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Sociology Education > Gender differences in achievement > Flashcards

Gender differences in achievement Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

At Key Stages 1 to 3 what is the gender gap in achievement between boys and girls according to the official statistics?

A
  • Girls do consistently better than boys, this is especially so in English
  • In science and maths the gap is much narrower but girls still do better
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2
Q

How has the impact of feminism affected achievement?

A
  • Since the 1960s feminism has challenged traditional stereotypes
  • Feminism has raised women’s expectations and self esteem
  • McRobbie’s study of girl’s magazines in 1970s showed the importance of getting married whereas nowadays they contain images of assertive, independent women
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3
Q

How has changes in the family impacted achievement?

A
  • There has been an increase in divorce, increase in lone parent families and smaller families
  • These affect girls’ attitudes towards education as there are new adult role models for girls - the financially independent women
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4
Q

How has changes in women’s employment impacted achievement?

A

1970 Equal Pay Act and 1975 Discrimination Act
- Since 1975 the pay gap has halved from 30-15%
- The proportion of women in employment increased from 53-67%

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5
Q

How has girls’ changing ambitions impacted achievement?

A
  • Sharpe’s interviews with girls in the 1970s and 1990s show a major shift in attitudes
  • In 1974 girls had low aspirations, education was considered unfeminine
  • In Fuller’s study, educational success was a central aspect of their identity
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6
Q

How does Reay argue that there are class differences in how far girls’ ambitions have changed?

A
  • Some WC girls continue continue to have gender-stereotyped aspirations for marriage and children and expect to go into traditional low paid women’s work
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7
Q

How has equal opportunities policies impacted girls’ achievement? (internal factor)

A
  • Policymakers are now much more aware of gender issues
  • Policies such as GIST and WISE encourage girls to pursue careers in non-traditional areas
  • The National Curriculum in 1988 removed gender inequality
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8
Q

How has positive role models in schools impacted girls’ achievement? (internal factor)

A
  • There has been an increase in the proportion of female teachers and heads
  • Women in senior positions may act as a role model for girls
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9
Q

How has GCSE impacted girls’ achievement? (internal factor)

A
  • Gorard found the gender gap was fairly constant until 1989 when it increased sharply, this was the year GCSE was introduced
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10
Q

How has coursework impacted girls’ achievement? (internal factor)

A
  • Mitsos and Browne conclude girls are more successful in coursework because they are more conscientious and organised
  • The greater use of oral exams which benefit girls due to their generally better developed language skills
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11
Q

How has teacher attention impacted girls’ achievement? (internal factor)

A
  • Jane and French analysed classroom interaction and found boys receive more attention because they attracted more reprimands
  • Also found while boys got more attention they were disciplined more harshly and felt picked on by teachers
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12
Q

What did Swann find regarding gender differences in communication styles?

A
  • Boys dominate in whole class discussions whereas girls prefer pair-work and group-work
  • When working in groups girls’ speech involves turn taking and not hostile interruptions from boys
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13
Q

How has challenging stereotypes in the curriculum impacted girls’ achievement?

A
  • The removal of gender stereotypes from textbooks and other learning materials has removed a barrier to girls’ achievement
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14
Q

How has selection and league tables impacted girls’ achievement?

A
  • Marketisation policies have created a more competitive climate in which schools see girls as desirable recruits
  • Jackson notes the introduction of exam league tables has improved their opportunities which leads to a positive self fulfilling prophecy for girls
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15
Q

What are the 2 views of girls’ achievement?

A
  1. Liberal feminism - celebrate the progress made, they believe further progress will be made with continuing development of policies, positive role models and overcoming sexist attitudes
  2. Radical feminism - emphasise the system remains patriarchal, sexual harassment and sexism still exists
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16
Q

How can symbolic capital affect girls’ achievement?

A
  • Archer et al argues there’s a conflict between WC girls’ feminine identities and values and ethos of the school
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17
Q

What strategies does Archer identify that the girls followed for creating a valued sense of self?

A
  • Adopting a hyper-heterosexual feminine identity
  • Having a boyfriend
  • Being ‘loud’
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18
Q

How has creating hyper-heterosexual identities in school affected girls’ achievement?

A
  • Many of the girls invested considerable time, effort and money in constructing ‘desirable’ and ‘glamarous’ identities
  • The girls’ performance brought status from their female peer group but brought them into conflict with school, teachers saw the girls’ preoccupation with appearance as a distraction
  • This led to the school to define them as incapable of educational success, Bourdieu describes this process as symbolic violence
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19
Q

How has having boyfriends impacted girls’ achievement?

A
  • While having a boyfriend brought symbolic capital it got in the way of schoolwork and lowered their aspirations
  • This included losing interest in going to university and studying ‘masculine’ subjects instead they aspired to ‘settle down’
20
Q

How has being ‘loud’ impacted girls’ achievement?

A
  • Some WC girls adopted ‘loud’ feminine identities that often lead them to be outspoken, independent and assertive
  • Questioned teachers’ authority, this failed to conform to teachers stereotype of the ideal female pupil
21
Q

What was the WC girls’ dilemma?

A
  • Either gaining symbolic or educational capital
  • Some girls tried to cope with this dilemma by defining themselves as ‘good underneath’
22
Q

What did Evans say on ‘successful’ WC girls?

A
  • A study of 21 WC sixth form girls, she found they wanted to go to university to increase their earning power ‘give back’ to their family
  • The ‘caring’ aspect of their WC feminine identities make them more likely to remain home
23
Q

What did Archer say on ‘successful’ WC girls?

A
  • They have a strong preference for locality
24
Q

What are internal factors affecting girls achievement?

