Gender Differences in Education - Internal and External Factors Flashcards
What is feminism?
A social movement which strives for equal rights for women
What have feminists challenged since the 1960s?
Traditional roles of women
What has feminism raised for women?
Their expectations and self-esteem
What did McRobbie find when they compared girls’ magazines from the 1970s to girls’ magazines today?
Found girls’ magazines in 1970s emphasised importance of getting married but now they contain images of independent women
Of all students that achieved all 9s in their GCSEs in 2022, what percentage of them were female?
67%
How has feminism resulted in girls achieving better exam results than boys?
Improved self-esteem and ambition are possible reasons
What did the 1970 Equal Pay Act state?
It’s illegal to pay women less than men for work of equal value
When was the Sex Discrimination Act and what did it outlaw?
- Outlawed discrimination in the workplace
Percentage of women in work from 1971 to 2013
53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013
What have changes in women’s employment encouraged girls to do?
See their future in employment rather than housework
Why do girls have a higher incentive to work harder in school in recent years?
Because of role models of successful women and changes in careers
What percentage of marriages end in divorce?
40%
What factors have contributed to major changes in the family size since 1970? (5)
Increase in divorce rates
Increase in cohabitation
Decrease in number of first marriages
Increase in number of lone parent families
Smaller families
What have major changes in the family since 1970 does for girls?
Impacted their attitudes
In what ways have the changes in the family changed girls attitudes? (3)
Changed their attitudes towards education
More women are breadwinner which created a role model for girls
Increase in divorce rate suggests it’s unwise to rely on men to be provider which encourages girls to achieve more educational success
How did girls see their future in the 1970s according to Sharpe?
Girls had low aspirations and believed educational success was unfeminine
How did girls see their future in the 1990s according to Sharpe?
Girls more likely to see future as an independent women with a career
Why do girls need educational qualifications according to Francis?
Because they now have higher career aspirations
External factors contributing to girls achieving better than boys (4)
Impact of feminism
Changes in women’s employment
Changes in the family
Girls’ changing ambitions
How may women in senior roles in schools act as role models for girls?
They may show girls that women can achieve important positions
What figures within school are important role models for girls?
Female teachers
Female headteacher number in 1992 in UK
50 female nursery and primary school headteachers
22 female secondary school headteachers
Female headteacher number in 2012 in UK
71 female nursery and primary school headteachers
37 female secondary school headteachers
What is the gender gap in achievement a ‘product of’ according to Gorard?
A ‘product of the changed system of assessment rather than any more general failing boys’
Why did the introduction of coursework benefit girls’ achievement according to Mitos and Browne? (4)
Girls generally:
- spend more time on work
- take more care with presentation
- are better at meeting deadlines
- bring the right resources to lessons in comparison to boys
Why does Elwood believe the introduction of coursework isn’t very relevant to the changes in achievement for girls?
Because if only makes up a small percentage of overall grade
How could it be argued that the 1988 Education Reform Act removed gender inequality in achievement?
Made boys and girls study mainly the same subjects
What organisations encourage non-traditional gender careers?
GIST (Girls in Science and Technology)
WISE (Women In Science and Engineering)
How do policy makers make sure there are equal opportunities in schools for girls and boys?
They are now more aware of gender issues and teachers are more sensitive to avoid stereotyping
How has marketisation improved girls educational achievement?
Marketisation policies have created a more competitive climate and schools see girls as desirable because they achieve better. Better quality schools now pick more girls for this reason
What has been introduced which has improved opportunities for girls according to Jackson?
Exam league tables
SFP causing girls to achieve better
Girls more likely to do well as they’re recruited by good schools
Why are boys less attractive to schools according to Slee?
Because they are more likely to suffer from behavioural difficulties and are 4x more likely than girls to be excluded
How did educational books portray women in the 1970s and 1980s”
Reading schemes portrayed women as housewives and mothers
Physics books portrayed women as fearing science
Maths books portrayed boys as more inventive
What has been removed from learning material in recent years?
Sexist images
What did Jane and French find in their analysis of classroom interaction?
Boys received more attention from teachers because they attracted more disapproval
Internal factors linking to gender differences in achievement (6)
Positive role models
GCSE and coursework
Equal opportunities
Selection and league tables
Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
Teacher attention
