Gender Differences In Education

Question 1

What statistics highlight the gender gap in achievement?

Answer 1

• In 2013, teacher assessments of pupils at the end of year one showed girls ahead of boys by between 7 and 17 percentage points.
• At KS1-KS3 girls do consistently better than boys.
• At AS and A-level girls are more likely to sit, pass and get higher grades than boys.
• On vocational courses a larger proportion of girls get distinctions.

Question 2

What are the 4 external factors that cause the gender differences in achievement?

Answer 2

1. ) The impact of feminism
2. ) Changes in family
3. ) Changes in women’s employment
4. ) Girl’s changing ambitions

Question 3

1.) Impact of feminism

Answer 3

• The movement have challenged the traditional stereotype of a woman’s role in the family. Feminism has raised women’s expectations and self-esteem.
  -The push for equal rights + challenging traditional stereotypes of mothers + housewives has improved women’s rights + opportunities through changes in the law.
  -McRobbie’s (1994) study of girl’s magazines. In the 1970s they emphasised the importance of getting married whereas nowadays, they contain images of assertive, independent women.

Question 4

2.) How has changes in the family impacted gender differences in achievement?

Answer 4

• Increase in divorce rate (more female role models / female breadwinners)
• An increase in cohabitation and a decrease in the number of first marriages
• An increase in the number of lone-parent families
• Smaller families
  -The normalisation of divorces has mean’t women can no longer rely on men for financial stability + has to work hard to provide for herself.
  -Women are now more likely to take on a breadwinner role.
  -New role models of financially independent women with well paid jobs + high qualifications create a cycle.

Question 5

3.) How has changes in women’s employment impacted on gender differences in achievement?

Answer 5

-The 1970 equal pay act and 1975 sex discrimination act
-Since 1975 the gender pay gap has gone from 30% to 15%
-The proportion of women in employment has risen from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013 due to part time / flexible roles
-Women are now breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’
-Encourages girls to see their futures as paid work + not housewives.
-Greater career opportunities, better pay + better role models so girls try harder in school to achieve this lifestyle.

Question 6

4.) How has girls’ changing ambitions impacted gender differences in achievement?

Answer 6

• Sue Sharpe’s (1994) interviews with girls in the 1970s and 1990s show a major shift in the way girls see their future.
• In 1874, the girls had low aspirations; they believed educational success was unfeminine and appearing to be ambitious would be considered unattractive. With love,marriage and husbands being their main priority
• By 1990s these priorities changed to careers and being able to support themselves.

-Beck; independence is valued more today. As a career promises recognition + economic self sufficiency, which girls recognise has to be done through good education.

Question 7

How does class affect gender and ambition?

Answer 7

Some w/c girls continue to have gender-stereotyped aspirations for marriage and children.
-Diane Reay (1998) sees this as due to the limited job opportunities they perceive as being available to them.

Question 8

What are the 6 internal factors that affect gender differences in achievement?

Answer 8

1. ) Equal opportunities policies
2. ) Positive role models in schools
3. ) GCSE and coursework
4. ) Teacher attention
5. ) Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
6. ) Selection and League Tables

Question 9

What are the two views of girls’ achievement?

Answer 9

1. ) Liberal feminists - Celebrate the progress made so far in improving achievement, and show similarities to the functionalist view. They believe in encouraging role models + overcoming stereotypes.
2. ) Radical feminists - Emphasise that the system remains patriarchal and conveys the message that it is still a mans world e.g, sexual harassment in school, male teachers more likely to be heads, some subjects are still dominated by men.

Question 10

What is symbolic capital?

Answer 10

The status, recognition and sense of worth that we are able to attain from others.

Question 11

What did Archer find about symbolic capital and W/c girls?

Answer 11

Archer found that by performing their W/C feminine identities, the girls gained symbolic capital from their peers although this put them at conflict with school. These identities included clothing, makeup, being loud and having boyfriends.

Question 12

What was the w/c girls dilemma?

Answer 12

Gaining symbolic or educational capital.

