FEMALE SUCCESS Flashcards
1
Q
girls changing ambitions
A
- SUE SHARPE - carried out interviews in the 1970s and found girls were interested in love, marriage and babies. repeated study in 1994 found girls were more career orientated
- O’CONNOR (2006) - marriage and children were not a part of their life plans
- CAROL FULLER (2011) - educational success is now a central aspect of the female identity
2
Q
class, gender + ambition
(DIANE REAY)
A
- differences between social glass and girls ambitions
- DIANE REAY - found some working-class girls still had gender stereotyped aspirations and a more traditional gender identity
- expected to go into low-paid work and saw motherhood as their only viable option to gain status
3
Q
changes to reading scheme
A
- challenging stereotypes in the curriculum - reading scheme and textbooks
- sexist images have been removed from learning materials
4
Q
positive role models in school for girls
A
1992 HEADS & TEACHERS:
nursery/primary:
- 50% heads
- 81% teachers
secondary:
- 22% heads
- 38% teachers
2018 HEADS & TEACHERS:
nursery/primary:
- 73% heads
- 86% teachers
secondary:
- 38% heads
- 63%
5
Q
selection and league tables
A
- competition amongst schools has made girls more desirable due to better exam results
- boys are less attractive as they are more likely to have behavioural problems/higher exclusion rates
6
Q
liberal feminists view on female success
A
- celebrate progress made so far in improving achievement
- believe further progress will be made with continuation of equal opportunities policies, encouraging positive role models and overcoming sexist attitudes/stereotypes
7
Q
radical feminists view on success
A
- critical view. reconigise girls are achieveing more but still believe system is patriarchal
- think school is a mans world:
- sexual harassment
continues - education limits girls
subject choices and
career options - male teachers are more
likely to become heads - women are under-
represented in many
areas of curriculum.
WEINER (1993) describes
history as a woman-free
zone
- sexual harassment
8
Q
successful working class girls
(EVANS)
A
- evans found that many working class girls do go into higher education but mainly didnt want to leave home
- many were motivated by wanting to help their families
- caring is part of their working class female identity
- fear of debt also influenced choice of uni
- preference for ‘local’
- girls did not apply for elite unis
9
Q
what girls do better in
A
- baseline assessment (maths, english, language, social development)
- SATs
- GCSEs girls more likely to get more 4-9s
- AS/A LEVEL girls pass higher
- VOCATIONAL girls more likely to get distinction
- more females go to uni and get better degrees
10
Q
girls success school statistics
A
- 64% of girls pass maths whilst only 56% of boys pass
- girls 75% more likely to go to uni
- one reason argued for difference is the gap between rich and poor is eclipsed by gap between boys and girls in uni entrance
- EBacc measures how many students achieve grade 4 or above
11
Q
problems that still remain for girls
A
- lots of girls still underachieve
- more focus is on underachieving males
- girls on free school meals underachieve
- girls tend to take the ‘arts’ which leads to different careers
- males still earn more than females (gender pay gap)
12
Q
feminism and evidence
(MCROBBIE)
A
- feminism - 1960s challenging of traditional stereotypes - media images - improvement in female self esteem
- MCROBBIE - in 1970s girls magazines focused on romance, nowadays they show successful, independent women
13
Q
changes in family life that contribute to success
A
- increase in divorce rates = independent women
- increase in age of marriage/childbearing
- more female headed families = more positive role models for girls
- smaller families - girls more career focused
14
Q
changes in the workplace that contribute to success
A
- 1970s equal pay act
- 1975 sex discrimination act
- how many women are in paid employment
- glass ceiling - an unacknowledged barrier to advancement in profession, especially effecting women/minority groups
- positive for girls because their purpose is no longer associated with men, but rather their independent dreams that women can achieve
15
Q
internal influences for success (in school)
A
- equal opportunities in schools
- jo boaler - the introduction of GIST WISE to encourage girls to take up careers in these non-traditional areas
- female scientists visited schools to act as role models
- introduced new teaching materials to help interest girls
