said it made them work harder
2021 - 16% of state funded primary school teachers england were male
Explain how ‘Laddish subcultures’ impact boys underachievement in education
W/c boys are likely to be harrassed, called names and subjected to homophobic verbal abuse if they appeared to conform/ work hard
Therefore they reject school work to appear masculine
What is Gender Domain
Tasks & activities that we see as specifically male or female territory
What sorts of A LEVEL subjects do girls and boys tend to choose
Girls: humanities. Essay based
Boys: physical, mathematical, definitive
What apprenticeship has the largest difference between girls and boys? What sort of apprenticeships does each gender tend to choose?
Largest difference- children’s care
Boys- physical apprenticeships
Girls- nurturing apprenticeships
What are the 4 titles of explanations of gender differences in subject choice
-GENDER ROLE SOCIALISATION
-GENDERED SUBJECT IMAGES
-PEER PRESSURE
-GENDERED CAREER OPPORTUNTIES
Explain how gender role socialisation impacts subject choice
-boys & girls given different toys to play with and encouraged to do different activities
-teachers at school continue this
How does peer pressure impact subject choice between genders
Boys tend to opt out of music or dance because they are likely to attract a negative response from peers. Likewise for girls with sports/ DT
What are 5 pupil experiences at school that reinforce gender and sexual identities?
-VERBAL ABUSE
-MALE PEER GROUPS
-TEACHERS & DISCIPLINE
-THE MALE GAZE
-DOUBLE STANDARDS
what is hegemonic masculinity and what is its relevance here?
It is the dominance of heterosexual males, and the subordination of female + gay identities.
Connel argued that the 5 experiences reinforce hegemonic masculinity
how does verbal abuse at school reinforce pupils gender and sexual identities?
-boys use name calling to put girls down if they dress/ behave in certain ways eg ‘slag or lezzer’ .
-Name calling helps pupils police each other’s sexual identities and therefore reinforce gender norms
How do male peer groups reinforce pupils sexual and gender identities
-in male peer groups, verbal abuse is also used to reinforce masculinity
-boys who want to do well at school are often labelled as gay or feminine
-this can mix with social class ideology, where working class boys want to appear MACHO and middle class boys want to appear like ENGLISH GENTLEMEN
How do teachers and discipline reinforce pupils sexual and gender identities
-Male teachers tell boys off when they step out of the gender norm eg for ‘behaving like girls’ and teasing them when they achieve less than girls.
-teachers also reinforce the idea that females cannot cope alone, male gaze backs this up
How does the idea of the MALE GAZE reinforce pupil gender and sexual identities?
-male pupils/ teachers can look girls up and down, seeing them as sexual objects, and judging their appearance
-this can be seen as a surveillance, through which dominant heterosexual masculinity is reinforced + femininity is devalued. also used for status in male peer groups
How do double standards reinforce sexual and gender identities for pupils
-boys are often allowed to boast about their sexual conquests whereas girls are negatively labelled for this.
-sexual promiscuity is given status amongst male peers - patriarchal dominance. Double standards controls gender identities amongst pupils
