Gender differences In Achievement Flashcards
IMPACT OF Feminism
McRobbie studied girls magazines and found that in the 1970s, they emphasised the importance of getting married. However, nowadays, they contain images of strong, assertive and independent women.
CHANGES IN WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT
Changes in the law have improved the position of working women, for example the Equal Pay Act (1970) and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975).
CHANGING GIRLS AMBITIONS
Sharpe interviewed girls and found that their ambitions in the 1970s were to marry and have children, and saw their future in terms of a domestic role. However, in the 1990s, the girls priorities had changed to careers and wanting to be independent.
GCSE AND COURSEWORK
Mitos and Brown found that girls do better than boys in coursework because they are more conscientious and better organised.
Gorad found that the gender gap in achievement increased sharply when GCSE was introduced in 1988.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY
GIST and WISE programmes to encourage girls into science and technology.
National curriculum - girls and boys largely study the same subjects (eg. by making science compulsory).
ROLE MODELS
There are more female teachers, which feminises the learning environment and encourages girls to see school as part of a ‘female gender domain’.
TEACHER ATTENTION
Swann found that boys dominate class discussions, whereas girls are better at listening and cooperating. Teachers respond more positively to girls and give them more encouragement.
SELECTION AND LEAGUE TABLES
Marketisation policies have led to increased competition between schools. Schools therefore have the incentive to recruit more able students. Girls are generally more successful than boys, so are more attractive to schools.
boys - external factors BOYS LITERACY
Parents spend less time reading to sons because it is seen as a ‘feminine’ activity.
Boys leisure interests do not encourage language and communication skills, whereas gitls ‘bedroom culture’ does.
boys - external factors DECLINE IN MANUAL LABOUR
Globalisation had led to the decline in heavy industries (eg. shipbuilding, mining and manufacturing) in the UK. This has led to a male ‘identity crisis’, giving them little motivation to get qualifications for a job
boys - internal factors FEMINISATION OF SCHOOLING
Boys fall behind because education has been ‘feminised’, meaning schools no longer nurture masculine traits.
The introduction of coursework has disadvantages boys.
Lack of male primary school teachers - only 1 in 6 primary school teachers are male.
LADDISH SUBCULTURES
There is peer-pressure on boys to demonstrate their masculinity by being ‘anti-school’.
