Gender and Achievement Flashcards
1
Q
What is the difference between sex and gender?
A
Sex = biological differences e.g. male VS female
Gender = learned socialised differences e.g. masculine VS feminine
2
Q
What are the external factors impacting female achievement?
A
- Rise in Feminism
- Increased female employment/legislation
- Changing ambitions
3
Q
What is the rise in feminism?
AO1
A
- Increased feminism has hightened the expectations and self-esteem of women
- McRobbie: compared teen girls’ magazines from the 1970s and 90s and found more images of female independence
- Girls are now pushed to value education rather than see their job as being in the home
4
Q
How can we analyse the rise in feminism?
AO3
A
- More empowering depictions of females in media that are intelligent and take education seriously e.g. Ambitious Girl book series, Project MC squared
5
Q
What is changes in women’s employment?
AO1
A
- Webb et al: women are breaking through the glass cieling - number of women in employment has increased and the gender pay gap has decreased
- This has been aided by laws like Equal Pay Act and Equality Act
6
Q
How can we analyse employment?
AO3
A
72% of women now work
7
Q
What is changing ambitions?
AO1
A
- Girls now have higher aspirations for themselves and so value education as a way of achieving their goals
- Sharpe’s Like a Girl study found that girls now aspired to be independent and have careers rather than just get married and have kids
8
Q
How can we analyse Sharpe?
AO3
A
- Not relevant to all CAGE groups e.g. WC class and Bangladeshi women are still likely to be unemployed and rely on a male breadwinner
- Laws like the Equality Act 2010 further encourage them to want to join the workforce
9
Q
How can we evaluate Sharpe?
AO3
A
Difference feminists - march of progress has not happened for everyone
10
Q
What are the internal factors impacting female achievement?
A
- Teacher relationships
- More female role models
- Examination style
11
Q
What did Myhill find about teacher relationships?
AO1
A
- Females are passive and compliant in nature
- Teachers respond more positively to this and see girls as more cooperative and boys as disruptive - this leads to the halo effect for girls and self fulfilling prophecy for boys
12
Q
How can we analyse Myhill?
AO3
A
- Francis: boys felt more disciplined and picked on by teachers
- Swann: boys dominate class discussions - can be seen as hostile interruptions
- In 2021 DfE found that boys are 3 times more likely to be permanently excluded
13
Q
How can we evaluate Myhill?
AO3
A
- Edwards and David: this is because boys are allowed to be noisier and more attention seeking during socialisation - this translates to misbehaviour
- Wilkinson: this is no longer true due to the gender quake
14
Q
What did Gorad find about testing?
AO1
A
- The gender achievement gap spiked when GCSEs were introduced bringing their coursework as a major part of assessment
- The gender gap in achievement is due to this changed system as the ways girls work fits it better
15
Q
How can we analyse Gorad?
AO3
A
Not relevant today - coursework is not common among many subjects and even then is only worth 20-30% of the overall grade
16
Q
How can we evaluate Gorad?
AO3
A
- AGAINST - Elwood Although coursework may have had some influence it can’t be the main factor as it’s typically only worth 30% of a grade
- SUPPORT - Myhill: Girls are more organised so being graded on long-term projects favours them - even the current switch from modular to linear exams favours them as they are better at working towards a long-term goal (exam) than boys
17
Q
How do role models impact female achievement?
AO1
A
- 73.8% of teachers are female
- Girls have more positive role models within education to look up to
- This motivates them to succeed
18
Q
How can we analyse role models?
AO3
A
96% of female headteachers are white - not a role model for ethnic minority students
19
Q
How do Coffey and Delamont evaluate role models?
AO3
A
Schools are still very patriarchal - most senior staff members are male
20
Q
What are the external factors affecting male achievement?
A
- Primary socialisation
- Decline in masculine jobs
21
Q
What did Edwards and David find about primary socialisation?
AO1
A
- Parents allow boys to be noisier and more attention seeking
- This translates to misbehaviour at school
22
Q
How can we analyse Edwards and David?
AO3
A
- Myhill: females are naturally passive (due to socialisation) which allows them to behave in class and succeed
- Rise in gender neutral parenting means that sons and daughters are being raised more similarly
23
Q
What did Burns and Bracey find about socialisation?
AO1
A
- Girls from the age of 6 read more books independently - this carries on to adulthood
- Thus they have a better literacy profficiency which helps them succeed
24
Q
How can we analyse Burns and Bracey?
AO3
A
There has been policies implemented such as Dads and Sons and Reading Champions Scheme to encourage boys to read as it is still a problem
25
How can we evaluate socialisation?
## Footnote
AO3
**Wilkinson: gender quake** - norms of boys being noisier/ reading being feminine are no longer true
26
What do Mitsos and Browne say about decline in male jobs?
## Footnote
AO1
- The decline in traditional masculine jobs like mining has led to a **masculinity crisis**
- Boys now think it is unlikely for them to get a proper job and so have little motivation and self esteem
- Also they now look to establish their masculinity through misbehaving in class which leads to them spending less time learning
27
How can we analyse Mitsos and Browne?