Question 13

What are some characteristics of ‘successful’ w/c girls

Answer 13

Sarah Evans 2009 sixth form study:

• Girls wanted to go to uni for their family
• Caring is a crucial part of their identity
• Cost and Fear of Debt are major issues for W/c gorls when deciding what uni to go to.
• They preferred staying locally.

Question 14

How has Boys and literacy caused a gender gap in achievement?

Answer 14

• DSCF (2007) the gender gap is mainly the result of boys’ poorer literacy and language skills, which could’ve been caused by parents spending less time reading to their sons.
• Boy’s leisure pursuits do nothing to develop their language and communication skills, contrasting girls.

Question 15

How has globalisation and the decline of traditional men’s jobs affected the gender gap in achievement?

Answer 15

Mitsos and Browne claim that this decline in male employment opportunities has led to an ‘identity crisis for men’.
Leading to many boys believing they have little prospects of getting a proper job, leading to a decrease in self esteem and confidence.

Question 16

How has the feminisation of education caused a gender gap in achievement?

Answer 16

• Tony Sewell claims schools do not nurture masculine traits such as competitiveness and leadership instead they celebrate more feminine qualities such as methodical working.
• Coursework is the main problem
• “This is not a mans world. But we have thrown the boy out with the water.”

Question 17

How has a shortage of male primary teachers caused a gender gap in achievement?

Answer 17

-The lack of male role models at school and home has said to be a cause of boys’ underachievement.

Question 18

1.) Equal opportunities policies; What are the policies that have affected gender achievement in school?

Answer 18

-Teacher’s and policy makers are now very aware of the issues of stereotyping.
-Policies like GIST have raise girls achievement and the national curriculum has also led to boys and girls studying the same subjects.
-More girls in textbooks, girls + boys made study same subjects.
-Schools has become more meritocratic

Question 19

2.) Positive role models

Answer 19

-More female teachers + heads (act as role models for girls that can achieve positions of high importance).
-More girls in school textbooks.

Question 20

3.) GCSEs and Coursework; How has the introduction of coursework affected gender achievement (Involve a criticism)

Answer 20

-The introduction of coursework has gave girls an advantage as they’re better organised than boys + they’re better at presentation, spend more time on work and meet deadlines.
-So this change in the education system has led to girls achieving more.

❌not the only factor affecting girls’ higher achievement as exams have much more influence on final grades than coursework and girls still do better.

Question 21

4.) Teacher attention; How does differences in teacher attention + opinion affect achievement?

Answer 21

-Boys get more attention as they attract more trouble so we’re disciplined more harshly.
-They felt picked on + that teachers had lower expectations of them.
-Girls prefer paired + group work as they’re better at listening + cooperating.
-This could be why teachers are more positive towards girls who cooperate compete to boys who are ‘disruptive’.
-This could lead to a SFP that promotes girls self-esteem = ^ achievement levels.

Question 22

5.) Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum

Answer 22

-The removal of stereotypes in textbooks + other materials has removed a barrier to girls’ achievement.
-Sexist images have been removed from learning materials + have been replaced with more positive images of women.
-This May have raised girls achievement.

Question 23

6.) Selection and league tables

Answer 23

-Marketisation policies have led to the education system being more competitive.
-So schools select girls more as they achieve better so they can be higher on the league table.
-League tables have improved opportunities for girls because they’re more desirable so more likely to get chosen by better schools that will help them achieve high.

Question 24

What comes under identity, class and girls achievement?

Answer 24

1.) Symbolic capital
2.) Hyper heterosexual feminine identities
3.) Boyfriends
4.) Being loud
5.) Working class dilemma
6.) Successful working class girls

Question 25

5.) Laddish subculture

Answer 25

-Boys are likely to be bullied, labelled as sissy + subject to homophobic abuse if they appear to be ‘swots’.
-They are more afraid of being labelled by peers as swots as it threatens their masculinity.
-W/C boys avoid schoolwork to avoid being called gay, they should appear to be tough, tough + dangerous.

Question 26

6.) The moral panic about boys (involve criticism)

Answer 26

-Believe men are at a disadvantage now compared to girls.
-Ringrose; there’s a moral panic about failing boys.
-This is that W/C boys will underachieve + become dangerous, unemployed + threaten social stability.
-This has led to an over-focus on boys + policies to help improve their achievement.

