Gender Difference in Achievement.

Question 1

what are three external factors for gender differences in achievement?

Answer 1

• impact of feminism.
• changes in the family.
• changing women’s employment.

Question 2

what is said about impact of feminism?

Answer 2

• opportunities have raised for women and so have their self esteem.
• improving their equal rights.

Question 3

what is said about changes in the family?

Answer 3

• there has been an increase in:
  
  • divorce.
  • cohabiting.
  • one parent families.
• women are becoming more financially independent.

Question 4

what is said about the changes in women’s employment?

Answer 4

• 1970 Equal Pay Act- illegal to pay women less than men for the same job.
• Proportion of women in employment has risen from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013.

Question 5

what does Reay argue?

Answer 5

w/c girls see motherhood as a better option.

Question 6

what are the internal factors of gender differences in achievement?

Answer 6

• equal opportunities.
• positive role models in schools.
• GCSE and coursework.

Question 7

what is said about equal opportunities policies?

Answer 7

boys and girls can study the same subjects, that they get the same opportunities.

Question 8

what is said about positive role models in school?

Answer 8

women are positioning themselves in higher senior roles and giving them a non-traditional goal to aim for.

Question 9

what is said about GCSE and coursework?

Answer 9

Mitsos and Browne- girls are better in coursework as they are better organised than boys.

Question 10

who are liberal feminists?

Answer 10

-progress can still be made by making policies.
-believe in meritocracy.
-

Question 11

who are radical feminists?

Answer 11

• society still patriarchal.
• women are under pressure in the curriculum.
• there are more male head teachers.

Question 12

what is hyper- heterosexual feminine identities?

Answer 12

the black urban American styles are that they got unisex sportswear and ‘sexy’ clothes, make-up and hairstyles.

Question 13

what is said about boyfriends?

Answer 13

they avoid universities- to settle to have kids.

Question 14

what is said about being loud?

Answer 14

they are said to be outspoken and independent but they are aggressive by teachers.

Question 15

what is said about boys and literacy?

Answer 15

• they think reading is a feminine activity.
• think that football doesn’t develop communication skills.
• weak language skills are likely to affect boys’ performance.

Question 16

what is said about the decline of men’s traditional jobs?

Answer 16

-the decline in men traditional jobs means there is a identity crisis for men. it undermines their motivation and self-esteem so they give up.

Question 17

what are the two languages that Read identifies?

Answer 17

• a disciplinarian discourse- teachers’ authority made explicit.
• a liberal discourse- teachers’ authority is implicit and invisible.

Question 18

what is said about the moral panic about boys?

Answer 18

policies are made to raise boys’ achievement.
But…
-ignores problems of w/c .
-ignores problems faced by girls= sexual harassment.

Question 19

what are the explanations of gender differences in subject choice?

Answer 19

• gender role socialisation. Male= manly jobs. Female= feminine jobs.
• gendered career opportunities. Nursing= ‘female jobs’.

Question 20

what is within pupils’ sexual and gender identities?

Answer 20

-the male gaze.
-teachers and discipline. Hay Wood said male teachers told boys off for acting like ‘girls’.
-female peer groups. face tension between:
-idealised feminine identity- loyalty to female peer groups, non-competitive.
-a sexualised identity- competing for boys.
too competitive- slut shaming (labelled).
not competitive- frigid shaming.