Gender and Achievement

Question 1

Which gender achieves higher in nearly all subjects at every level of the education system

Answer 1

Girls achieve higher than boys

Question 2

How do girls achieve higher than boys in Key Stage 1

Answer 2

Across every teacher assessed stage more girls reacher the expected standard than boys
Smallest gap is in maths: 77% Girls, 75% Boys
Largest gap in writing: 77% Girls, 63% Boys (reached the standard)

Question 3

How do girls achieve higher than boys at GCSEs

Answer 3

13% gap in english
Maths is the only subject without a gender gap
Gender gap increased to 9.2% in favopur of girls during the first year of teacher awarded grades and narrowed after (Possible evidence of teacher labelling)

Question 4

How do girls achieve higher than boys at A-level

Answer 4

Maths: 77% males, 79% females
Psychology: 73% males, 82% females
Sociology: 77% males, 83% females
Girls are more likely to go to university
(gap is the narrowest at A-level)

Question 5

What are the four external factors explaining the gender differences in achievement

Answer 5

Impact of feminism
Changes in the family
Changes in women’s employment
Girls’ changing ambitions

Question 6

Explain the external factor ‘Impact of feminism’ for impacting gender and achievement

Answer 6

Challenged traditional sstereotypes of women - no longer expected to take on expressive housewife/ mother role in a patriarchal nuclear family being inferior to men
Changes in media representation - McRobbie study: changes in messages about getting married young to female independance
Changes in the law - 1970 Equal Pay Act, 1975 Sex Discrimination Act, 2010 Equality Act

Question 7

How does ‘Impact of feminism’ cause differences in achievement (LINK)

Answer 7

Changes allow girls expectations, ambition and opportunities in relation to family and career. Now see successful careers as possibilities so work horder in school

Question 8

How would Radical feminists critisise the ‘Impact of feminism’ as not a goof explanation for the differences in achievement

Answer 8

Radical feminists view the progress as minimal and society remains patriarchal - cannot explain why girls do better

Question 9

Explain the factor ‘Changes in the family’ as a cause for gender differences in achievement

Answer 9

Increase in divorce
Increase in cohabitation and decrease in first marriages - seculisation
Diverse family type - decrease in nuclear family
Smaller families
Family gender roles changing

Question 10

Why does ‘Changes in the family’ cause differences in achievement

Answer 10

More women are taking on breadwinner role (90% of single parent families are women) - new role of finnancial independance whilst leaving boys without one
Increase divorce: suggests to girls that it is uswise to rely on men for provider so would work harder to support themselves

Question 11

What is the critism for ‘Changes in the family’ causing differences in gender and achievement

Answer 11

Not a singular factor, feminism has resulted in changess in the family and changes in the law

Question 12

Explain ‘Changes in women’s employment’ as an external factor for gender and achievement

Answer 12

1970 Equal Pay Act: made it illegal for women to be paid less than men for work for equal value
Equality Act: companies within 250 employees or more must publish their gender pay gap
Gender pay gap: has significantly declined
Women in the wokrforce: more felxible due to covid, more jobs at home
Glass ceiling: women strating to break through
2018: 24 female CEOs
2020: 37 female CEOs

Question 13

Why does ‘Chaanges in women’s employment’ cause differences in gender and achievement

Answer 13

Greater career opportunities, more role models, are an incentive for girls to gain qualifications, as they can see their future in terms of paid work rather than housewives

Question 14

What are the three criticism for ‘Changes in women’s employment’ not being a good explanation for the differences in achievement

Answer 14

Radical feminists - inequality still remains
2023: gender pay gap remain at 7.7%
2022: wwomen 14% less likelt to be promoted ue to be judged as having less leadership skills
Ways around laws: by paying saem amount but giving men more opportunities
Postmodern society - new ways to earn income without needs for edcuation (influences)

Question 15

Explain ‘Girls’ changing ambition’ as a factor for differences in achievement

Answer 15

Sue Sharpe - interviws with the girls in 1970 and 1990 revealed a significant shift in ways girls see their future
1974: low aspirations- believed that edcuationa; success was unfeminine ambition appears unattractive
1990: ambititons and priorities changed - girls wanted careers to be able to support themselves finnanically. fewer saw marriage and children as major part of their plan
Beck: argues it is because of indiviualism - independence is valued stronger then in the past

Question 16

Why does ‘Girls’ changing ambition’ cause differences in achievement and gender

Answer 16

Many girls realise they need education qualifications and are motivated to achieve them to meet ambitions

Question 17

What is the critism for ‘Girls’ changing ambition’ not being a good way to explain the difference

Answer 17

Not all girls ambitions have raised to the same extent
WC have gendered sterotyped aspiration of marriage and children go into traditional low paid ‘female work’
Reay argues that their aspirations reflect reality of limited jobs opportunities avaliabe to the girls

