Gender Flashcards
What are the 4 External explanations for?
1- The impact of feminism
2- Changes in the family
3- Changes in women’s family
4- Changing social attitudes, perceptions and ambitions
External
1- The feminist movement and women’s rights
SHARPE- girls priorities had changed from love, marriage etc to career and independence
MCROBBIE- magazines have changed, don’t emphasise the importance of marriage
- more positive role models in the media
Acts involved in the feminist movement and women’s rights
1975 Sex Discrimination Act
1969 The Abortion Reform Act
- not trapped into having a family, allowed family planning to focus on career
1970 Divorce Reform Act
What are the disadvantages of the feminist movement and women’s rights?
Only benefits middle class girls
External
2- Changes in the family
LOBBAN- story books
- females portrayed as dependent, passive quiet and sensible
- boys more adventurous, independent etc
Primary socialisation`
Traditional ‘female’ socialisation is more suited to education than typical ‘male’ suited
What are some examples of changes in the family?
- increased divorce rates
- decline in marriage rate
- decline in birth rates
- increase lone-parent households
What are the evaluations of 2) Changes in the family?
LIC- lone-parents mothers, poverty and deprivation
- boys and girls underachieve
External
3- Employment opportunities for women
MITSOS & BROWNE- growing service sector has created ‘feminised career opportunities’
FRANCIS- interviewed girls about their career aspirations , increased employment opportunities, more ambitious and aim for high professions
Statistics by WEBB ET ALL
Women in employment has increased
- 1959 47%, 2007 70%
Pay gap has fallen
- 30-17% since 1975
More women are breaking the ‘glass ceiling effect’
- more managerial roles
What Acts are involved in 3) Employment opportunities for women?
The 1970 Equal Pay Act
The 1975 Sex Discrimination Act
- prohibits in the workplace
Evaluation of 3- Employment opportunities for women
Higher education is overexaggerated, everyone gets a degree
- hard to become employed
- low paid, unskilled jobs
External
4- Changing social attitudes, perceptions and ambitions
1,2,3,4 all add weight to the argument that women are being perceived differently in contemporary society and that he ambitions of women are becoming bigger and more adventurous
= increased educational success of females
What are the internal/inside school explanations?
1) Equal opportunities policies
2) Positive Role Models in schools
3) GCSEs and coursework
4) Teacher attention, stereotyping and labelling
5) Selection and league tables
Internal
1) Equal opportunities policies
Education system has become much more gender aware
WISE and GIST
- encourage females to enter subject areas that are traditionally dominated by males which has opened up employment opportunities in ‘male stream’ careers
The Education Reform Act 1988
- national curriculum
- study the same core subjects, ore meritocratic to compete on equal terms
Internal
2) Positive Role models in schools
WEINER- teachers are challenging gender stereotypes, sexist images removed from textbooks, more positive female imagery
- more positions of high responsibility
Evaluation of Positive role models in schools
Primary schooling has become ‘feminised’
- may instil notions of ‘gender domains’ within young people from a very young age
X boys have less role models
Internal
3) GCSEs and coursework
Assessments may favour females rather than males
GORARD- ‘gender gap’ success rates increased dramatically which coincides with the introduction of GSCEs and coursework based assessments
What is the gender gap a product of?
The changed system of assessment
What do Mitsos and Browne say that supports the view that girls are better suited to coursework than boys?
- girls spend more time on their work
- girls take more care in presentation
- girls are more organised than boys
- girls develop better speaking and listening skills, useful in oral exams
Internal
4) Teacher attention, stereotyping and labelling
SPENDER- boys received received more attention in the classroom than girls
FRANCIS- boys more likely to be disciplined so attention is not always productive
GRODDAL- boys are more disruptive and boisterous, more attention
SWANN- boys dominate discussions, girls work quietly
Links to Teacher attention etc
BECKER- Labelling theory and halo effect
KEDDIE- unequal access to classroom knowledge
ROSENTHAL N JACOBSON- Self-fulfilling prophecy
HARGREAVES, BALL, LACEY- Anti-school subcultures
5) Selection and League tables
Marketisation and selection policies
1988 Education Reform Act
- ‘market principles’ instigated competition to raise standards
What impact did formula funding and league tables have on education?
- puts pressure on schools to perform
- schools favour girls as they achieve better results
- boys seen as liabilities
- best schools can be more selective and recruit more girls, SFP might kick in
Why do liberal feminists see the ‘improvements’ as a positive step?
