Gender differences in subject choice

Question 1

Peer Pressure (internal)

Answer 1

Peer pressure can influence subject choice in terms of gender domains. E.g. boys tend to opt out of dance & music because others will perceive these subjects to be outside the male gender domain & apply negative pressure which leads to boys avoiding those subjects.

Similarly, Dewar points out that pupils see sport as being firmly inside the male gender domain & will therefore label girls as ‘butch’ or even ‘gay’ if they show too much interest in sports.
In contrast, an absence of peer pressure from the opposite sex can explain why girls in single sex schools are more likely to choose traditional boys’ subjects.

Question 2

Peer Pressure (internal)

Answer 2

Peer pressure can influence subject choice in terms of gender domains. E.g. boys tend to opt out of dance & music because others will perceive these subjects to be outside the male gender domain & apply negative pressure which leads to boys avoiding those subjects.

Similarly, Dewar points out that pupils see sport as being firmly inside the male gender domain & will therefore label girls as ‘butch’ or even ‘gay’ if they show too much interest in sports.
In contrast, an absence of peer pressure from the opposite sex can explain why girls in single sex schools are more likely to choose traditional boys’ subjects.

Question 3

Early socialisation (external factor)

Answer 3

Murphy & Elwood argue that early difference in gender socialisation leads to boys & girls having different tastes in reading & these can lead to differences in subject choice. Boys tend to read hobby books which develops an interest in the sciences, whereas girls tend to read stories about people which can lead to an interest in English.

The gendered toys that are given to boys & girls can also have an influence. Girls are often given dolls & domesticated toys to play with. This can encourage the desire to work with children when they are older leading to an interest in primary teaching & HSC. Boys are stereotypically given more active toys, construction sets & science kits which lead into PE, maths & hard sciences such as Chemistry.

Question 4

Gendered subject images (internal factor)

Answer 4

The gender image that a subject ‘gives off’ affects who will want to choose it. Kelly suggests that the way science subjects are packaged makes them appear to be ‘boys’ subjects. The examples used in textbooks & by teachers (who are more likely to be male) tend to be linked to boys’ experiences such as football & cars

Browne & Ross, children tend to be more confident in engaging in tasks which they see as part of their gender domain as they see it as part of their ‘territory’. E.g. in a maths task, boys will be more confident tackling a problem related to cars, whereas girls might prefer a task related to health or nutrition. explain why girls are attracted to arts & humanities subjects, which focus on how people feel, & boys prefer sciences, which focus on how things are made.

Pupils who attend single sex schools hold less stereotypical subject images, girls are more likely to take maths & science.

Question 5

Gendered career opportunities (external factor)

Answer 5

Employment remains highly gendered. Women are concentrated in a narrow range of occupations: clerical, secretarial, personal services & cleaning. This gender stereotyping of occupations affects boys & girls ideas about what kinds of job are acceptable or possible. E.g. boys see nursery nursing as a woman’s job & so this affects subject choice.

This explains why vocational courses are very gender specific, as they are closely linked to students’ career plans.

This also links to internal factors within schools such as the career advice given & subject counselling done by teachers who may channel boys & girls into different subject choices based on their own gender stereotypes.