Role of Education on Society - Feminist Perspective Flashcards
Why do feminists have large areas of agreement with functionalists and Marxists?
Because they all see the education system as transmitting norms and values
How to feminist views differ from functionalist and Marxist views?
Feminists believe the education system transmits norms and values of patriarchal society
What do feminists sociologists see double standards in schools as an example of?
A patriarchal identity that justifies male power and devalues women
What is used to reinforce dominant gender and sexual identities according to Connell?
“A rich vocabulary of abuse”
How did Mac an Ghaill identify that teachers play a part in reinforcing dominant definitions of gender and identity?
Some male teachers told boys off for “behaving like girls”
Why did girls historically underachieve in comparison to boys?
Lower expectations
Gender subject choice
Socialisation into expressive roles
Aspirations to marry and have children
What does Sharpe say about girls historic aspirations?
Girls has aspirations to marry and have children
What sectors would girls historically end up in if they went into employment?
Low paid sectors such as retail
What have girls started to do since 1988?
Since the introduction of the National Curriculum, they have started to achieve higher than boys
How has the increase in feminism improved girls achievement?
It has increased their career aspirations
What view did Sharpe challenge in her ‘just like a girl’ study?
The view that women should stay at home after marriage
What was the most common Jon aspiration of w/c girls in the 1970s in Sharpe’s ‘just like a girl’ study?
Office work
What jobs did the majority of w/c girls in 1970s in Sharpe’s ‘just like a girl’ study choose?
‘Feminine jobs’ such as nursing and teaching
What fraction of w/c girls in the 1970s in Sharpe’s ‘just like a girl study’ wanted to be a girl?
3/4
Opinions of office jobs in 1990s follow up study in Sharpe’s ‘just like a girl’ study?
Office work didn’t appeal to girls in school
Trends in popularity of marriage from 1970s to 1990s in Sharpe’s ‘just like a girl’ study
Popularity of marriage decreased by roughly 50%
How are girls socialised to allow teachers and parents to exercise greater control over them?
They are socialised to be passive and subservient
What do girls have less of than boys due to gender socialisation?
Less freedom regarding controls on time, space and body
How were schools described in 1983 according to Spender’s ‘invisible women:the school scandal’?
They were patriarchal, male-dominated institutions where teachers favoured male pupils by paying more attention to them
Work rate of girls in schools in 1983 according to Spender’s ‘invisible women:the school scandal’
Girls tended to work harder and were more motivated than boys
Control of girls’ looks in schools
Inform regulations - girls needed to conform to passive, feminine identities
Appearance controlled - girls faced more severe sanctions
What were girls sanctioned for wearing in schools?
For wearing clothes that may be distracting to boys, suggesting males are unable to control their actions meaning females must control theirs
What is the hidden curriculum?
Unwritten rules, values and normative patterns of behaviour which students are expected to conform to and learn while in school
What did the hidden curriculum teach in schools according to Heaton and Lawson?
It taught patriarchal values
What do liberal feminists point out?
They point out the remaining issues of patriarchy in education while acknowledging provided they have made towards equality in education
Under the tripartite system of 1940s and 50s, now were girls institutionally failed?
Boys had a lower pa rate for the 11+ than girls to ensure more boys would succeed
What shows that the patriarchal education system has possibly been failing since the 1980s?
Girls have been outperforming boys in education
What percentage of the teaching workforce were women in November 2021?
75.5%
What causes males to have fewer male role models at school?
More women teachers
How does gender socialisation give girls an advantage?
They are socialised into conformity and obedience which makes them the ideal pupil
What is the focus of educational reforms on according to Jackson et al?
It’s on boys’ underachievement, rather than inequality
What percentage of graduated in education are female?
80%
