Gender and subject choice Flashcards
What has anne Collie said about gender and subject choice?
Reviewed some of the reasons why differences in subject choice persisted in secondary schools in the late 1990s. She argues that although the national curriculum limited gender differences because it restricted choices up to the age of 16 nevertheless substantial differences remain at GCSE and A level.  Colley Notes that perceptions of gender roles, subject preferences and choice and the learning environment as the most significant factors.
What did Francis find?
Boys tend to dominate the classroom during more attention to themselves than girls do observed four different classes across three schools and an 8 out of 12 classes. She found boys more noisier than girls during lessons. This led to boys receiving more negative attention from teachers being disciplined more frequently and sometimes more harshly than girls girls who are not paying attention required and did not draw much attention to themselves
What are gender domains?
The process of learning the behaviour expected of males and females in society early socialisation in the family may impact the development of gender identity and therefore subject choice.
What does an Oakley argue about gender role socialisation?
Canalisation verbal operations manipulation and different activities
What does Kelly say about gendered subject images ?
Science is seen as a male subject for several reasons so teachers are more likely to be men, examples in textbooks are males, boys dominate in the classroom. Furthermore, technology and IT are seen as part of the male gender domain interestingly when children are taught in single sex schools they are less likley to make gender subject choices.
What did mac an ghail find about peer pressure?
Found that boys use verbal abuse within that pair groups to reinforce dominant ideas of masculinity this might put boys off choose and subjects that seem traditionally to be within the female gender mind for instance a mile who chooses to drama my face bullying.
Teacher expectations in subject choice
Career officers tend to stay girls and boys towards gender typical subjects. recently research has found this is less apparent today. Teach expectations might still play role in channelling students towards particular subjects.
Francis and skeleton
Disgust the idea that boys and girls have different learning styles and these are matched up by the demands of particular subjects boys favour styles that involve memorisation of rules and facts that prefer assessments that do not require deep understanding. Girls prefer task that require people to think for themselves and can relate to real life situations girls prefer to complete written assessments and enjoy collaborative group work reflection and discussion.
Gendered career opportunities
Employment is highly gendered and sex typed as male or female. We can see from employment data that women are over represented in caring professions and administration and retail. This also links with social class.
Carol fuller
Fuller interviewed working class girls and found many had ambitions to go into childcare or hairdresser and this reflected their working class habitus. She also found that many work experience placements were also gendered in class so school was implicitly steering them towards working class jobs.
