Gender differences in achievement sociologists

Question 1

McRobbie (1994)

Answer 1

External
1970s = importance of girls getting married and not being “left on the shelf “ , whereas nowadays they contain images of assertive , independent women.

Question 2

Sharpe (1994)

Answer 2

External
1974 = girls had low aspirations - belives educational success was unfeminine
1990 = girls had different orders of priorities - careers and being able to support themselves

Question 3

Fuller (2001)

Answer 3

External
- Girls nowadays’ educational success was a central aspect of their identity .
They saw themselves as creators of their own future and had individual notion of self

Question 4

Boaler (1998)

Answer 4

Internal
- Sees the impact of equal opportunity policies as a key reason for the changes in girls’ achievement . Many of the barriers have been removed and schooling had become more meritocratic

Question 5

Gorard (2005)

Answer 5

Internal
Gender gap in achievement was fairly constant from 1974 until 1989 , when it increased sharply

Question 6

Francis (2001)

Answer 6

Internal
-While boys got more attention , they were disciplined more harshly and felt picked on by teachers , who tended to have lower expectations of them

Question 7

Swann (1998)

Answer 7

Internal
Boys dominate in whole - class discussion , whereas girls prefer paired work and are better at listening and cooperating

Question 8

Norman (1988)

Answer 8

Gender role socialisation
from an early age , boys and girls are dressed differently , given different toys and encouraged to take part in different activities

Question 9

Leonard (2006)

Answer 9

Single - sex schooling
- Compared to pupils in mixed schools , girls in girls’ schools were more likely to take maths and science and girls from single - sex schools were also more likely to study male - dominated subjects at university

Question 10

Jackson (1998)

Answer 10

internal
introduction of exam league tables has improved opportunities for girls .
High achieving girls are attractive to schools , whereas low achieving boys aren’t .

Question 11

Archer et al (2010)

Answer 11

Internal
One reason for these differences is the conflict between Working class girls feminine identities and values of the school
- Gidls are to choose from gaining symbolic capital from their peers or educational success

Question 12

Evans (2009)

Answer 12

Internal
Working class girls wanted to go to university to increase their earning power but can’t because they need to help their families

Question 13

Reay (1998)

Answer 13

External
- Some working class girls continue to carry the gender stereotypes ambitions
- Their limited aspirations reflect the limited job opportunities they perceive as being available to them.

Question 14

Biggart (2002)

Answer 14

External
Working class girls see motherhood or working in labour forces as their only viable option

Question 15

Mitsos and Browne (1998)

Answer 15

Internal
Girls are more successful in coursework because girls
- spend more time on their work
- better at meeting deadlines
- take more care with the way it’s presented

Question 16

Liberal feminists

Answer 16

Internal
- celebrate progress that’s been made so fair in improving achievement .
- believe that further progress will be made

Question 17

Radical feminists

Answer 17

Internal
- Emphasise that the system remains patriarchal
example : girls still get sexually harassed in schools , education still limits girls’ subject choices and careers and options , women are still underrepresented

Question 18

Weiner (1995)

Answer 18

Internal
Since 1980 teachers have challenged stereotypes.
In general sexist images have been removed from learning materials
May help praise a girls achievement with replacing it with positive images of what women can do