A
  • Equal opportunities policies
  • Positive role models in school
  • GCSE and coursework
  • Teacher attention
  • Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
  • Selection and league tables
25
Q

According to the DCSF what is the main reason for the gender gap?

A
  • Result of boys’ poorer literacy and language skills due to them less likely to read to as its a ‘feminine activity’
  • Boys’ leisure pursuits do little to help develop language and communication skills whilst girls have a ‘bedroom culture’
26
Q

How has globalisation and the decline of traditional men’s jobs impacted boys’ achievement?

A
  • Significant decline in heavy industries, partly due to globalisation of the economy which has led to much manufacturing industry relocating to developing countries
  • Mitsos and Browne claim this decline led to an ‘identity crisis’ undermining motivation and self esteem
27
Q

How does Sewell claim that the feminisation of education has caused underachievement in boys?

A
  • Education has become ‘feminised’
  • Schools do not nurture ‘masculine’ traits such as competitiveness and leadership
  • He sees coursework as a major cause of underachievement ‘outdoor adventure’ in the curriculum
28
Q

How has a shortage of male primary teachers impacted boys achievement?

A
  • Lack of male role models both at home and in school
  • Only 14% of primary school teachers are male, according to Yougov, 39% of 8-11 year old boys have no lessons with a male teacher
  • Some commentators argue male teachers are better able to impose the strict discipline boys need
29
Q

What 2 types of discourse/language does Read identify that teachers use to express criticism or disapproval of pupils’ work and behaviour?

A

Disciplinarian discourse - the teachers authority is made explicit and visible
Liberal discourse - the teachers authority is implicit and invisible ‘pseudo-adultification’

30
Q

What conclusions did Read draw from her findings?

A
  • The disciplinarian discourse is associated with masculinity and liberal with femininity
  • In her study of 51 school teachers, she found most teachers used disciplinarian discourse
  • This disapproves Sewell claim if the feminisation of education
31
Q

How does some sociologists argue that the growth of ‘laddish’ subcultures has contributed to boys’ underachievement?

A
  • Epstein examined the way masculinity is constructed within school she found WC boys are more likely to be harassed and subjected to homophobic verbal abuse
32
Q

What is the moral panic about boys?

A
  • Critics of feminism argue policies to promote girls’ education are no longer needed, they believe girls have succeeded at the expense of boys
33
Q

How does Ringrose criticise the moral panic about boys?

A
  • Argues the moral panic about boys ignores the problems of disadvantaged WC and minority ethnic pupils
  • Ignores problems faced by girls at school including sexual harassment, self esteem and identity issues
34
Q

Is it wrong to conclude that boys are a ‘lost cause’?

A
  • The performance of both sexes have improved considerably
  • The similarities in girls’ and boys’ achievement are far greater than the differences
  • The class gap is 3 times wider than the gender gap at GCSE
35
Q

What are the different explanations of gender differences in subject choice?

A
  1. Gender role socialisation and gender domains
  2. Gendered subject images
  3. Gender identity and peer pressure
  4. Gendered career opportunities
36
Q

How can gender role socialisation explain gender differences in subject choice?

A
  • Norman notes that from an early age boys and girls are dressed differently, given different toys and encouraged to take part in different activities
  • Differences in socialisation causes a different taste in reading and therefore different subject choice
37
Q

What do Browne and Ross argue about ‘gender domains’?

A
  • Children are more confident when engaging in tasks that they see as part of their own gender domain
  • Gender domains are shaped by early expectations and experiences of adults
38
Q

How can gendered subject images explain gender differences in subject choice?

A

Science is argued as a boy subject because
- Science teachers are more likely to be male
- Examples teachers use and those in a textbook
Computer studies is argued as a boy subject because
- Involves working with machines
- The way its taught is off-putting to females

39
Q

How can gender identity and peer pressure explain gender differences in subject choice?

A
  • Peer pressure is a powerful influence on gender identity and how pupils see themselves in relation to particular subjects
  • In mixed schools peers police one another’s subject choices so that girls and boys adopt an appropriate gender identity
  • According to Leonard this may be why single-sex schools experience less gendered subject choice
40
Q

How can gendered career opportunities explain gender differences in subject choice?

A
  • Employment is highly gendered and often sex typed as mens’ or womens’
  • Sex typing of occupations affects boys’ and girls’ ideas about what kind of jobs are possible or acceptable
  • Women’s jobs often involve work similar to that performed by housewives
41
Q

What does Connell mean by ‘hegemonic masculinity’?

A

The dominance of heterosexual masculine identity and the subordination of female and gay identities

42
Q

How may double standards reinforce pupils’ gender and sexual identities?

A
  • Lees identifies a double standard of sexual morality in which boys boast about their sexual exploits but calls a girl a ‘slag’ if she doesn’t have a steady boyfriend
  • The double standards is an example of patriarchal ideology that justifies male power and devalues women
43
Q

How may verbal abuse reinforce pupils’ gender and sexual identities?

A
  • What Connell calls “a rich vocabulary of abuse” is one which dominant gender and sexual identities are reinforced
  • Lees found that boys called girls ‘slags’ if they appeared to be sexually available
44
Q

How may the male gaze reinforce pupils’ gender and sexual identities?

A
  • A visual aspect to the way pupils control each other’s identities
  • Mac an Ghaill sees the male gaze as a form of surveillance through which dominant heterosexual masculinity is reinforced and femininity is devalued
45
Q

How may female peer groups reinforce pupils’ gender and sexual identities?

A
  • As Archer has said, WC girls gain symbolic capital from their female peers by performing a hyper-heterosexual feminine identity
  • Shaming is a social control device by which schoolgirls police they are forced to perform a balancing act between being too competitive and being ‘slut shamed’ or not competitive enough and being ‘frigid shamed’

Sociology Education (6 decks)

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