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.
describe Weiners theory
since the 1980s teachers have challenged gender steryotypes
how were females portrayed in textbooks / literature?
-othered
-Lobban :
half as many female characters,
females in domestic settings
-Cairns & Inglis :
15% of material in history textbooks are girls
which sociologist noticed the trend of females being placed in domestic settings?
Lobban
how are women portrayed in textbooks / literature today?
women heroines, women playing main roles
what sociologist found that under 15% of materials in history textbooks are girls?
Cairns & Ingis
what is the link between marketisation and girls achievement?
-schools may offer more ‘feminine’ subjects
-proactive representation of girls
- girls do better - unconsious bias
-Slee :
schools want more females = higher achievement
what did Slee theorise?
schools want more females as they achieve higher
what are the two views of girls achievement?
Liberal feminists
Radical feminists
describe the liberal feminist view of girls achievement
believe gradual progress and equality for women has been made
- improvement in terms of work opportunity
- programmes like GIST and WISE help
- progress will continue
describe the radical feminist view of girls achievement
-girls are still in a patriarchal system
- sexual harassment continues at school
-education still limits girls
-women are underrepresented in many areas of the curriculum
what is symbolic capital?
refers to the status, recognition and sense of self worth that we are able to obtain from others
describe Archers findings about WC girls
by performing in their WC feminine identities, girls gained symbolic capital but this bought them into conflict with school preventing them from gaining educational capital and then economic capital
what were the 3 strategies Archer identified that WC girls used to gain symbolic capital?
-hyper-heterosexual feminine identities
-boyfriends
-being ‘loud’
describe how WC girls use hyper-heterosexual feminine identities to gain symbolic capital
-investing considerable time, money and effort into constructing ‘desirable’ identities
gained status from female peer group
how do WC girls’ hyper-heterosexual feminine identities lead to symbolic violence?
-teachers saw their preoccupation with their appearance as distracting which prevents educational engagement
-often punished for incorrect uniform
how does a WC girl having a boyfriend hinder achievement ?
-lowers girls aspirations and gets in the way of school work
-loss of interest in university and studying ‘masculine’ subjects (STEM) or gaining a professional career
what does being ‘loud’ mean for WC girls?
-being outspoken, independent and assertive
-questioning teachers authority
how does a girl being loud lead to symbolic violence and underachievement?
-failed to conform to the school stereotype of the ideal female pupil
-led to conflict with teachers who interprete their behaviour as aggressive rather than assertive
what characteristics does the ‘ideal female pupil’ have?
passive and submissive
describe what the working class girl dilemma is
can either gain educational or symbolic capital
how can WC girls gain educational capital?
by conforming to the schools MC notions of a respectable, ideal female pupil
what sociologist argues there is conflict between gaining symbolic or educational capital?
Louise Archer
how do some girls cope with the WC girls dilema?
by defining themselves as ‘good underneath’
this reflects the girls struggling to achieve self worth in a system that devalues their WC female identity
describe Sarah Evans (2009) study relating WC habitus and successful WC girls
studies 21 WC sixthform girls in a south london comprehensive school
found that girls wanted to go to uni to increase their earning power, not for themselves but for their families
_________ was a reason to live at home
economic necessity
how is economic necessity is a reason to live at home?
cost and fear of debt
explain the problem with WC girls choosing to live at home due to economic necessity
while it makes higher education more affordable it limits their uni choice and market value of their degree
what factors affect boys’ achievement?
- literacy
- globalisation
- feminisation of education
- role models
- laddish sub cultures
explain literacy as a factor affecting boys achievement
- boys have lower levels of literacy in comparison to girls
- because parents may spend less time reading
- if boys are read to it is usually by their mothers which makes reading seem like a feminine task
evaluate literacy as a factor affecting boys achievement
the government has introduced a range of policies to overcome this, eg.
- National Literacy Strategy
- Reading Champions Scheme
- Dads and Sons
what is the Reading Champions Scheme?
male role models celebrating their reading interests
explain globalisation as a factor affecting boys achievement
since 1980s (national curriculum) there has been a decline in industries such as mining, manufacturing, and iron and steel
Mitsos and Browne:
decline in male employment opportunities has led to an identity crisis for men
what do Mitsos and Browne argue about globalisation as a factor affecting boys achievement?
decline in male employment opportunities has led to an identity crisis for men
lower self esteem - leading to them giving up trying
explain the feminisation of education as a factor affecting boys achievement
Sewell argues that the education system is geared towards girls
There is an emphasis on bringing in homework on time, having the work following instructions et cetera. The skills often talk earlier on to girls via primary socialisation.
