Education: How Does Gender Affect Educational Experience?

Question 1

What are the home factors?

Answer 1

More female role models
Legislation to increase equality in the home and at work
Changing attitudes about the role of women

Question 2

What are the school factors?

Answer 2

Labelling
Self-fulling prophecy
Subcultures
Curriculum
Coursework
Feminisation of education

Question 3

What is the key evidence?

Answer 3

Gap between girls and boys is at its widest at GCSE

Girls outperform boys at every level

Question 4

What are the key problems that affects boys?

Answer 4

• Some boys underperform
• Crisis in masculinity
• Lack of male role models in school

Question 5

What are the key problems that affect girls?

Answer 5

• Gendered subject choices

- Still end up in lower paid/status positions

Question 6

What are the suggested reasons for gendered subject choices?

Answer 6

• Francis: Gendered primary socialisation, where girls are given toys which encourage them to conform to a caregiving role, while boys are given toys which encourage them to be more active
• The creation of gendered identities at school and outside of school through subcultures, the media and other institutions such as the family
• Skelton: Peter pressure from both girls and boys, and the ‘male gaze’ whereby male teachers’ and students’ behaviour reflects dominant ideas about masculinity, which encourages girls or behave in a stereotypically female way

Question 7

What does Sewell argue?

Answer 7

Sociologists have suggested that there has been a process known as the feminisation of education.
Sewell argues that generally girls are more willing to conform to the rules of the school, whereas boys are not, and the disproportionate number of female teachers alienates them further from the school culture.

Question 8

What does Kelly suggest?

Answer 8

There are gender difference in spatial ability (with boys showing greater spatial awareness) may be attributed to the types of toys children play with.

Question 9

What does McRobbie argue?

Answer 9

The bedroom culture of girls, where girls can create their own subcultures and chat and read, which contributes towards their communication skills which are now so important and valued within education.
However, boys, tend to carry out activities that are more physical and do not contribute to their educational development.