Gender: Internal Flashcards
What are the internal factors on gender differences?
-Equal opportunities policies
-Positive role models
-Gcse and coursework
-Teacher attention
-Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
-Selection and league tables
Boaler
Sees the impact of equal opportunity policies a key reason for the change in girls achievement. Many barriers removed (meritocratic).
Name two policies that encourage girls
-GIST: girls into science and technology
-WISE: women in science and engineering
When was the national curriculum changed for girls?
1988, removed a source of gender equality- girls and boys study mostly sane subjects.
When was the gender gap fairly constant until?
-1989- coursework introduced as major part of grading
-gender gap= ‘product of the changed system of assessment not more boys failing’
Mitsos and Browne
-Conclude girls more successful in coursework as:
-spend more time -better at meeting deadline -care more w presentation
Why might coursework not have a huge influence on exams?
Although coursework has some influence, it’s unlikely to be the only cause of gender gap, as exams have much more influence on grades.
How to teachers tend to distribute attention to boys
While boys got more attention, they were disciplined more harshly. Felt picked on by teachers, that tended to have lower expectations (francis)
Swann
Gender differences in communication styles.
Boys- dominate whole class discussion
Girls- prefer group work, taking in turns, listen (SFP)
How school learning material changed since 1980s?
- T have challenged stereotypes & sexist images have been removed from learning material.
Jackson
League Tables have improved opportunities for girls, high achieving girls are attractive to schls but low achieving boys are not.
-Creates a SFP, more likely recruited by good schools, so do well.
Liberal feminists view of gender differences
-Celebrate progress made in improving achievement. Believe more is to be made by further equal opportunities policies, positive role models, overcoming sexist attitudes/ stereotypes
-Similar to functionalists: edu is meritocratic- all have equal opportunities
Radical feminists view of gender differences
-More critical, while they recognise girls are achieving more, emphasise it remains patriarchal- conveys clear message it’s a mans world eg.
-sexual harassment of girls at schl
-Still limits girls subject/career options
-men still more likely head teachers
% of wc girls that gained 5+ A-C GCSEs
eligible for free school meals: 40.6%
those not eligible: 67.5%
Archer (symbolic capital)
Feminist: one reason for differences is conflict between wc feminine identities (gained symbolic capital from peers) and values of the schl.
-prevented educational capital & economic capital (careers)
How do wc get a feminine identity?
-hyper-heterosexual identity-invest considerable time, effort, money
-have a boyfriend-uninterested in edu
-being loud-conflict w teachers
(major causes of underachievement)
Bourdieu
symbolic violence, harm done by denying someone’s symbolic capital
Evans study
-sixth form girls, those that wanted to go uni to increasing earning power wanted it to help family.
-reflects wc feminine identities (caring)
-Wished to stay home= self exclusion= limit success
Reasons for a larger gender gap for boys
-poorer literacy
-decline in traditional men’s jobs
-feminisation of education
-shortage of male T
-laddish subcultures
DCSF (2007)
-gender gap mainly result of boys poor literacy and language skills
-parents read less to them, mostly mothers read (feminine activity)
-leisure pursuits- sports. Girls ‘bedroom culture’
Name two Gov policies to raise boys achievement
-The Raising Boys Achievement Project
-National Literacy Strategy
Mitsos & Browne (trad jobs)
-This decline in male employment opportunities has led to an ‘identity crisis’ for men
-Many see little prospects available, undermines motivation/self esteem
Sewell (feminisation)
-Boys fall behind as edu has become ‘feminised’
-coursework a major cause, should replace some with exams & outdoor adventure in curriculum
‘not a mans world. But we have thrown the boy out with the bathwater’
Stats on shortage of male primary T
-many boys raised in the 1.5m female LPFs- no role model at home or schl
-14% T are male
Read
-Critics Sewells claim that primarys feminised & only males can discipline boys
Read Study
-Study of primary Ts:found that most (male and female) used masculine disciplinarian discourse to control pupils behaviour.
-this disproves claim that only m provide a stricter class boys thrive in.
What are the chances of M getting headship compared to F
male teachers 1/4 chance of headship
female teachers 1/13
-Proof it’s a male-dominated structure, numerically dominated by females.
Epstein (laddish sc)
examined the construction of masculinity in schools.
-Wc boys that engage in edu: more likely harassed, labelled sissies, subject to homophobia (swots, gay ect)
-As in wc culture, masculinity= tough, manual work
Why are laddish subcultures becoming more widespread?
-As girls move into traditional masculine areas boys respond by ‘becoming increasingly laddish in effort to construct themselves as non-feminine’ (francis)
Ringrose (moral panic)
-Views abt girls ‘having it all’ has contributed to ‘failing boys’ moral panic.
-Moral panic has caused major shift in ed policy. Now aims to raise boys achievement. 2 negatives…
-ignores social class & ethnic minorities (simply ‘failing boys’)
-Only looking at achievement gaps, ignores other problems eg bullying, harassment, stereotypes ect.
Is the gender gap greater, compared to other achievement gaps?
-Similarities are greater between G and B achievement than the differences, when compared to class & ethnic gaps
-class gap at GCSE= 3x wider than gender
How do T encourage gender role socialisation?
-T encourage B to be tough, show initiative, not be weak or behave like sissies.
-Whereas G are expected to be quiet, helpful, clean and tidy.
Helps explain why boys prefer science subjects and girls english (Bryne)
Browne & Ross (gender domains)
-Children more confident when engaging in tasks that fit their ‘gender domain’ eg maths tasks, girls confident when abt food, boys when abt cars
gendered subject choice- science a boy subject?
-Argues science is seen as a ‘boys subject’ because:
-Science T are more likely men
-examples T use & textbooks often boys interests
-boys dominate the lab, acting like it’s ‘theirs’
Leonard
single sex school pupils tend to hold less stereotypes on subjects
-Girls in girls schools more likely to take math &science & at uni.
-Boys in boys schools more likely to take English & language.
Fuller (gender, vocational choice, class)
Wc girls aimed for gendered careers in childcare, hair & beauty ect (wc habitus’
-concludes the schl was implicitly steering girls towards a certain type of job-hence certain vocational course.
Connell
-Difference experiences reinforce ‘hegemonic masculinty’- the dominance of heterosexual masculine identity & subordination of females/gays
Lees
-For sexual morality, boys boast but girls get called a slag if she doesn’t have a steady boyfriend or speaks/ acts a certain way ‘drags’ if she didn’t.
(feminist: patriarchal ideology, justifies men’s power, devalues women)
Connell
a ‘rich vocabulary of abuse’ is one way the dominant gender & sexual identities are reinforced
-eg name calling,to put girls down eg lezzie, queer ect.
Ghaill
male gaze: the way male pupils and T look girls ‘up & down’ , seeing the, as sexual objects & making judgements abt their appearance
-form of surveillance, way to prove masculinity
Ghaills study (male peer groups)
-peer groups reproduce a range of class-based masculine gender identities
-eg wc macho lads= dismissive of other wc boys who work hard for a mc career, called them dickhead achievers’.
how do male t subtly reinforce gender stereotypes
eg ‘rescuing’ female colleagues when pupils are being disruptive. reinforces idea women can’t cope alone.
