EDUCATION: Gender - subject choices

Question 1

What are the 4 main reasons for gender differences in subject choices

Answer 1

• Gender role socialisation
• Gendered subject images
• Gender identity and peer pressure
• Gendered career opportunities

Question 2

1. Gender role socialisation
   - Norman - How does he support gender role socialisation
   - Bryne - Why does he believe school plays an important part
   - Murphy + Elwood - What do they say about how this all leads to gender subject choices

Answer 2

NORMAN: Boys and girls are dressed differently, given different toys and take part in different activities from a young age (supporting the idea of early gender role socialisation)

BRYNE: Teachers encourage boys to be tough and not weak like sissies while girls are expected to be clean and helpful

MURPHY + ELWOOD: Boys read hobby books and information texts, while girls read sorties about people = why girls pick English and boys pick more science subjects

Question 3

1.1. Gender domains
- Browne + Ross - What do they call gender domains and how do they say these come about.
And what do they see in children performance in these gender domains

• Murphy - What does he say about the difference in attention to girls and boys
  And what does this explain about boys and girls’ subject choices in school

Answer 3

BROWNE + ROSS: Tasks are divided into male and female territory shaped by early experiences and the expectations of adults
- When a child performs from their own gender domains, they are more confident. E.g. boys with cars

MURPHY: Girls focus more on how people feel, while boys focus on how things are made and work
- Explains why girls choose humanities and arts while boys choose science

Question 4

2. Gendered subject images
   - Kelly - what does she say about science
   - Colley - What does she say about I.T.

Answer 4

KELLY: Science is seen as a boys subject as teachers are likely to be men, examples are drawn more on boys than girls, boys dominate labs
COLLEY: I.T. is more masculine as it involves machines (part of their gender domain), and the style of teaching (group work, abstract, new teaching styles) girls favour are not evident

Question 5

2. 1. Single sex schooling
      - What is the argument
      - Leonard - What did he find about girls and boys in their own single sex schools
      - Institute of physics - What statistics did they find

Answer 5

WHAT: Pupils in single sex schools hold less stereotypes subject images and make less traditional subject choices
LEONARD: Girls in girls schools were more likely to take maths and science, studying male dominated subjects at uni
- Boys were more likely to take English and languages in boys schools
INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS: Girls in single sex schools were 2.4 times as likely to take A level physics

Question 6

3. Gender identity and peer pressure
   - What is the argument
   - Paetcher - What does he argue about sporty girls
   - Dewar - How does his study of American college girls students support Paetcher
   - Conclusion - What is the conclusion of mixed and single sex schools

Answer 6

WHAT: Boys and girls may apply pressure to one if they disapprove of their subject choice
PAETCHER: pupils see sport in the male gender domain = sporty girls have an image contradicting the female stereotype
DEWAR: Male students would call girls lesbian or butch is they were interested in sport - American college girls study
CONCLUSION: Mixed schools = policing of subjects so a gender identity is adopted
Single sex schools = absence of pressure = choosing of less traditional subjects

Question 7

4. Gendered career opportunities

- What is the argument

Answer 7

WHAT: Differences in subject choice is due to gendered employment - certain careers are sex typed to boys and girls

Question 8

4.1 Gender, vocational choice and class
- What is the argument - WC pupils and their decisions?
- Fuller - What did she say about careers and the WC habitus
- Fuller - What did she find in her study of girls and work opportunities
What did she find was the source of this

Answer 8

WHAT: is a social class dimension to choice of vocational subject
- WC pupils make vocational subject decisions that are based on traditional gender identities
FULLER: Going into jobs like child care or beauty and hair is a reflection of the WC habitus
FULLER: Feminine WC jobs like nursing were the norm for girls
- Girls were being steered towards certain jobs through the work experiences they were offered from school and home