gender and achievement Flashcards
girls’ achievement - external - impact of feminism - mcrobbie
studied girls’ magazines from 1970s and 1990s and found in 1970s magazines emphasised importance of getting married while in 1990s they contained images of independent women - example of social changes brought by feminism
mcrobbie criticism
reay - feminism hasn’t affected all girls - w/c have limited aspirations and see marriage as more achievable status
girls’ achievement - external - changes in family
increase in divorce - more female headed LPFs - positive role model for girls as mother is financially independent - encourages girls to stay in edu to get high qualifications for well paid jobs
changes in family criticism
new right - LPFs are negative role models - dependent on benefits
girls’ achievement - external - increase in women’s employment opportunities
growth in number of working women due to growth of tertiary sector - tends to employ women - gives girls incentive to get qualification as there are employment opportunities for them
increase in women’s employment opportunities criticism - biggart
biggart - w/c girls face instability in labour market so see motherhood as only viable option for future
girls’ achievement - internal - equal opportunities policies
GIST & WISE - aim to encourage girls to choose science related edu and careers - motivates them to pursue STEM careers which they need high qualifications for
equal opportunities policies criticism
despite GIST and WISE, girls still choose ‘feminine’ subjects
girls’ achievement - internal - positive role models
increase in female teachers and headteachers in authoritative roles act as role models for girls - motivates them as they see that women can succeed but success requires hard work
positive role models for girls criticism
most headteachers are still males - doesn’t motivate boys
girls’ achievement - internal - classroom interactions - swann
difference in communication styles - girls take turns, boys interrupt and dominate class interactions - teachers respond more positively to girls - leads to SFP, increasing girls’ self esteem
girls’ classroom interactions criticism
stanworth - research shows both male and female teachers pay more attention to boys
girls’ underachievement - archer et al
conflict between girls’ w/c feminine identity and school’s values
girls create sense of self by:
adopting hyper heterosexual feminine identity - invest time and money into their appearance to achieve status from peers but brings them into conflict with school as it breaks rules. leads to school seeing them as incapable - symbolic violence
boyfriends - creates symbolic capital from peers, distracts studies and lowers aspirations - become focused on marriage and having children and not studies
being ‘loud’ - by being outspoken, independent and assertive, teachers perceive them as aggressive
some w/c girls define themselves as ‘good underneath’ as teachers treat them bad but they believe they are good to give themselves a sense of worth
girls’ underachievement - evans
studied 21 high achieving 6th form girls - found they wanted to go to uni to help their families - reflects w/c feminine identity - caring is crucial part of identity, so they wanted to stay at home whilst studying to be with their families - limits uni choices and market value of their degree - limits career opportunities. girls self excluded from top unis by choosing to live at home so are disadvantaged by their w/c feminine identity
boys’ underachievement - external - decline in traditional men’s jobs - mitsos and browne
decline in traditional men’s jobs - leads to crisis of masculinity - boys are unsure of what it means to be a man and feel their masculinity is undermined - become demotivated as they think there’s no jobs for them so give up on qualifications
mitsos and brown criticism
growth of quaternary sector - tends to employ men so there are jobs out there for them yet they’re still not motivated
boys’ underachievement - external - poor literacy skills
boys have poorer literacy and language skills than girls - affects achievement. studies show most reading at home is done by mothers so activity is seen as feminine - boys reject it
poor literacy skills criticism
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boys’ underachievement - external - leisure
boys’ leisure pursuits don’t contribute to developing literacy skills, while girls have bedroom culture - staying in and talking to friends - develops communication skiils needed for educational success
leisure criticism
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boys’ underachievement - internal - feminisation of edu - sewell
schools no longer promote masculine characteristics (competitiveness and leadership) and encourage feminine traits through subjects - boys put off edu as they associate it with femininity and underachieve
feminisation of edu criticism - ringrose
ringrose - creates moral panic about boys’ underachievement and creates fear that they’ll become dangerous underclass - takes attention away from problems girls face like sexual harassment, gendered subject choices, bullying
boys’ underachievement - internal - lack of positive male role models
hardly any male teachers so boys have no role model to look up to, female teachers can’t control boys’ behaviour and male teachers are needed to impose discipline
lack of positive male role models to discipline boys criticism
read - studied primary schools - both female and male teachers use disciplinarian discourse to ensure students behaviour - female and male teachers can be authority figures to student
