Gender and Achievement Flashcards
Which gender does better in education?
Girls
What are the statistics of gender achievement?
Students getting 5 GCSEs at A-C in 2016, nearly 9% is in favour of girls.
Girls are more likely to get get more A and A grades at A level than boys.
What are the external factors affecting gender achievement?
Impact of feminism Changes in the family Changes in women's employment Changing girls ambitions Class, gender and ambition
What impact has feminism had on gender achievement?
- It has raised women’s expectations and self-esteem so they have bigger ambitions for a career.
- McRobbie found women’s magazines in the 70’s emphasized marriage but in the 90’s they showed strong role models.
How have changes in the family affected gender achievement?
- Increase in divorce rates and lone parent families mean that girls have more role models of female bread winners.
- To be financially stable, women need qualifications so girls must do well in school.
What impact have changes in employment had on gender achievement?
- 1970 Equal Pay Act and 1975 Sex Discrimination Act mean employment is more equal.
- Better pay and opportunities give girls more incentive to do well in school
What impact do girl’s changing ambitions have on gender achievement?
- Sharpe: Between the 70s and 90s girls ambitions shifted away from traditional goals to their careers.
- Beck: Linked girl’s changing ambitions to individualisation as careers provides recognition.
- Fuller found educational success was a key part of girl’s identity.
How are class, gender and ambition linked?
- Working class girls still have gender-stereotyped aspirations for marriage and children, expecting to be in low-paying jobs as it’s seen as more attainable.
- Biggart: Working class girls are more likely to face uncertainty in the labour market so there’s less point in achieving.
What are the internal factors affecting gender achievement?
Equal opportunities policies
Positive role models in school
GCSE and coursework
Teacher attention
How does equal opportunities policies affect gender achievement?
- GIST and WISE policies give girls positive role models in male-dominated careers e.g. science and technology. They also get non-sexist careers advice.
- Boaler: Girls previously had to work a lot harder to achieve educational success and now education has become meritocratic so they overachieve.
How does positive role models in schools affect gender achievement?
- ## There has been an increase in female teachers and headteachers which shows students that females can achieve positions of importance.
