Gender in Education: Subject Choice

Question 1

stats: top 5 female subjects

Answer 1

1. psychology
2. biology
3. history
4. maths
5. chemistry

Question 2

stats: top 5 male subjects

Answer 2

1. maths
2. business
3. physics
4. chemistry
5. biology

Question 3

4 reasons for divide in subject choices

Answer 3

1. Early Socialisation
2. Stereotypical subject reputations
3. Stereotypical careers
4. Peer pressure and Gender domain

Question 4

Early socialisation: Francis

Answer 4

• girls: skills toys encourage feminine interest, imaginative, creative play. subject choices lead to hairdressing, childcare
• boys: skills toys encourage action, problem solving. subject choices lead to maths, construction, physics

Question 5

Early Socialisation: Norman

Answer 5

boys and girls from early age
- dress differently
- play with different toys
- have different behavioural exceptions from parents

Question 6

Stereotypical subject reputations: Kelly

Answer 6

science seen as ‘male’ bc most science teachers male (apart from bio as plants and animals)
examples in text books drawn from ‘boys world’

Question 7

Stereotypical subject reputations: Colley

Answer 7

computer science seen as masculine as involves working w machines and way taught puts off females as less group work

Question 8

Stereotypical Careers

Answer 8

male- plumber, mechanic, salesman
female- nurse, teacher, secretary
impact subject choice as boys choose more science/ construction. girls choose more childcare and health

Question 9

evaluation of stereotypical careers

Answer 9

‘crisis of masculinity’ - decline in manual jobs so don’t know what to do so may take feminine subjects so stereotypical careers may not have as much of an influence