Gender differences in achievement (I & E) Flashcards
What are the 4 external factors that have affected girls achievement?
- impact of feminism
- changes in the family
- changes in women employment
- girls changing ambitions
How has feminism & changes in womens employment impacted gender differences in achievement?
- feminist movement has challenged the traditional stereotype of a women’s role as solely that of mother and housewife in patriarchal NF
- their success in improving women’s rights & opportunities have occurred through changes to the law e.g. 1970 Equal pay act, 1975 sex discrimination act, women breaking through the glass ceiling
- this has encouraged girls to see their future in terms of paid work rather than housewives & provides incentives for girls to gain qualifications
Evaluating idea that feminism and & changes in employment have impacted achievement
- overemphasis on feminism & employment other factors such as Equal opportunities (GIST & WISE) and introduction of coursework in GCSES favour learning styles of girls
- m/c girls perform better than w/c girls which suggest class is a stronger determinant of achievement
- socialisation
How has changes in the family and girls changing ambitions affected gender differences in achievement?
- changes in the family since the 1970s include an increase in divorce rate, cohabitation, LPF
> changes have affected girls attitudes towards education e.g. increase in matrifocal LPF creates a adult role model for girls > financial independent women which encourages girls to look to themselves & their own qualifications to make a living - Sue Sharpe evidences for this >interviews with girls in the 1970s who had low aspirations & believed educational success was unfeminine
- 1990 > ambitions changed >girls more likely to see their future as an independent woman
Evaluating the idea that changes in the family and girls changing ambitions has affected gender differences in achievement
- w/c may continue to have traditional aspirations centred around early marriage & motherhood as found in Diana Reay
- internal factors such as female role models & policies impacting achievement
- teacher expectations and labelling may encourage greater effort and achievement
What are the 6 internal factors that have affected achievement?
- equal opportunities policies
- positive role models t schools
- GCSE and coursework
- teacher attention
- challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
- selection & league tables
How has equal opportunities policies and role models affected girls achievement?
- belief that boys and girls are entitled to same opportunities is now part of mainstream thinking
- e.g. GIST & WISE encourage girls to pursue careers in non-traditional areas
- e.g. Introduction of the national curriculum (1988) removed one source of gender inequality by making girls and boys study the same subjects > barriers removed making schools more meritocratic
- Moreover, increase in female heads & teachers act as role models for girls > showing women can achieve positions of importance other than traditional goals
- female scientist have visited schools acting as a role models
Evaluating the idea that equal opportunities policies and positive role models has affected gender differences in achievement
- Implementation of the policies may vary across schools making the impact not universal
- despite efforts to provide positive models, women still remain underrepresented in STEM fields which may limit aspirational impact on girls
- class factors
- contrast with external factors
How has GCSE/coursework and teacher attention affected girls achievement?
- some argue that the gender gap in achievement is a product of the changed system of assessment
- Mitsos & Browne > conclude that girls ae more successful in coursework because they are more conscientious & better organised than boys > these factors have helped girls benefit from the introduction of coursework
- Moreover, French found that boys got more attention as they attracted more reprimands while Swan found that girls are better at listening & cooperating > explains why teachers respond more positively to girls, as they have higher expectations in terms of behaviour & academic performance leading to more constructive feedback & support > girls internalize expectations
Evaluating the idea that GCSE/coursework and teacher attention has affected gender differences in achievement
- sociologists argue that these characteristics & skills are a result of early gender role socialisation in the family > become an advantage to the education system
- There has also been a reduction in coursework and shift to exams, despite this girls outperform boys so other factors must interplay
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How has challenging stereotypes in curriculum and selection & league tables affected girls achievement?
- removal of gender stereotypes in textbooks & learning materials has removed a barrier to girls achievement portraying positive images of what women can do instead of a traditional housewife etc
- Marketisation policies have created a more competitive market in which schools see girls as more desirable because they achieve better exam results
-** Jackson >** introduction of exam league tables has improved opportunities for girls as high achieving girls are attractive to schools > creates self fulfilling prophecy
Evaluating the idea that challenging stereotypes in curriculum & selections and league tables has affected gender differences in achievement
- the hidden curriculum, teachers may unconsciously reinforce traditional gender role through their interactions & school practices which can influence subject choices
- minority ethnic and w/c girls may face unique challenges that are not addressed by challenging stereotypes
What is one reason for social class differences in achievement?
- Archer> conflict between w/c girls feminine identities and the values and ethos of the school
- Archer found in her study that by performing w/c feminine identities the girls gained symbolic capital (status/recognition from others)
- this brought them in conflict with school preventing them from acquiring educational capital & economic capital (m/c careers)
What strategies did Archer find that the girls followed for creating a valued sense of self?
- adopted a hyper-heterosexual feminine identity > invested considerable effort on their appearance to construct identity e.g. wearing makeup, sexy clothes etc> this brought them status from peer group but brought with them symbolic violence from school (defining them as other)
- having a BF brought symbolic capital but got in the way of schoolwork & lowered girls aspirations
- being loud e.g. questioning teachers authority
What is the w/c girls dilemma?
- either gaining symbolic capital from their peers by conforming to a hyper-heterosexual feminine identity
- or gaining educational capital by rejecting their w/c identity & conforming to the schools m/c notions of an ideal pupil
What are the external factors that have affected boys achievement?
- literacy skills
- decline in traditional men’s jobs
How has literacy affected boys achievement?
- gender gap said to be mainly because of boys poorer literacy & language skills
- parents spend less time reading to their sons as its seen as a feminine activity
- girls tend to have a bedroom culture centred on staying in and discussing with friends while boys leisure pursuits do little to develop language & communication
How has globalisation & the decline in traditional men’s jobs affected males achievements?
- since 1980s there has been a significant decline in in heavy industries such as iron, mining & engineering
- result of the globalisation of the economy which has led to the manufacturing industry relocating to developing countries
- Mitsos & Browne> this decline in male employment opportunities has led to an identity crisis for men, believe they have little chances of getting a proper job > undermines their motivation and self esteem so give up trying to gain qualifications
Criticism of the idea that globalisation and the decline in traditional men’s jobs has affected achievement?
- boys may underachieve due to reasons unrelated to the labour market e.g. peer pressure, anti-school subcultures or teacher interactions
- while some industries have declined, other traditionally male-dominated sectors e.g. construction/tech remain viable career paths > Vocational training & apprenticeships provide alternative for those uninterested in academic education
How has the feminisation of education affected boys achievement?
-** Sewell** claims that boys fall behind because education has become feminised
- schools do not nurture masculine traits such as competitiveness & leadership but celebrate qualities more associated with girls e.g. attentiveness & methodical working
Criticisms of the idea that the feminisation of education has affected boys achievement?
- in countries with highly feminized education systems e.g. Scandinavia boys perform well while in countries with more traditional masculine education boys still underperforms > undermines idea that more female teachers are to blame
- Read found that female teachers used a masculine disciplinarian discourse to control pupils behaviour > disproves the claim that schools have become feminised & that males can only provide stricter classroom culture
How has the growth of Laddish subcultures affected boys achievement?
- Epstein> found that w/c boys are likely to be harassed , labelled as sissies and subjected to homophobic very abuse if they appear to be swots
- because w/c masculinity is equated with being tough & doing manual work, school work is seen as effeminate and inferior > so w/c boys rejects school work to avoid being called gay