It breaks down gender inequality within the education system arguing that it shows that meritocracy is a reality
- link to functionalism
Why do radical feminists criticise it?
X sexual harassment still continues
X females subject choices are still restricted
X male teachers are more likely to be head teachers
X history subjects are ‘women free zones’
Jannette Elwood
other criticisms of internal factors
JE X exams are more important than coursework
X assumes labels always stick- deterministic
X females are still generally paid less in employment
Explaining male underachievement
1- poor male literacy
2- deindustrialisation
3- feminisation of education
4- shortage of male primary school teachers
5- laddish subcultures
6- overestimating own ability
7- subject choice and identity
8- policies
9- socialisation
10- gender identity and image
11- gendered career opportunities
12- peer pressure
13- male peer groups
14- teachers and discipline
15- the male gaze
16- double standards
17- the hidden curriculum
18- verbal abuse
1- poor male literacy
Department- children, schools, families (2007)
- result of gender gap
- reading is feminised
- boys socialised to be active
2- deindustrialisation
decline in manufacturing
- employment opportunities hampered
- ‘masculine’ jobs moved abroad
MITSOS N BROWNE
- crisis of masculinity
3- feminisation of education
SEWELL 2006
- education has become feminised
- does not nurture masculine traits
4- shortage of male primary school teachers
Lack of positive role models
DfES (2007)- 16% of school teachers are male
YOUGOV (2007)- 39% of 8-11 yr olds have no male teachers
5- laddish subcultures
EPSTEIN- WC ‘swot’ , subject to homophobic harassment when seen to be doing their work
- ‘masculinity’ viewed negatively within education
FRANCIS
- reject culture & values of ES as a result
6- overestimating own ability
Licht & Dweck
- girls are less confident than boys
Barber
- boys overestimate whereas girls underestimate
Stanworth
- boys more likely to blame lack of effort or teacher failure instead of their own lack ability
7- subject choice and identity
Wikeley- girls choose different subjects wherever possible
- apparent in post-compulsory education
in 2007, 1/100 construction students were female showing a divide in vocational areas
8- policies
- National literacy strategy
- Playing for success
- Dads and Sons campaign
- Reading champions scheme
- Raising boys achievement project
9- socialisation
Oakley- learning beh expected, shaped into gender roles
Elwood- B, text info G, novels = different attitudes
Delamont- G, cuddled, fragile B, play fight
Ross- S reinforces gender domains, more confident in expected domain
Murphy- design boast n advert= sport n family
10- gender identity and image
Kelly - science for girls
- more male science teachers
- textbooks draw on boys experiences n interests
- boys monopolise apparatus n equipment
Colley
- ICT seen as masculine
- machines part of male gender domain
- methodical appeals to boys
11- gendered career opportunities
Connel
- schools reinforce hegemonic masculinities
= subordination of female n gay identities
- subject choice influenced by gender employment patterns
- males heavily involved in practical, vocational areas
12- peer pressure
Peatcher- girls who choose sport are stigmatised because sport is in the male gender domain
- peer pressure exerts a huge influence of subject choice
Dewar- US study
- girls labelled lesbian or butch
- less likely in same-sex schools
13- male peer groups
Mac n Ghaill, Epstein, Willis
- evidence of male anti-school subcultures
- anything other than masculine values were ridiculed and devalued
14- teachers and discipline
Mac n Ghaill
- male teachers subtly tease male pupils for ‘behaving like girls’
- more likely to simply accept bad language from males
15- the male gaze
Mac n Ghaill- MP and MT perceive female pupils and colleagues from a typically hegemonic masculine perspective
- sexual objects
- feminine attributes become devalued
16- double standards
Lees- male ‘liberal’ sexuality s celebrated
- female sexual experiences labelled as ‘promiscuity’, negatively
- restricts female behaviour and expression
17- the hidden curriculum
TEXTBOOKS
Deem- history
Lobban- women in domestic tasks
LANGUAGE
- generic use of ‘he’
Spender- fundamental male bias
ORGANISATION
- hierarchy, women have a lower status
- more women in primary schools, low pay, skill
TEACHERS ATTITUDES
- affect how they treat pupil
- 42% W career not as important as mens
INTERACTIONS
Spender- B received 58% of her time
Stanworth- encourage position of being 2nd best
18- Verbal abuse
Paetcher n Dewar, same
- anything out of gender domains ridiculed
- lessened in same-sex schools, gender stereotypes are not so rigid
