Gender And Education

Question 1

What is the difference between boys and girls in education?

Answer 1

• Girls achieve higher than boys in all subjects
• Boys progress 8 score in 2019 was -0.23, girls was +0.18
• 39% of boys achieved 5+ in English and maths, 45% of girls

Question 2

Internal factors impacting gender in education:

Answer 2

• Equal opportunity policies
• Positive role models in school
• GCSEs and coursework
• Teacher attention
• Classroom interaction
• Challenging stereotypes
• League tables

Question 3

External factors impacting gender in education:

Answer 3

• Impact of feminism
• Changes in the family
• Changes in women’s employment
• Change in girl’s ambitions

Question 4

What did McRobbie find in her study of girls magazines?

Answer 4

• In 1970s magazines, there was an emphasis on getting married and not being left on the shelf
• In 1990s magazines, they showed independent women

Question 5

What changes in the family have occurred that may impact education?

Answer 5

• Increase in divorce rate
• Increase in cohabitation
• Decrease in number of first marriages
• Increase in lone parent families
• Smaller families
• Increase in symmetrical families

Question 6

What changes in employment may have impacted female attainment?

Answer 6

• 1970 equal pay act- illegal to pay women less than me
• 1975 sex discrimination act- discrimination at work is illegal
• Women in employment rose from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013

Question 7

What did Sue Sharpe say about changes in girl’s ambitions?

Answer 7

• Compared girls’ attitudes in 1970s and 1990s
• 1990s girls more confident, assertive, ambitious and committed to gender equality, prioritise job, career and supporting themselves
• 1970s girls prioritised love, marriage, husbands and children

Question 8

Equal opportunity policies- internal gender factors:

Answer 8

• 35/100 STEM students are women
• 39% physical science students are women, 37% mathematical science, 19% computer science, 19% engineering and technology
• GIST and WISE in 1970s

Question 9

Who said girls achieve more because of equal opportunities?

Answer 9

Jo Boaler

Question 10

Females in different school roles from 1992 to 2012:

Answer 10

• Headteachers primary- 50-71
• Headteachers secondary- 22-37
• Teachers primary- 81-86
• Teachers secondary- 49-61

Question 11

What did Gorard say about girls in coursework?

Answer 11

Girls spend more time on their work and presentation, are better at meeting deadlines, and bring correct equipment to lessons

Question 12

What did Jane and Peter French say about the impact of classroom attention on gender differences?

Answer 12

Boys received more attention as they attracted more reprimands

Question 13

What did Francis say about the impact of classroom attention on gender differences?

Answer 13

Boys got more attention, but were more harshly disciplined so feel picked on by teachers

Question 14

What did Swann say about the impact of classroom attention on gender differences?

Answer 14

• Gender differences in communication style
• Boys dominate whole class discussions, girls prefer pair and group work

Question 15

Gender stereotypes in education:

Answer 15

• In 66 drawings of surgeons, pilots, and fire fighters, 61 were men and 5 were women
• Men were scientists in children’s books three times more than women
• 20% of a level physics students are girls
• Male character twice as likely to take on leading roles in books
• Moms reading children stories refer to gender neutral characters as ‘he’

Question 16

How does Jackson say league tables impact gender achievement?

Answer 16

• Introduction of league tables improved opportunities for girls
• High achieving girls attract schools, not low achieving boys

Question 17

What does Slee say about league tables and gender achievement?

Answer 17

• Boys are less attractive to schools due to behavioural difficulties
• Boys are 4 times more likely to be excluded