❌This has led to a neglect of ethnic minorities and W/C underachievement.
❌It has also led to ignorance of other problems faced by girls in school such as SA + stereotypes.

Question 27

What comes under gender and subject choice?

Answer 27

1.) Gender role socialisation
2.) Gender domains
3.) Gendered subject images
4.) Single-sex schooling
5.) Gender identity + peer pressure
6.) Gendered career opportunities

Question 28

1.) Gender role socialisation; What does this mean + how does it affect subject choice?

Answer 28

-This is the process of learning the behaviour expected of males + females.
-For example, from an early age girls + boys are dressed differently, given different toys + encouraged to take part in different activities.
-Boys encouraged to read information books whilst girls read stories, further encouraging boys to take science + maths and girls to go into English.

Question 29

2.) Gender domains

Answer 29

-Gender domains are the activities that girls + boys see as more male/female territory and therefore do them.
-Kids are more confident doing tasks in their own gender domain.

Question 30

3.) Gendered subject images

Answer 30

-This effects who will want to choose it.
-For example, science is seen as a boy subject because; teachers more likely to be men, more boys in textbook + boys dominate the laboratory.

Question 31

4.) Single sex schooling

Answer 31

-People in same sex schools tend to choose less traditional subject choices.
-Girls in these schools are more likely to take maths and English and A level girls more likely to study male dominated subjects.
-Boys in all boys schools more likely to take English.

Question 32

5.) Gender identity and peer pressure

Answer 32

-Subject choice is influenced by peer pressure.
-For example, boys avoid dance + music as it falls outside their gender domain + doesn’t want to risk being labelled sissy or gay.
-Similar to girls who do sports labelled as lesbian or butch.
-This pushed girls + boys to adopt their appropriate gender identity.

Question 33

6.) Gendered career opportunities

Answer 33

-Jobs are stereotyped as either men’s or women’s.
-Women likely to be similar work to a housewife, e.g. cleaner, nanny, nurse or go into hair + beauty reflecting the W/C habitus.
-This narrows their career options.

Question 34

7.) Gender, vocational choice and class

Answer 34

Most W/C girls go into childcare or hair + beauty as it reflects their habitus (“What are realistic expectations for people like us”)

Question 35

What comes under pupils sexual and gender identity?

Answer 35

1.) Double standards
2.) Verbal abuse
3.) The male gaze
4.) Male peer groups
5.) Female peer groups
6.) Teachers and discipline

Question 36

1.) Double standards

Answer 36

-Males’ sexual promiscuity is praised + given status by male peers but for girls, it is given negative labels.
-This reinforces gender inequality by keeping females subordinate to men.

Question 37

2.) Verbal abuse

Answer 37

-Boys used verbal abuse to put girls down if they behave or dress in certain ways, e.g. slags if they are dressed ‘inappropriately’.
-This shames gender identity + maintains male power.

-Boys also shape each others sexual identities you labelling others as gay or queer for being friends with girls or not doing sports etc.

Question 38

3.) The male gaze

Answer 38

Max and Ghaill:
-The way male pupils + teachers look at girls as sexual objects + comment on their appearance.
-This devalues femininity + boys who do not show their heterosexuality in this way risk being labelled as gay.

Question 39

4.) Male peer groups

Answer 39

-Boys use verbal abuse to reinforce their own masculinity.
-Boys are keen to not be seen as gay, leading them into an anti-school subculture to accuse W/C who work hard in school as being gay.
-Shows macho lads being dismissive of other W/C boys.

Question 40

5.) Female peer groups

Answer 40

-W/C girls gain symbolic capital through hyper-feminine identities.
-If they don’t conform they risk being labelled unpopular.
-They also get status from being with boys + becoming more sexual but must balance this with being loyal to other females ‘girl code’.
-Compete for boys without being labelled as a slut but also not being labelled frigid.

Question 41

6.) Teacher discipline

Answer 41

-Teacher discipline also plays a part in reinforcing gender indentity.
-Teachers tell boys off for behaving like girls.
-Also ignored boys’ verbal abuse towards girls + even blamed girls for attracting it.