Gender Differences in education

Question 1

The impact of feminism

Answer 1

The feminist movement has considerable success in improving women’s right & opportunities through changes in the law.

Question 2

Changes in the Family

Answer 2

• An increase in divorce rate
• An increase in cohabitation
• Smaller familes

Question 3

Changes in women’s employment

Answer 3

1970 Equal Pay Act makes it illegal to pay women less than men for work of equal value, & the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act outlaws discrimination at work.

Question 5

Girls changing ambitions

Answer 5

Sharpe found that girls were now more likely to see their future as an independent woman with a career rather than as dependant on their husband and his income.

Question 6

Equal opportunities policies

Answer 6

GIST & WISE

Question 7

Positive role models in schools

Answer 7

Women teachers are likely to be particularly important role models as far as girls’ educational achievement is concerned since to become teachers.

Question 8

GSCE & Coursework

Answer 8

Mitsos and Browne found that girls are more successful in coursework as they are better organized than boys, and these factors help girls benefit from the introduction of coursework.

Question 9

Teachers attention

Answer 9

Jane & French (1993) analyzed classroom interactions. they found that boys received more attention because they attracted more reprimands

Question 10

Challenging sterotypes in the curriculum

Answer 10

Weiner (1995) argues that since the 1980s teachers have challenged such stereotypes, by removing sexist images from learning materials.

Question 11

Selection and league tables

Answer 11

Jackson (1998) notes the introduction of exam league tables has improved opportunities for girls: high achieving girls are attractive to schools, whereas low achieving boys are not.

Question 12

Liberal feminists - girls achievement

Answer 12

They believe that further progress will be made by the continuing development of equal opportunities policies, encouraging positive role models.

Question 13

Radical feminists - girls’ achievement

Answer 13

They take a more critical view such as sexual harassment of girls continues at school

Question 14

Archer - symbolic capital

Answer 14

Archer found that by performing their working-class feminine identities, the girls gained symbolic capital from their peers, which brought them into conflict with the school. This prevented them from gaining educational and economic capital.

Question 15

Hyper-heterosexual feminine identity

Answer 15

Archer argues girls adopted this identity buy having a boyfriend or being ‘loud’

Question 16

Archer - working class girls’ dilemma

Answer 16

Archer argues that working-class feminine identities and educational success conflict with one another. Working-class girls’ investments in their feminine identities are a major cause of their underachievement.

Question 17

Working Class Identity

Answer 17

Evans (2009) shows in her study of 21 working-class sixth form girls in a south London Comprehensive school. They wanted to go to university but to help their families.

Question 18

Boys & Literacy

Answer 18

Department for Education (2007) boys have a poorer literacy skill, as parents may spend less time reading to their sons as it may be seen as a feminine activity.

Question 19

Globalisation and the decline of traditional men’s jobs

Answer 19

Since 1980 there has been a decline in trad jobs due to the globalisation of the economy.

Question 20

Mitsos & Browne - Identity crisis

Answer 20

Boys now believe that they have little chance of getting a proper job which undermines their motivation and self-esteem so they give up getting qualifications.

Question 21

Feminisation of education

Answer 21

Sewell claims education has become ‘feminised’ (BBC, 2006) he argues that coursework should be replaced with final exams.

Question 22

Shortage of male primary school teachers

Answer 22

Yougov (2007) 39% of 8-11 year old boys have no lessons whatsoever with a male teacher. Yet most boys surveyed said that the presence of a male teacher made them behave better and 42% said it made them work harder.

Question 23

Read - disciplinarian discourse

Answer 23

The teacher’s authority is made explicit and visible, for example through shouting.

Question 24

Read - liberal discourse

Answer 24

The teacher’s authority is implicit and invisible.

Question 25

Read (2008)

Answer 25

Read found that most teachers female & male used a ‘masculine’ disciplinarian discourse to control pupils’s behaviour

Question 26

‘Laddish’ Subcultures

Answer 26

Epstein (1998) found that working-class boys are likely to be harassed, labeled as sissies, and subjected to homophobic if they appear to be ‘swots.’ Francis (2001) found that boys were more concerned than girls about being labeled by peers as in a working-class culture masculinity is equated with being tough and schoolwork is seen as effeminate. She argues that boys are becoming extremely ‘laddish in their effort to construct themselves as non-feminine.

Question 27

Moral panic about boys - Ringrose

Answer 27

Ringrose argues that the moral panic of underachieving boys becoming dangerous threatens social stability. This has created a shift in educational policy.

Question 28

Ringrose two negative effects of moral panic:

Answer 28

1. By narrowing the equal opportunities policy down simply to ‘failing boys’ as it ignores the problem of disadvantaged working-class pupils
2. By narrowing gender policy down solely to the issue of achievement gaps, it ignores other problems faced by girls in school including sexual harassment and bullying.

Question 29

Osler (2006)

Answer 29

Osler notes that the focus on underachievement boys has led to a neglect of girls. This is partly because girls often disengage from school quietly

Question 30

Gender role socialisation

Answer 30

Byrne (1979) shows that teachers encourage boys to be tough and show initiative and not to be weak. Girls are expected to be quiet and helpful.

Question 31

Gender domains

Answer 31

Browne & Ross (1991) argue that children’s beliefs about ‘gender domains’ are shaped by their early experiences. Children are more confident when engaging in tasks that they see as part of their own gender domain

Question 32

Gendered subject images

Answer 32

Kelly argues that science is seen as a boys’ subject as science teachers are more likely to be men. The examples teachers use, and those in textbooks often draw on boys’ rather than girls’ interests.

Question 33

Single-sex schools

Answer 33

Leonard (2006) found that girls in girls schools were more likely to take maths and science A levels.

Question 34

Gender Identity and peer pressure

Answer 34

Paechter (1998) found that because pupils see sports as mainly within the male gender domain, girls who are ‘sporty’ have to cope with an image that contradicts the conventional female stereotype. This may explain why girls are more likely than boys to opt out of sport

Question 35

Gendered career opportunities

Answer 35

Women’s jobs still largely involve ‘care work’ which accounts for 40% of the range of occupations: health and social work 20%.

Question 36

Gender, vocational choice and class

Answer 36

Fuller (2011) argues that most of the working-class girls she studied had ambitions to go into jobs such as child care, this reflected their working class habitus.

Question 37

Double standards

Answer 37

Lees (1993) identifies a double standard of sexual morality in which boys talk about their sexual exploits but call girls ‘slag’ if she doesn’t have a boyfriend.

Question 38

Verbal abuse

Answer 38

Parker (1996) found that boys were labelled gay simply for being friendly with girls or female teachers.

Question 39

The Male Gaze

Answer 39

Mac and Ghaill see the male gaze as a form of surveillance through which dominant heterosexual masculinity is reinforced and feminity devalued.

Question 40

Male peer groups

Answer 40

Epstein and Willis show boys in anti-school subcultures often accuse boys who want to do well at school of being gay or effeminate.

Question 41

Female peer groups

Answer 41

Ringrose found that being popular was crucial to the girls’ identity and they faced tension between :

1. An idealized feminine identity ( being loyal to friends and non-competitive)
2. A sexualized identity that involves competing for boys in the dating culture.

Question 42

Slut & frigid shaming

Answer 42

Shaming is thus a social control device by which schoolgirls police, regulate and discipline each other’s identities

Question 43

Boffin Identity

Answer 43

Reay (2001) found that girls who want to be successful educationally may feel to conform to the ideal feminine identity and perform an asexual identity.