GENDER Flashcards
DEFINITIONS: Sex and Gender
SEX - the biological, physical differences between male and female
GENDER - social construction, learned differences between make and female, i.e., learned ‘masculinity and ‘femininity’
BROWNEs Theory
Achievement of males and females within education has ‘roller-coasted’
EVALUATION: Browne
- Both males and females are achieving higher success rates than ever before
- Disproportionate between the 2 groups.
- Concern in education is that boys underachieve.
- Education focuses on how they can increase boys achievement.
GENDER GAP: Official Statistics
PRIMARY SCHOOL - girls ahead of boys by 7-17%
SECONDARY SCHOOL - girls outperformed boys by 8.9% achieving A-C grades
A-LEVEL - 79.7% girls achieved A-C & 75% boys achieved A*-C
VOCATIONAL - females more likely to achieve distinction
UNIVERSITY - 73% women gained 2:1 69% men gained 2:1
EXTERNAL factors gender differences
- Impact of feminism
- Changes in women employment
- Change in girls ambitions and priorities
INTERNAL factors gender differences
- Equal opportunity
- Teacher attention and labelling
- Challenging stereotypes within the school curriculum
EXTERNAL GIRLS ACHIEVEMENT
IMPACT OF FEMINISM:
- Improved women rights through the Feminist Movement by challenging stereotypes
- WILKINSON - feminist ideas emphasise equality have filtered down to girls via the media.
- McROBBIE - positive role models in media assertive, independent women affecting girls self-image. Motivational to girls explaining their improvements.
CHANGE IN THE FAMILY:
- Increased divorce rates
- Decline in birth rates
- Increase in lone parent families
- Causing women to be more financially independent, motivating girls to do well in education gaining high qualifications and achieve financial independence
CHANGES IN EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN:
*Equal Pay Act 1970
*Equality Act 2010
*WEBB - women in employment went from 53% 1971 to 67% 2013. Pay gap between men and women has decreased from 30% to 17%
GLASS CEILING EFFECT - keeps women from entering managerial job roles acts as a barrier.
FRANCIS - interviewed girls about career aspirations, found that females have become extremely ambitious and now aim for ‘high professions’ such as doctors and solicitors.
CHANGING AMBITIONS:
*SHARPE - 1974 girls had low aspirations, believed educational achievement was unfeminine. 1990s women saw themselves as independent with a career instead of depending on a husband or male figure.
O’CONNOR - studied 14-17 yr old found that marriage and children were not a major part of their life.
FULLER - females saw themselves as creators of their own future.
EVALUATION: Girls achievement
Majority low paid part time workers are female.
RADICAL Feminists - job opportunities for females are limited due to patriarchal assumptions.
SC differences - girls ambitions have changed with some WC girls having gender stereotyped aspirations and expecting to go into traditional low-paid jobs compared to MC girls.
INTERNAL: Girls achievement
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY POLICIES
WISE - Women into Science and Engineering
GIST - Girls into Science and Technology
NATIONAL CURRICULUM - changed subject choice for females, suddenly allowed to study same core subject as males.
LEAGUE TABLES - schools likely to ‘cream-skim’ girls rather than boys as they are seen as ‘hard-working and less disruptive.
FEMALE TEACHERS AND POSITIVE ROLE MODELS
WEINER - teachers challenging stereotypes, although men occupy head teacher roles in secondary schools.
GCSEs and COURSEWORK
ARNOT - Most girls prefer open-ended process-based tasks such as coursework
MITSOS AND BROWNE - Suggest coursework suits girls more than boys as girls are encouraged to be organised.
ELWOOD - Coursework has some influence but unlikely to be the only cause of the gender gap as exams have more influence than coursework.
TEACHER ATTENTION, STEREOTYPING AND LABELLING
Boys received more warning and girls are often seen as ideal students and better at listening. FRANCIS - boys got more attention, the way teachers interact with boys and girls is different. FULLER - middle class girls seen as “ideal students” and teachers interact with them in a positive manner which improves their self-esteem. SWANN - boys dominated whole class discussions, girls prefer group tasks and co-operative listening.
EVALUATION: teacher stereotyping, attention and labelling
Observations in single-sex school found mixed evidence of labelling and SFP. As not all girls were pushed and labelled positively by teachers, WC girls usually had low aspirations and chose not to push themselves, they would often leave education early.
CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES IN THE CURRICULUM
Removal of gender stereotypes from textbooks has also removed a barrier to girls achievement. 1970s/80s materials portrayed girls/women as housewives and mothers scared of science.
WEINER - sexist images have been removed from resources. Positive images of women have helped raise girls achievement.
EVALUATION: challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
JOHNSON: despite these changes owners history is still low profile in many schools.
