Educational Achievement with Gender Flashcards
What gender preforms better at school
Girls outperform boys in every subject, but maths as boys only just slightly do better in.
Statistic on girls in university
In 2014, there were 58,000 more females at university than males
What have Feminists drawn attention to
The stereotypical subject choices and the under-representation of females studying physics and maths and the over-representation in subjects such as English and sociology
What is believed about the gendered subjects
They may negatively impact on the entry of adult males and females into the job market and may be partly responsible for both the glass ceiling and pay gap experienced by women in employment
What are the six explanations of the higher achievement of girls compared to boys
- Changing attitudes
- Changes in job market and economy
- Feminism
- Individualisation
- Differences in socialisation and behaviour
- Changes in the education system
What is evidence behind the ‘Changing attitudes’ reason behind the achievement of girls
Sharpe claims that the attitudes and priorities of females changed dramatically between the 70s and 90s. In the 70s the girls main priorities were love and marriage, but in the 90s they were more concerned about education and careers.
What is evidence behind the ‘Changes in the job market and economy’ reason behind the achievement of girls
Major changes in the 1970s to the economy which lead to a decline in male-dominated jobs, like manufacturing.
This resulted in many more career opportunities for females.
What is evidence behind the ‘Feminism’ reason behind the achievement of girls
Feminist campaigns for equality in the job market and in wider society have led many females taking for granted that they should have the same rights as men.
What is evidence behind the ‘Individualisation’ reason behind the achievement of girls
Beck claims that societies have undergone a process of individualisation which means people are now more concerned about their personal needs. He claims females are putting their own need for independence before marriage.
What is evidence behind the ‘Differences in socialisation and behaviour’ reason behind the achievement of girls
The socialisation of girls and boys has changed. Girls used to be prepared for domestic and maternal jobs but now parents encourage girls to have higher aspirations.
What is evidence behind ‘Changes within the education system’ reason behind the achievement of girls
The introduction of coursework in the 1980s benefitted females, but the recent shift back to exams has not benefitted boys.
Also there has been a feminisation of the education system, so girls have more role models
What did Hannahs research find
That the socialisation of girls emphasises girls language kills which are essential for success in education
What did Burns and Bracey find
That girls mature faster than boys and this results in them working harder and being more motivated at school, putting more effort into homework and coursework.
What girls are subject to underachieving
Girls from families that experience low income and poverty
What did Archer et al find
That working-class girls helped bring about their underachievement by forming anti-school subcultures organised around sexualised hyper-feminine identity which entailed putting more effort into their appearance than school work.
What was Jacksons study on and what did he find
Study of year 9 pupils and found that girls often opted out of education because they feared failure and did not want to appear stupid. These girls cultivated an attitude of being ‘too cool for school’
What is the three reasons in the underachievement of boys
- A crisis of masculinity
- Lad culture
- Boys attitudes
Describe how ‘A crisis of masculinity’ has an affected on the underachievement of boys
Mac and Ghaill suggested that boys no longer see the point of qualifications because masculine roles such as breadwinner and head of the household are less important.
Describe how lad culture leads to the underachievement of boys
Most studies have identified anti-school subcultures which are mostly working-class males. The evidence suggests that these male subcultures regard schoolwork as ‘feminine’ and ‘unmanly’ and have a tendency to engage in rude disruptive behaviours. They tended to see engaging in school as soft and weak.
Describe how boys attitudes lead to the underachievement of boys
Some studies have suggested that boys are often over confident about their own abilities, do not see the need to work hard and subscribe to lower academic aspirations than girls.
What does Coffey view
Views society’s concern about boys underachievement as a moral panic - an over-reaction to a social problem that has been blown out of proportion by the media
What do feminists point out
That subtle gender inequalities continue to exist in British education which continue to discriminate against females.