Evaluate feminisation of education as a factor affecting boys achievement
- Francis found that 2/3 of 7 to 8-year-olds believe gender doesn’t matter
- Read (2008) is critical of the claim that only men can exert firm disciplinarian discourse ‘needed’ for boys
according to Epstine how much boys be treated if they appear to be ‘swots’
Harassed labelled, a sissy, subject to homophobic, verbal abuse
why might education be seen as feminine?
Because it’s not manual work
why is this move towards masculinity more important now than ever before?
- As girls move into traditional masculine areas, such as careers boys respond, by becoming “increasingly Laddish in their efforts to construct themselves as non-feminine”
-the gap could potentially widen
explain role models as a factor affecting boys achievement
A shortage of male role models , both at home and at school
-only 18% of primary school teachers are men
- may put boys off careers and teaching?
- YouGov survey 2007, found at 42% of boys, believe that if they had a male teacher, they would work harder
explain Laddish subcultures as a factor affecting boys achievement
Epstine :
Boys might be treated negatively if they appear to be Swots
Evaluate Laddish subcultures as a factor affecting boys achievement
Ringrose:
by focusing on boys as a distraction from the WC, EM and a hybrid of problems faced by girls
Osler:
by focusing on the problem of exclusion, particularly amongst black boys, official statistics, remove the focus from wider hidden problems of self exclusion amongst girls
describe Murphy’s study on subject choice
Set primary and lower secondary pupils open ended tasks where they were asked to design boats and vehicles and to write estate agents adverts for a house
What is the outcome of Murphy study on subject choice?
Boys, design, powerboats and battleships with elaborate, weaponry and little living accommodation
girls design cruise ships, paying attention to social and domestic details
When writing adverts boys focus on masculine sphere such as garage space where is girls focused on feminine ones such as decor and kitchen design
What is a gender domain?
Tasks and activities that boys and girls see as male or female territory, and therefore as relevant to themselves
what does Byrne notice about gender domains?
Schools also encourage boys to be tough and not to behave like sissies
girls expected to be quiet, tidy and helpful
State the explanations for differences in subject choice
Early socialisation
Gendered subject images,
peer pressure,
gendered career opportunities
describe how peer pressure affects subject choice
Paetcher:
students apply pressure to each other to stay with a gender domain
Dewar:
Girls who appear to be more interested in sports than boys may be labelled as lesbian by others as their image contradicts with conventional female stereotypes
describe how gendered subject images affects subject choice
some subjects seem to be for boys and others for girls
describe how early socialisation affects subject choice
Oakley:
gender is learned cultural differences between males and females
Norman:
different dress, activities, and characteristics are assigned to each sex
describe how gendered career opportunities affects subject choice
over half of women’s employment falls into four categories, by contrast only 1/6 of male workers work in these jobs
evaluate the explanations for differences in subject choices
students from same sex schools are less likely to hold gendered subject images
girls in girls schools are more likely to take male dominated subjects
how is hegemonic masculinity enforced?
- double standards
- verbal abuse
- male gaze
- peer groups
- teachers and discipline
how do double standards enforce hegemonic masculinity?
if a girl is to behave in an overly sexualised way she might be labelled a ‘slag’
is a boy did it he would gain respect
how does verbal abuse enforce hegemonic masculinity?
Connell:
a ‘rich vocabulary of abuse’ exists
if girls act or dress in certain ways thery are called names
Lees:
girls are ‘slags’ if sexually available and ‘drags’ if not
Parker:
a dominant male identity is also enforced through calling boys gay
what sociologist looked into verbal abuse?
Connell, Lees, Parker
how do peer groups enforce hegemonic masculinity?
Male - Epstein and Willis:
anti school subcultures will label hard working boys as effeminate
Female - Archer:
working class girls gain symbolic capital from hyper heterosexual feminine identities
how do teachers and discipline enforce hegemonic masculinity?
Mac and Ghaill:
male teachers told boys off for ‘behaving like girls’
what is meant by hegemonic masculinity?
dominance of heterosexual masculine identies
what does Bob Connell say that hegemonic masculinity is?
dominance of the heterosexual masculine identity and subordination of female and gay identities
what does Sue Lees identify as being a contributing factor toward enforcing patriarchal ideology?
sexual conquests are approved of and given status by male peers and ignored by male teachers
