sociology education gender and achievement Flashcards
what is the impact on feminism
feminism challenged traditional stereotypes of womans role as mother and housewife within a patriarchal family
raised girls expectations and ambitions with regard to careers and family
reflected in media images and messages
1970s magazines stressed the importance of marriage
1990s emphasised career and independence
what are the changes in family
increase of divorce rate increase in cohabitation increase in the number of lone parent families
increased numbers of female headed lone parent families mean more women need to take on major income earner role- creates new financially independent career minded role model for girls- they need good qualifications and this is clear and encourages girls to do well in the education system
what are the changes in womens employment
equal pay act 1970, sex discrimination act 1975
proportion of women in employment has risen from under 50% to 70%
some are breaking through the invisible barrier of the glass ceiling to high level professional jobs
greater opportunities provide an incentive for girls to take education
since 1975 the pay gap has halved from 30% to 15%
what is e=the evaluation to changes in womens employment
gender pay gap for men nad full and part time workers combined in the Uk was 18.4% in 2017 meaning that women currently make 80% of mens median hourly wages
what are the girls changing ambitions
view changes in the family and employment are producing changes in girls employment
sharpe compared results of interviews she carried out with girls 1970s and 1990s- 1970s low ambitions saw educational success as unfeminine and gave their priorities to love marriage husbands and children before careers- 1990s see their future as independent women with career rather than dependent on husband and their income
o’connor- study of 14-17yo marriage and children were not major part of life plans
Beck and Beck-Gernsheim- independence values much more strongly today than in the past- aim to gain individual recognition and aim to be self sufficient- achieve this independence education is needed
Fuller- educational success was central to identity- believed in meritocracy and aimed for professional careers- aspirations and ambitions require educational qualifications and therefore girls are now very motivated in school
what is the evaluation in girls changing ambition
aspirations are limited by social class
Reay and Biggart argue that working class girls may have limited aspirations and see motherhood and low level jobs as being their future
what are the equal opportunities policies
boys and girls should have the same opportunities are part of mainstream thinking
GIST and WISE encourages women to pursue careers in non traditional areas
female scientists have visited schools to act as role models and efforts have been made to raise science teachers awareness of gender issues and learning materials in science relfecting girls interests have been developed
National Curriculum meant that boys and girls had to study the same thing
Boaler- equal opportunities policies are a key factor in the improvement of girls educational performance- schools have become more meritocratic which measn that because girls in geenral work harder than boys they achieve more
what is the evaluation to educational opportunity policies
women are still underrepresented in STEM- in 2015 only 37% of those beginning further education in STEM were women
what are positive role models in schools
proportion of female teachers and female headteachers has increase
in 2001 25% headteachers in secondary schools were female
in 2015% 38% headteachers in secondary schools female
women in positions of power and authority have acted as important role models for girls because they show girls that it is possible for them to achieve important positions
reinforces the need for girls to work hard and the importance of education and qualifications in gaining such positions
what is GCSE and coursework
changes in the way students are examined have favoured girls and disadvantaged boys- the gender gap in achievement increased after introduction of GCSEs and coursework in 1988
Gorard- gender gap increased in 1989- product of changed system of assessment
Mitsos and Browne- girls more successful in coursework because they are better organised and more conscientious- girls tend to spend more time on their work take care on its presentations and are better at keeping to deadlines- help girls benefit from intro of coursework
oral exams- girls better language skills and benefit girls
characteristics are the reulst of gender role socialisation- girls encouraged to be neat tidy and patient- become advantage in education
what is the evaluation to gcse and coursework
exams more influenced coursework on final grades- not the only reason for the gender gap
metaanalysis- use of coursework may advantage girls but analysis doesnt find this alone accounts for gender gap
coursework removed from maths 2006 and 2013 remove coursework from all but science subjects and girls are still outperforming boys in gcse subjects
what is teacher attention
teachers respond more positively to girls than boys- teachers see girls as more cooperative and boys as more disruptive- lead to self fulfilling prophecy in which positive interactions raise girls self esteem and levels of achievement
Barber- teacher pupil interactions were signf- girls feedback from teachers focused more on their work rather than their behaviour- for boys reversed
Abraham- teachers perceive boys as being more badly behaved than girls in the classroom and expect bad behaviour
Jane and French- analysed classroom interactions and found that boys perceive more attentioon because they attracted more reprimands
Francis- boys disciplined more harshly and felt picked on by teachers= lower expectations of them
Swann report- gender differences in communication styles- boys dominate the whole class discussion whereas girls prefer pair or group work as they are better at listening and cooperating- boys interupt
what are challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
removing stereotypes from reading schemes textbooks and other learning materials have removed barriers to girls achievement
Weiner- since 1980s teachers have challenged gender stereotypes- sexist images have been removed from teaching materials- helped to raise girls achievement by presenting more positive images of what women are capable of
what are selection and league tables
marketisation policies and greater use of selection- more competitive climate among schools- girls seen more desirable achieve better results- boys seen as liability barrier to efforts by schools to climb league tables
Jackson- introduction of exam league tables place high value on academic achievement improved opportunities for girls- tends to produce self fulfilling prophecy in which girls are more likely to be recruited by good schools and are therefore more likely to do well
what are boys poorer literacy skills
DCFS gender gao us result of boys pporer literachy and labguage skills
girls more likely to spend leisure time in ways which compliment education- boys involve football and outdoor activities- girls have bedroom culture centred on staying in and talking with friends
mitsos and browne- emphasis on reading- women more likely to read mothers more likely to read to their children- viewed as feminine activity and girls more likely to have same sex role models to encourage them to read
1998- labour gov- policies- national literacy strategy to improve literacy- greater impact on boys than girls and a large impact on the gap between boys and girls reading
