gender Flashcards
whats the difference between english and maths?
english is more creative
maths has closed questions
state some facts about the differences in educational achievement between boys and girls
-girls do better than boys in all subjects other than maths
-girls dominate creative subjects
why did girls grades drop in maths in the last decade?
maths coursework was removed, since girls do better at coursewok their grades dropped
on average, what is the gap between girls and boys of GCSE results?
10%
what is the gap like between girls and boys at A Level?
smaller, but girls still do better
how do girls achieve on vocational courses?
a larger proportion of girls achieve distinctions in every subject, including those such as engineering and construction where girls are the minority
what are children initially given on starting school?
a baseline assessment to explore basic understanding
describe the Qualification and Curriculum Authority study of baseline assessments
a national survey of nearly 7000 children showed that girls score higher in all tests
state factors that push girls to work harder in school
-impact of feminism
-changing ambitions
-employment
-changes in the family
how does the impact of feminism encourage girls to work harder in school?
- women have been given more rights in all areas of social life.
- women have more opportunities.
- magazine differences- (McRobbie)
housewife vs independent women
what did McRobbies study of feminism show?
girls magazines have changed their portrayal of whats expected of a woman.
housewife vs assertive, independent woman.
how did changing ambitions encourage girls to do better at school?
Sharpe-
1970s girls saw education as unfeminine, priority was marriage.
1990s girls saw their future including a career, less dependent on a man.
what sociologist studied girls changing ambitions?
Sharpe
how has employment legislation pushed girls to work harder in school?
1970 equal pay act
1975 sex discrimination act (now under 2010 equality act)
leads to women breaking through the glass ceiling
how have changes in the family led to girls working harder in school?
-increase in divorce
-more lone parent families
-smaller families
-increased cohabitation
matriarchal role model, pushes girls to work hard
evaluate girls increasing occupational success
UK FTSEE 100- 6 female CEOs in 2021
2022 5 female CEOs
although the number has increased from 3 in 2012
evaluate the equal pay act 1970
18 Nov - women work for free
= 44 unpaid days
- in the uk women are paid 16% less than men
why might is be important analyse the link between class and gender to explain female achievement?
WC girls have lower aspirations than MC girls
why might liberal feminists argue that laws like the Equal Pay Act are a positive example of a march of progress?
change in law = change in attitude
how does the concept of individualism in modern society link to the change in girls’ ambitions?
independence
how can a change within the education system itself play more of a role than a change in female attitudes to explain attainment?
the system tries to encourage female achievement
how might marxists feminists critique the idea that external factors like employment and shifts in the family are leading to greater success?
triple shift,
still a pay gap
how many people working in STEM are female?
1 in 7
name some policies introduced to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM
-GIST (girls into science and technology)
-WISE (women into science and engineering)
what did the introduction of the National Curriculum 1988 do?
removed previous inequalities as all students had to study mostly the same subjects
what does Kelly’s (1987) say?
she highlights how making science a core subject helped to increase equality.
what does Boaler (1988) argue?
that such policies are the reason for changes in female achievement.
barriers have been removed and schooling has become more meritocratic
compare the statistics between male and female teachers
30% of teachers are men, 70% are female
at primary 82% are female
how might having women in positions of authority impact female students?
link to achievement through representation
what sociologists studied girls and their success in coursework?
Mitsos and Browne (1988)
why did Mitsos and Browne argue girls are more successful in course work?
-better organised
-spend more time on their work
-are better at meeeting deadlines
-bring correct equipment
-better language skills
how does spending more time on work link to primary socialisation?
girls tend to have a ‘bedroom culture’
they spend more time on games, improving focus
how does girls being better organised and better at meeting deadlines link to primary socialisation?
planning in games, focus
how does girls having better language skills link to primary socialisation?
social skills- planning
they tend to read more/ are read to more - feminised task
evaluate female “characteristics”
-coursework is no longer a major factor
-Gorard (2005) the assessment system fails boys
what sociologist argues that the assessment system fails boys?
Gorard (2005)
what sociologists researched teacher attention?
-French (1993)
-Francis
-Swann (1998)
describe Frenches study (1993) about teacher attention
attention directed towards boys is in relation to behaviour and reprimands
describe Francis’ study about teacher attention
boys are punished more harshly, felt picked on by teachers who had lower expectations
describe Swann’s (1998) study about teacher attention
found differences in gendered communication styles.
boys dominate whole class discussion and are more likely to interrupt and become hostile.
girls prefer paired and group work and are better at listening and taking turns to express their views.