Gender (DA)

Question 1

Which gender generally gets the best results in education?

Answer 1

Girls

Question 2

What are the 4 external factors which affect girls’ achievement?

Answer 2

The impact of feminism
Changes in the family
Changes in women’s employment
Changing ambitions

Question 3

What are the 5 internal factors?

Answer 3

Equal opportunities policies
Positive role models
GCSEs and coursework
Teacher interactions (labelling)
Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum

Question 4

How has the impact of feminism affected girls’ education?

Answer 4

Since the 1960s, feminism has challenged the stereotypes of a woman’s role as mother and housewife. This has raised girls’ expectations and ambitions with regards to family, career, and education, a change which is partly reflected in the media

Question 5

How have changes in the family affected girls’ education?

Answer 5

There have been some major changes to the family in the last 30 years, including:
Increasing divorce rates
Increasing cohabitation
Increasing number of lone parent families (usually female headed)

This has changed girls’ attitudes towards education. For example, women may need to take on the major income-earner role

Question 6

How have changes in womens’ employment affected girls’ education?

Answer 6

The proportion of women in employment has risen from under 53% in 1971 to over 67% in 2013, suggesting that women are beginning to break through the glass ceiling. This in turn encourages girls to work harder on their education

Question 7

How have changing ambitions affected girls’ education?

Answer 7

Girls’ aspirations have changed dramatically over recent years. In the 1970s, girls saw educational success as unfeminine and prioritised love, marriage, husbands, and children. By the 1990s, girls were more likely to see their future as an independent woman with their own career

Question 8

How have equal opportunities policies affected girls’ education?

Answer 8

It is now expected that boys and girls will study the same subjects and learn the same things. This was not the case prior to the National Curriculum’s introduction in 1988. Policies like GIST and WISE contribute towards this

Question 9

How have positive role models affected girls’ education?

Answer 9

There are now more women in positions of power and authority, showing young girls that it is possible to achieve important positions. In 1992, for example, 22% of head teachers and 49% of teachers were women, compared with 37% and 61% in 2012

Question 10

How have GCSEs and coursework affected girls’ education?

Answer 10

Changes in the way students are examined, such as an increase in coursework in GCSEs and A Levels, has disproportionately benefitted girls as they tend to be more organised than boys and spend more time on their work

Question 11

How have teacher interactions (labelling) affected girls’ education?

Answer 11

Research suggests that teachers respond more positively to girls than boys. Boys are often seen as disruptive, whereas girls are seen as cooperative. This may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 12

How has challenging stereotypes in the curriculum affected girls’ education?

Answer 12

Some sociologists argue that removing gender stereotypes and sexist images from textbooks and other learning materials has removed a barrier to girls’ achievement and presented a more positive image of what girls are capable of

Question 13

What are the 3 external factors which affect boys’ education?

Answer 13

Boys’ poorer literacy skills
Decline in traditional male jobs
Unrealistic expectations

Question 14

What are the 3 internal factors which affect boys’ education?

Answer 14

Feminisation of education
Teacher interactions
Laddish subcultures

Question 15

How has boys’ poorer literacy skills affected boys’ education?

Answer 15

Evidence suggests that girls spend their leisure time doing activities which will benefit their education, such as reading. Mothers are more likely to read to their children than fathers, meaning young girls have a same-sex role model encouraging them to read

Question 16

How has a decline in traditional male jobs affected boys’ education?

Answer 16

Since the 1980s, there has been a significant decline in heavy industries such as steel and mining, thanks in part to globalisation. This decline in male employment opportunities may lead boys to believe they don’t have a chance of getting a job, undermining their self-esteem and motivation so they give up at school

Question 17

How have unrealistic expectations affected boys’ education?

Answer 17

Boys are more likely than girls to have career aspirations which are both unrealistic and don’t require formal qualifications, such as being a professional footballer. This means they don’t try as hard at their schoolwork. They also often attribute poor exam results to bad luck rather than lack of effort

Question 18

How has the feminisation of education affected boys’ education?

Answer 18

Schools now tend to emphasise feminine traits such as methodical working and attentiveness, and has come with an increase in coursework, both of which disadvantage boys

Question 19

How have teacher interactions affected boys’ education?

Answer 19

Negative labelling towards boys can lower their confidence and their motivation to do well in a subject. Teachers also typically have lower standards of work for boys meaning that they are not pushed to reach their full potential

Question 20

How have laddish subcultures affected boys’ education?

Answer 20

There is a particular kind of pupil subculture, the ‘macho lads’, who are resistant to school authority and learning