Question 18

What are all the internal factors for gender and achievement

Answer 18

Equal opportunities policies
GCSE and Coursework
Teacher attention
Chalallenging sterotypes in the curriculum
Selection and league tables

Question 19

Explain ‘Equal opportunities policies’ as an internal factor for difference in achievement

Answer 19

Feminism has increased poly mmakers and teachers’ awareness of gender issues, sterotyping and inequality whithin education which has influenced policies:
GIST and WISE - encourages girls to pursue careers in non-tradtional areas
Female scientists - visited schools to act as role models
Non-sexist career advice
National curriculum - made girls and boys study the same subjects

Question 20

How does ‘Equal opportunities policies’ cause differences in achievement

Answer 20

Boaler: these policies have removed barriers to female achievement and male education more meritocratic. Girls are therefore working harder and achieveing more

Question 21

What is the criticism said by Radical feminists about ‘Equal opportunities policies’

Answer 21

radical feminists arue that these policies are not effective and cannot be used to explain girls’ achievement - education is patriarchal
e.g sterotypes remain: girls and boys still taking subjects linked to traditional gender roles, girls experience sexual harassement

Question 22

Explain ‘Positive role models’ as an internal factor for difference in achievement and gender

Answer 22

The perctenage of female teachers and head teachers has increased from 1992-2020
Primary school head teachers: 1992: 50% - 2020: 74%
Secondary school head teachers: 1992: 22% - 2020: 40%

Question 23

How does ‘Positive role models’ cause differences in gender achievement

Answer 23

They are role models showing women can achieve positions of importance
May encourage girls to pursue ‘non-traditional’ goals and commit to their eedcuation

Question 24

What are the critisisms for ‘Positive role models’ not being an influential factor

Answer 24

Lack of female headteachers - 20% less likely to become heads
Reinforces the glass ceiling, reducing motivation

Question 25

Explain ‘GCSE and coursework’ as a factor affecting gender achievement

Answer 25

Some sociologists maintain that the changes in the ways studentss are assessed have favoured firls and disadvantaged boys
Gorard: argued that the gender gap in achievement was pretty consistent from 1975 until 1989, when it increased sharply - in the year the GCSE’s were introduced

Question 26

How does ‘GCSES and coursework’ cause differences in gender and achievement

Answer 26

Mitsos & Brown: girls are more successful in coursework because:
Spend more time on work
Take more care with presentation
Better at meeting deadlines
Bring right equipment and materials to class
Oral exams benefit girls as girls have generally better developed language skills (due to bedroom culture and early gender role socialisation)

Question 27

What is the critisms for ‘GCSEs and coursework’ not being an influential factor in gender and achievement

Answer 27

It is unlikey to be the only cause of the gender gap because a significant number of subjects do not offer coursework and even if they do it does not make up a large percentage of the final grade

Question 28

Explain ‘Teacher attention’ as a factor affecting gender and achievement

Answer 28

Frend & Francis: The way teachers interact with boys and girls is different:
-Boys recieve more attention- reprimands
-Boys disciplined more harshly and felt picked on
-Teachers have lower expectations of boys - seen as disruptive. And positive views of girls - seen as coorperative

Swann: Found differences in how girls and boys communicate that may affect different levels of teacher attention:
-Boys dominate in whole class discussion
-Girls prefer pair work, listening, coorperating

Question 29

How does ‘Teacher attention’ cause differences in gender and achievement

Answer 29

May lead to SFP and streaming
Girls put into higher streams and internalise positive interactions which can increase self-esteem
Boys placed in lower streams and feel picked on and lead to further disruption and anti-school subculture

Question 30

What are the critisms for ‘Teacher attention’ not being an influential factor in gender and achievement

Answer 30

Boys have more attention meaning girls are getting less casuing underachievement
Girls dont feel they are being watched so start to slack off

Question 31

Explain ‘Challenging sterotypes in the curriculum’ as a factor affecting gender and achievement

Answer 31

Gender sterotypes have largely been removed from schools
e.g textbooks and learning materials no longer portray women as housewives or show science and maths and male subjects

Question 32

How does ‘Challenging sterotypes in the curriculum’ cause differences in gender and achievement

Answer 32

It has raised girls achievement as by removing barrier and showing a variety of possible careers - girls may be more ambitious and therefore have more motivation to succeed in school

Question 33

What is the critism for ‘Challenging sterotypes in the curriculum’ not being the influential factor in differences in gender and achievement

Answer 33

Unlikely students are paying enough attention to imagery in textbooks to cause a significant impact in gender pay
More about demogrphics of class

Question 34

Explain ‘Selection and league tables’ as a factor affecting gender and achievement differences

