Gender And Acheivement Flashcards
Gender gap in achievement
Results for both genders have improved at all levels over the years, the girls rate of improvement has been more rapid and a significant gap has opened up particularly at GCSE. 
External factors and gender differences in achievement
1. Impact of Feminism
Feminism is a social movement that strives for equal rights, since the 1960s the feminist movement has challenged traditional stereotype of a woman’s role in society as solely the mother and housewife and inferior to men.
— these changes are reflected in media images and messages, McRobbies stufy of girls magazines in the 1970s they emphasised the importance of getting married and ‘not being left on the shelf’ whereas now they contain images of independent women.
External factors and gender differences in achievement
2. Changes in the family
There have been major changes in the family since the 70s, these include
— Increased divorce rate
— Increase in cohabitation / decrease in first marriages 
— Increase in number of LPF
— Smaller families
These changes affect girls attitudes towards education in a number of ways
— increased numbers of female-headed lone-parent families may mean more women need to take on the breadwinner role this then creates a new role model for girls — The financially independent woman.
External factors and gender differences in achievement
3. Changes in womens employment
There have been important changes in women’s employment in recent decades. These include the following:
— the 1970 equal pay act makes it illegal to pay women less than men for work of equal value.
— since 1975 to pay gap between men and women has halved from 30% to 15%.
— some women are breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’ - the invisible barrier that keeps them out of high-level professional and managerial jobs.
These changes have encourage girls to see the future in terms of paid work rather than as housewives. 
External factors and gender differences in achievement
4. Girls changing ambitions
Sharpe’s (1994) interviews with girls in 1970s and 1990s show a major shift in the way girls see their futures.
— in 1974 the girls had low aspirations they believed educational success was unfeminine and that appearing to be ambitions would be considered unattractive.
— By the 1990s girls ambitions have changed and they had a different order of priorities : careers and being able to support themselves Sharpe found the girls are now more likely to see the future as independent woman with a career rather than as dependent on their husbands income.
Class, Gender and Ambition
They are class differences in how far girls ambitions have changed — some working class girls continue to have gender-stereotyped aspirations for marriage and children expect to go in to additional low-paid womens work. — Biggart (2002) found that working class girls are more likely to face a precarious position in the labour market and are likely to see motherhood is the only viable option for their future, they see less point in achieving in education.
Internal factors and Gender differences in achievement
1. Equal opportunity policies
Feminist ideas have had a major impact on the education system policymakers are now much more aware of gender issues and teachers are more sensitive to the need to avoid stereotyping.
— Policies such as GIST and WISE
— female role models such as scientists visit schools acting as role models
— nonsexist career advice has been provided and learning materials in science reflecting girls interests have been developed.
Internal factors and Gender differences in achievement
2. Positive Role Models in school
There has been an increase in proportion of female teachers and head. These women in senior positions may act as role models showing then we can achieve positions of importance and giving them non-traditional goals to aim for.
— Women teachers are likely to be particularly important role models as far as girls education achievement is concerned since to become a teacher the individual must undertake a lengthy and successful education herself.
Internal factors and Gender differences in achievement
3. GCSE and coursework
Gorard found The gender gap in achievement was very constant from 1975 until 1989 — when it increased sharply this was the year GCSE was introduced bringing along with it coursework is a major part of nearly all subjects.
Mitsos and Browne support this — they conclude the girls are more successful in coursework because they are more conscientious and better organised than boys.
- they spend more time on the work
- they take more care in the presentation
- they’re better meeting deadlines
- then what efficient in bringing the right materials to lessons
Mitsos and Browne argue these factors allow girls to benefit from the introduction of coursework and GCSEs AS and A-level. 
Internal factors and Gender differences in achievement
4. Teacher attention
The way teachers interact with boys and girls differs. SWANN phone gender differences in communication styles boys dominated in whole-class discussions meanwhile girls preferred paired-work and group-work they are better and listening and cooperating.  — This may explain like you to respond more positively to girls, whom they see as cooperative them to boys whom they see as potentially disruptive, this may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in which successful interactions with teachers promote girls self-esteem and raise their achievement.
Internal factors and Gender differences in achievement
5. Challenging sterotypes in the curriculum
Some sociologists argue the removal of gender stereotypes from textbooks reading schemes and other learning materials has removed a barrier to girls achievements
— in the 70s and 80s research found that reading schemes between women mainly as housewives and mothers, physics book showed them as frightened by science and maths book depicted boys as more inventive.
— Weiner (95) Argues that since the 80s teachers have challenged the stereotypes, also in general they have been removed from learning materials this may have helped to raise girls achievement by presenting them with more positive images of themselves.
Internal factors and Gender differences in achievement
6. Selection and League tables
Marketisation policies have created a more competitive climate in which school see girls as desirable recruits because they achieve better exam results.
— Jackson notes at the introduction of exam league tables have improved opportunities for girls: High achieving girls are attractive to the school while low achieving boys are not.
— This tends to create self-fulfilling prophecy due to girls being more likely to be recruited by good schools they’re more likely to do well.
— Slee argues boys are less attractive to schools due to them being more likely to suffer from behavioural difficulties and are 4x times more likely to be excluded, boys may be seen as ‘liability students’ — obstacles to the school improving its league table scores.
Two views of girls achievement
- Liberal Feminists : Celebrate progress made so far by feminists believe that further progress will be made by the continuing development of equal opportunity policies including role models and overcoming sexist attitudes and stereotypes.
- Radical Feminists : take a more critical view, they recognise girls are achieving more yet they emphasise that the system still remains patriarchal and conveys the clear message that it is a man’s world.
— although there are normal female teachers male teachers are still more likely to become heads of secondary schools
— Women are under represented in many areas of the curriculum Wiener describes the secondary school history curriculum as a woman Freezone. 
Identity, Class and Girls achievement
Symbolic capital
According to family such as archer one reason for these differences is the conflict between working class girls feminine identities and the values/ethos of the school.
— Archer uses the concept of symbolic capital to understand this conflict : it refers to the status recognition and sense of worth we are able to obtain from others
— by performing working class feminine identities The girls gained symbolic capital from their peers but this brought them into conflict with school preventing them from acquiring educational capital and economic capital.
— Archer identified several strategies that the girls follow to gain symbolic capital.
(hyper-hs fem identities, being loud, boyfriends)
Identity, Class and Girls achievement
SC hyper heterosexual feminine identities
- many of the girls invested considerable time, effort and money in constructing desirable and glamorous hyper heterosexual feminine identities.
- one girl in the study spent all the £40 she made a week on babysitting on her appearance.
- The girls performance of this feminine identity but status from the female peer group and avoid them being ridiculed or called a tramp for wearing the wrong brands
- However it also created conflict with the school for example too often in trouble for wearing the wrong thing or too much jewellery, teacher saw the girls preoccupation with appearance as a distraction that prevented them engaging with education.
Identity, Class and Girls achievement
SC boyfriends
While having a boyfriend bought symbolic capital it also got in the way of school work and lowered aspirations. — This included losing interest in going to university, in studying masculine subjects or getting a professional career. — Girls aspire to settle down and have children, to work locally in working class jobs.
