Gender and eduction attainment - Female achievement internal factors

Question 1

what are some of the key differences in educational attainment between males and female?

Answer 1

• in 2013 boys were between 7-17% behind girls in all areas of assessment
• 10%points differences between males and females at GCSE level

Question 2

what are the four external factors influencing the different examination achievement levels?

Answer 2

1) impact of feminism
2) changes in the family structure as they are more likely to head lone parent households
3) changes in female employment
4) girls changing ambitions

Question 3

what has the impact of feminism had on female attainment?

Answer 3

Since the 1960s feminist movement has challenged stereotypes of women role is society and encouraged broader roles to be sought after causing girls to now focus more on employment and qualifications

Question 4

what changes have there been to female employment?

Answer 4

1970 equal pay act and the 1975 sex discrimination act have improved the position of women in the labour market.

• the increase in service sector jobs such as hospitality has given women more opportunities for employment
• The ‘glass ceiling’ that was keeping women out of high level professional jobs has begun to be broken down

Question 5

what is a ‘gender quake’?

Answer 5

abrupt shifts of domination between genders, the female gender in particular

Question 6

what did wilkinson argue about that young women had undergone?

Answer 6

Young women had undergone a genderquake in their attitudes changes compared to their mothers
-the no longer saw life as being restricted by the family

Question 7

what did sue sharpe find when she interviewed girls in the 1970s and then the 1990s?

Answer 7

she found a major shift in girls aspirations for the future
1970s- low aspirations,educational success was unfeminine and ambition seemed to be unattractive
1980s-high aspirations,educational success was a high priority