Extenal Factors For Girls Educational Achievement

Question 1

The impact of feminism

Answer 1

Improved the rights of women and challenged the traditional stereotypical views

Women are no longer strictly pounds a housewife and mother role

Wilkinson 1999 argues that feminist ideas emphasising equality have filtered down to girls via the media in the 1980s and 1990s

Question 2

McRobbie 1994

Answer 2

Argues that magazines such as Jackie in the 1970s emphasised the importance of getting married and not being left on the shelf where is nowadays priorities have changed and women are faced with more positive role models within the media such as assertive independent women

Likely to have affected girl self image and aspirations

As a result are more motivated to do well in education which can explain that improvements in educational achievement

Question 3

Changes in the family

Answer 3

Major changes in the family since the 1970s:
Increased divorce rate
Decline in marriage rate
Decline in birth rates
Increased lone parent families

Increased women to become financially independent

Independent woman and working mums have become role models for the younger generations of girls

they motivate girls do well in their education good qualifications to achieve this financial independence

Question 4

Changes in employment opportunities for women

Answer 4

Equal pay act 1970
equality act 2010

Web 2005 said the number of women in employment went up from 53% in 1971 to 67% 2013

Pay gap between men and women has fallen from 30% to 17% since 1975

Also more and more women are breaking through the glass ceiling affect

Francis 2001 interviewed girls about their career aspirations and concluded that due to increased employment opportunities females have become extremely ambitious and aim for higher professions such as doctors and solicitors

Question 5

Changing ambitions

Answer 5

Many aspire for financial independence

Sharp 1976/1994 found that girls ambitions had changed from the 70s and 90s in interviews conducted

In 1974 the girls had low aspirations. The girls believed educational success was unfeminine and that their priorities were love, marriage, children, jobs, careers. In that order

Whereas in the 90s, this attitude had shifted and careers became more important and the girls were more likely to see themselves independent independent women with a career rather than as dependent on their husbands

Question 6

Evaluation

Answer 6

Radical feminist-  argue that job opportunities for females are limited by patriarchal assumptions that men should be the main breadwinner and a women’s place remains in the home