Due to globalisation there has been a decline in the need for traditional industrial jobs and rise in demand for corporate roles that require traditionally feminine traits like people skills and writing
28
What are the internal factors affecting male achievement?
1. Feminisation of education
2. Teacher relationships
3. Role models
4. Subcultures
29
What did Sewell say about the feminisation of education?
## Footnote
AO1
- Schools **don't nurture masculine traits** e.g. competitiveness and competition
- Schools celebrate feminine qualities such as **methodical working** and **attentiveness** in class
- Thus boys feel undervalued and underperform
30
How can we analyse Sewell?
## Footnote
AO3
Not relevant today - **marketisation** has introduced ‘masculine values’ like competition into the school system
31
How can we evaluate Sewell?
## Footnote
AO3
- **Wilkinson**: gender quake - learning style promoted by schools is no longer strictly 'feminine'
SUPPORT:
- **Jackson**: Found that boys saw working hard at school as **'uncool'** and **'gay'** - especially relevant to **'closeted' gay boys** who may feel pressure underperform in order to fit in and remain in the closet
- **Epstein**: **WC boys** are more likely to be seen as **'sissies'** and subject to homophobic abuse if they're seen as 'swots' - this is because of the culture where **'real boys' don't work**
32
What did French and French find about teacher relationships?
| Can use with scholars talking about teacher relationships for girls
## Footnote
AO1/3
- Boys receive **more attention** from teachers as they need to be **reprimanded more**
- Girls are less likely to experience this and so do better in education
ANALYSIS:
- **Myhill**, Edwards and David, **Francis**
- Boys are **3x** more likely to be **excluded**
EVAL: **Swann** - boys **dominate class discussion** through what can be seen as **hostile interruption**
33
How does role models impact male achievement?
## Footnote
AO1
- Only **16%** of primary teachers are male
- The lack of male teachers means there are less role models for boys to look up to in education
34
How can we analyse male role models?
## Footnote
AO3
**97%** of male head teachers are white - especially true for ethnic minority boys
35
How can we evaluate male role models?
## Footnote
AO3
- **Francis**: found that **2/3** of **7-8 year olds** thought teacher gender did not matter
- **Read**: found that both male and female teachers used **masculine, disciplinarian discourse** to control pupil behaviour thus suggesting gender of the teacher should not matter as they act the same way
36
What do Epstein and Francis say about laddish subcultures?
| (2 separate points)
## Footnote
AO1
- **Epstein**: WC boys are more likely to be seen as **'sissies'** and subject to homophobic abuse if they're seen as **'swots'** - this is because of the culture where **'real boys' don't work**
- **Francis**: boys care more about peer approval
37
How does gender socialisation impact subject choice?
## Footnote
AO1
- **Lobban**: found evidence of gender stereotypes in **children's books** with women clearly linked to domestic roles
- **Oakley**: from an early age we are taught distinct gender roles of what is 'acceptable' for boys and girls - **sex-role theory** - this translates to school subjects
38
How can we analyse gender socialisation impacting subject choice?
## Footnote
AO3
- Not relevant as modern books depict girls in positions of power outside of the domestic sphere e.g. **Ambitious Girl book series**
39
How can we evaluate gender socialisation impacting subject choice?
## Footnote
AO3
Doesn't take into account the impact of policies like **GIST** and **WISE** which challenge gender sterotypes and encourage women to enter male dominated professions
40
What did Skelton find about gender identity and subject choice?
## Footnote
AO3
- Males/females are drawn to different subjects due to what they think is **appropriate for their gender identity**
- e.g. literacy + humanities = feminine whereas STEM = masculine
- This choice of subject confirms their perception of masculinity/femininity
41
How can we analyse Skelton?
## Footnote
AO3
- **Paetcher**: Pupils see **sport as mainly in the male gender domain** - girls who are sporty struggle coping in a subject that contradicts the conventional female stereotype
- In **2018** it was found that boys are still **4 times** more likely to pick **A Level Physics**
42
How can we evaluate Skelton?
## Footnote
AO3
- **Wilkinson: gender quake** - we have now ditched gender stereotypes of what subjects are masculine and feminine
- **Archer: hypersexualised working class identity** makes WC girls pick subjects that make them look good e.g. hair & beauty over PE
43
What is a gender domain?
Tasks and activities that boys and girls see as male or female territory e.g. mechanics for boys and childcare for girls
44
What did Browne and Ross say about gender domains?
## Footnote
AO1
- Certain tasks and activities are seen as male/female territory
- Students are **more confident in doing tasks in their own gender domain**
- e.g. looking after children is seen as feminine task so girls are more inclined to childcare courses, fixing a car is seen as masculine so boys are more inclined to mechanics
45
How can we analyse Browne and Ross?
## Footnote
AO3
- Pupils at single-sex schools tend to hold less stereotyped subject images - **Institute of Physics**: girls in all girls schools as **2.4x** more likely to take A Level Physics than in mixed schools
46
How can we evaluate Browne and Ross?
## Footnote
AO3
- **Wilkinson: gender quake** - gender domains are no longer relevant
- **Archer: hypersexualised working class identity** makes WC girls pick subjects that make them look good e.g. hair & beauty over PE
