Gender and Education - Internal and External factors for boys Flashcards
How does laddish subcultures contribute to boys underachievement?
Francis (2001) - boys are concerned about being given labels like smart by peers, because it threatens traditional masculinity. Working class subcultures see non-manual work (homework) as feminine.
Epstein (1998) found that pro-school working class boys were likely to be harassed, labelled as ‘gay’ and subjected to verbal abuse by their peers. Laddish subcultures pressure students to be anti-school. leading to boys underachievement.
Traditional masculine identities – boys just don’t see school as a ‘boy thing’ – Working class boys saw school as ‘queer’, middle class work hard but hide this (Mac An Ghail)
You can evaluate this by arguing that mostly working class boys have traditional masculine identities. So this factor has a class aspect to it.
How has the feminisation of Education disadvantaged boys?
Sewell (2006) - boys are underachieving in education have become ‘feminised’. This means that schools no longer embody traditional masculine traits such as competition and leadership, this makes masculine boys disadvantaged and not suited to the feminine environment of education.
Lack of male role models
Some sociologists argue that lack of male role models in education has lead to schooling becoming more feminised - only 1 in 6 teachers in primary schools are male.
Some sociologists argue that the rise is matrifocal single parent households, and the decline of male role models in education is a contributing factor to boys underachievement.
To evaluate this, you can argue that schools do have male role models, but they dominate the more powerful positions in school. So even though boys may not have male role models in all their classes, they have high power role models that they can aspire to be like.
How does Literacy disadvantage boys?
Parents spend less time reading to their sons because it is seen as a feminine activity. Boys leisure interests (such as sport and computer games) do not encourage communication and language skills, whereas girls bedroom culture does. Sociologist have identified boys poor literacy skills are a further factor contributing to their underachievement.
Positive evaluation would be: Research has shown that mothers are more likely than fathers to read to their children, therefore this could be an explanation for boys struggling with literacy (Joseph Rowntree Foundation).
A negative evaluation would be: The issues around literacy could be attributed to biology as boys and girls mature at different rates, this is evident as after teenage years the literacy rate of men and women become equal. Another biological argument is that female hands develop at a faster rate before puberty. This makes holding pencils at a younger age more comfortable for girls.
How does globalisation disadvantage boys?
Globalisation since the 1980’s has meant that the manufacturing industries have relocated in developing countries. Globalisation has therefore led to a decline in traditional male jobs in heavy industries such as shipbuilding, mining and manufacturing within the UK. Some sociologists argue that the decline in heavy industry employment has led to an identity crisis amongst males. Many boys now believe that they do not have a chance at getting a job and therefore have less motivation to get qualifications.
A positive evaluation of this would be: The decline of manual industries was on a major decline in the 80’s, as Maggie Thatcher increased imports, weakened unions and did some pit closures. These attempts at globalisation correlates with educational attainment, as during this time period the rate of boys achieving 5+ GCSE was not increasing as fast as their female counterparts (department of education statistics of education).