Answer 34

Marketisation has created a competitive climate where schools must get good grades to get to the top of league tables and therefore attract student to apply (maintain funding)
Slee: Boys are less desirable to schools as they are more liekly to have behavioural problems (4x more likely to be excluded) and be seen as ‘liablility students’ as they threaten the league table position
Jackson: girls sare seen as more desirable as they achieve better exam results and therefore boost the schools league table position

Question 35

How does ‘Selection and league table’ cause difference in gender achievement

Answer 35

Girls more likely to be accepted into better school
Boys in lower school with worser resources and funding impactiing achievement

Question 36

What are is the critism for ‘Selection and league tables’ not being an influential factor in gender differences in achievement

Answer 36

Social class has a larger impact on student’ achievement and therefore schools are less likely to focus on gender when selecting pupils

Question 37

What are the four factors for boys falling behind in education

Answer 37

Boys poor literacy skills
Decline of manual jobs
Feminisation of education
Shortage os male primary school teachers
Laddish subcultures

Question 38

What are the external factors causing boys to fall behind in education

Answer 38

Boys poor literacy skill
Globalisation and decline in traditional mens jobs

Question 39

What are the internal factors causing boys to fall behind in education

Answer 39

Feminisation of education
Shortage of male primary school teachers
Laddish subcultures

Question 40

Explain ‘Boys poor literacy skills’ as a fact for boys falling behind in education

Answer 40

Parents may spend more time reading with daughters than sons
Mothers do most reading - boys may view it as a feminine activity
Gender role socialisation - boys do leisure activities that do not develop language skillss (contrast to girls bedroom culture which encourages communication)

Question 41

What is the evidence for ‘Boys poor literacy skills’

Answer 41

National literacy test:
Girls read daily compared to boys
Fewer boys enjoy reading

Question 42

What is the critism for ‘Boys poor literacy skills’ for it not being an influential factor for boys failing in education

Answer 42

Ways to tackle boys poor literacy:
Dads and sons campaigns - encourage father and sons to read together
Reading champions scheme - high profile male public figures celebrating reading

Question 43

Explain ‘Globisation and decline in traditional mens jobs’ as a factor for boys failing in education

Answer 43

TNCs to relocate industries to develop other countries such as China
Mitsos & Browne: decline inindustries led to ‘identity crisis’ for men. Little prospects on getting a ‘proper jobs’ - undermines self-esteem and decrease in motivation and get qualifications

Question 44

What is the critism for ‘Gobalisation and decline in traditional mens job’ for it not being an influential factor for boys failing in education

Answer 44

Manual jobs do not require qualifications
Boys try hard to get qualifications due to them being needed for jobs now
Boys still have many other external factors motivating to succeed

Question 45

Explain the internal factor ‘Feminisation of education’ as a factor for boys failing in education

Answer 45

Sewell: scholls do not nuture masculine traits such as competitiveness and leadership
Schools focus and celebrate qualities associated with girls - organisation and coursework

Question 46

What is the critisms for ‘Feminisation of education’ as not being an influential factor for boys failing in education

Answer 46

Radical feminists: education remains patriarchal

Question 47

Explain the internal factor ‘Shortage of male primary school teachers’

Answer 47

Primary school culture has become feminisated due to schools being staffed by female teachers
Males better than females at imposing strict discipline boys need
2021: only 15% of primary schook teachers were maale
39% of 8-11 year old boys said they had no lessons with a male teacher

Question 48

What is the critism for ‘Shortage of male primary school teachers’ for not being an influential factor for boys failing in education

Answer 48

More male headteacher which give boys higher aspirations
Read: found both male and female teacher adopted a masculine style of discipline known as ‘disciplarian discourse’ - establishing authority through shouting

Question 49

Explaing ‘Laddish subcultures’ as a factor for boys failing in education

Answer 49

WC culture - masculinity based on being ‘tough’ and manual work, academic = effeminate
Epstein - Boys labelled as ‘sissies’ and subject to homophobia appear to be ‘swots’
To avoid this they reject school work and mess about in ‘laddish subculture’
Laddish subculture increasing due to women moving into traditional masculine careers

Question 50

What is the critism for ‘Laddish subculture’ for it not being an influential factor for boys failing education

Answer 50

Laddish ssubculture is not just down to boys - WC
Most teenagers go through this phase of messing about
Girls exclusion rates are also increasing

Question 51

What is Ringrose’s overall evaluation for boys failing in education (internal)

Answer 51

Moral panic about boys:
Education is ‘too feminised’ which disadvantages boys created a moral panic
In reality, boys achievement is slwoly rising
Policies now focus on raising boys achievement and ignore class, ethnicity and also inequality girls do face in education (harassment)