Subject choice- Gender

Question 1

Gender role socialisation and gender domains

Answer 1

Murphy and Elwood argue that differences in gender socialisation lead to different tastes and subject choices. For example girls read stories about people associated with bedroom culture and they are more likely to pick subjects such as health and social care, english and textiles wheras boys tend to have hobby books which lead to the interests in sciences.

Question 2

Ao3 gender role socialisation and gender domains

Answer 2

Due to the change in positions of women, gender socialisation is now changing as women are breaking through the glass ceiling.
Post modernists say this is outdated and lacks contemporary relevance.

Question 3

Ao1 gendered subject images

Answer 3

Some subjects are seen to be’boys’ or ‘girls’ subjects for example textiles being seen as a girl subject whilst science is seen as a boys subject because science teachers are often males and boys often dominate labs.
People who attend single sex schools tend to hold less stereotypes, subject images and make less traditional choices. An example of this is more girls are likely to take maths and sciences.

Question 4

Ao3 gendered subject images

Answer 4

GIST and WISE which are now to encourage girls to study subjects this removes subjects from being gender based for example sciences and engineering

Question 5

Ao1 peer pressure

Answer 5

Peer pressure can influence subject choice in terms of gender domains an example of this is boys opting out of dance and music as others perceive this as a subject outside the male gender domain and apply negative pressure.
Pupils see PE as being a male gender domain and therefore label girls as ‘gay’ if they show to much interest in sports.

Question 6

Ao3 peer pressure

Answer 6

This is too deterministic and now there has been shift in students picking subjects that are not part of their gender domains. For example girls pick PE and boys picking health and social care.

Question 7

Ao1 gendered career opportunities

Answer 7

Jobs are still highly gendered and tend to be sex types. Sex typing occupations affects both girls and boys idea of what jobs are possible in society for example, girls are more likely to take subjects relevant to female jobs such as health and social care. Vocational courses are much more gender specific as they are closely linked to students career plans.

Question 8

Ao3 gendered career opportunities

Answer 8

It is not only gender that affects career opportunities but also class which plays a role.
Working class pupils may make decisions about vocational courses based on their working class habitus. The girls in Fullers study had ambitions to go in to jobs like childcare or hair and beauty. This reflects their sense of what a realistic expectation for ‘people like us’ are.