Gender Differences In Attainments, Boys Underachievement: Lesson 28 Flashcards
What are the External factors why boys are underachieving?
- Boys literacy skills
- Decline of traditional mens jobs
What are the Internal factors why boys are underachieving?
- The feminisation of education
- Shortage of male primary school teachers
- Laddish subcultures
- Moral panic about boys
Key points on boys & literacy?
- Department for schools, children & family identify gender gap as a result of lower literacy skills
- Parents spend less time reading to boys
- Mothers one that reads to children so it’s seen as feminine
- Boys hobbies usually outdoors which doesn’t encourage literacy
- Girls hobbies ‘bedroom culture’
Key points on decline of traditional mens jobs
- Heavy industry jobs been declining since 1980s as consequence of globalisation
- Decline of these jobs led to ‘crisis of masculinity’
- Many boys don’t believe there are proper jobs for them so they have low ambitions affecting educational attainment
Key points on feminisation of education
Sedwell
- Education doesn’t nuture masculine traits like leadership & competitiveness
- Feminine qualities like attention to detail are promoted
- Coursework is major reason boys are behind
- Should be focus on outdoor activities in curriculum
Key points on shortage of male primary school teachers
- Boys lack role models in education
- WC boys more likely to have no role model at home harming them further
- 13% of primary school teachers are male
- Male teachers are better at disciplining boys so without them boys are uncontrollable
What is evidence against more male teachers?
2/3 of 7-8 yr olds believe teachers gender doesn’t matter
What did Read 2007 study?
Critical of view that schools has become feminised and need more male teachers
- Studied 51 primary schools, 25 male teachers & 26 female & the language they used
- Two types of discourse
1) Disciplinarian
2) Liberal
What is Disciplinarian discourse?
- Authority is visible through loud voice, shouting & tone
- Associated with masculinity
What is Liberal discourse?
- Authority is implicit & invisible, teachers treat students as adults and expect them to be sensible & respectful
- Associated with femininity
What did Read conclude?
- If teachers favour a more male approach education can’t be feminised
- If female teachers hers are just as likely to use male discourse this disproves idea only male teachers can discipline boys
What are more points against education being feminised?
- Women make up majority of primary school teaching roles but schools are still male dominated
- Male teachers have 1/4 chance of being headteachers where as women have 1/13 chance
Epstein 1998 key points on laddish sub-cultures
- WC boys more likely to harassed by peers and labelled sissies
- Boys join laddish sub-culture to protect their masculinity & status
Francis 2001 key points on laddish sub-cultures
- Boys more concerned than girls about being labelled as gay
- WC culture masculinity is associated with manual work & school work is feminine
- WC boys reject education to protect masculinity
- “real boys don’t work”
What is the moral panic about boys?
- Feminist critics argue promotion of girls education isn’t needed
- Girls have succeeded at expense of boys
- Girls today have it all
What does Ringrose 2013 say about the moral panic about boys?
- Agrees there’s a moral panic about boys failing
- Reflects view that underachieving boys will be unemployable & delinquents threatening social stability
- Led to shift in educational policy to focus on improving boys
- Focussing on failing boys ignores other disadvantaged groups e.g WC pupils & ethnic minorities
- Focuses on only gender attainment gap and ignores other problems girls face in school e.g harassment
