the gender gap + gender subj choice

Question 1

external factors for the gender gap in attainment: impact of feminism
(McRobbie) + as a result

Answer 1

• gives more confidence
• more independence encouraged for women
• challenged stereotypes and encouraged careers for women- breaking social stigma
• McRobbie study of girls’ magazines showed a change in the way girls are encouraged

as a result this raised expectatoins and self-esteem, which resulted in an improvement in achievement

Question 2

external factors for the gender gap in attainment: changes in the family

Answer 2

• increase in single female headed family
• creates new adult role model for girls- the financially independent woman
• shows it might be unwise to rely on a husband

as a result:
- women become the breadwinner
- girls need qualifications and well paid jobs for this

Question 3

external factors for the gender gap in attainment: changes in women’s employment

Answer 3

• equal pay act 1970
• sex discrimination act 1975
• more women in work: 53% in 1971-> 67% in 2013
• some women breaking through the “glass ceiling” to high positions

as a result:
- greater opportunities
- successful female role model gives an incentive
- girls can see themselves in a future of paid work instead of as a housewife

Question 4

external factors for the gender gap in attainment: girls changing ambition
(Sue Sharpe, O’Connor, Beck and Beck-Gernsheim)

Answer 4

• Sue Sharpe interviews (1994)- girls were more interested in getting a career and supporting themselves
• compared to in 1974 which showed they thought that academic success wasn’t feminine and being ambitious would make them unattractive
• their priorities went ‘love, husband, child, job, career’
• O’Connor (2006)- study of 14-18 y/o found that marriage and kids were low priority in their life plan
• Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (2001) link individualisation to a stronger value on independence in mainstream society. Careers have become prominent for women because it promises recognition and economic self sufficiency.

Question 5

internal factors for the gap in educational achievement: equal opportunities policy (WISE)
Jo Boaler

Answer 5

• educational policies have been influenced by feminist ideas such as equality of opportunity for boys and girls
• GIST: girls into science and technology
• WISE: women into science and technology encorage girls to take on careers in these non-traditional areas
• the introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988 has made boys and girls study mostly the same subjects, removing much gender inequality
• Jo Boaler (1988) sees equal opportunities policies as a key reason for girls’ raise in achievement.

Question 6

internal factors for the gap in educational achievement: equal opportunities policy (WISE)

as a result…

Answer 6

• many of the barriers have been removed, schools have become more meritocratic, giving hardworking girls the opportunity to succeed
• girls are encouraged to achieve their dreams by policies such as GIST and WISE

Question 7

internal factors for the gap in educational achievement: positive role models in school

Answer 7

• increase in number of females in leadership positions in school
• girls look at these women in senior positions in schools as positive which gives them a non-traditional role to aim for

as a result:
- girls know that to reach a senior position like this, they must work hard at school and beyond, this acts as inspiration

Question 8

internal factors for the gap in educational achievement: GCSE coursework
Mitsos+Browne and Stephen Gorard

Answer 8

• gives advantage to girls and disadvantage to boys: girls are better at coursework because they are more conscientious and better organised (Eirene Mitsos+ Ken Browne 1998)
• gender gap was fairly constant until 1989 when GCSEs were introduced (coursework was a major part of many subjects) - Stephen Gorard (2005)

Question 9

internal factors for the gap in educational achievement: GCSE coursework

as a result…

Answer 9

girls benefit because they:
- spend more time on work
- take care w/ presentation
- better at meeting deadlines
- bring right equipment and materials to school
(Mitsos and Browne)

coursework being strong brings up overall grade

Question 10

internal factors for the gap in educational achievement: teacher attention
(Jane and Peter French)

Answer 10

• boys get more attention because their behaviour attracts more reprimands, they are disciplined more harshly (Jane and Peter French 1993 observasions)
• boys dominate whole class discussions while girls’ speech involves turn-taking and co operation. teachers have lower expectations for boys

as a result…
- teachers respond positively to girls -> could lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in which their self-esteem and achievement improves

Question 11

internal factors for the gap in educational achievement: challenges in the stereotypes in the curriculum
Gaby Weiner

Answer 11

• removal of gender stereotypes in learning materials has removed a barrier to girls’ achievement
• in the past girls were portrayed as housewives and mothers, they were scared by science and boys were depicted as more inventive
• Gaby Weiner (1995) suggests that many teachers oppose from this which gives girls a more positive image of what they can do

Question 12

internal factors

Answer 12

factors within schools and the education system

Question 13

external factors

Answer 13

factors outside the education system such as home, family background, wider society

Question 14

internal factors for the gap in educational achievement: selection and league tables
Roger Slee + David Jackson

Answer 14

• marketisation policies = more competetive climate -> schools see girls as desireable recruits bc they achieve better exam results
• Roger Slee (1998) boys are less because they are more likely to have behavioural difficulties + 4x more likely to be excluded

as a result:
- boys may be seen as liability students and are obstacles to the school improving its league table scores
- girls have a self-fulfilling prophecy if accepted into good schools (David Jackson 1998)

Question 15

sex role theory

Answer 15

sociobiological theory by which socialisation is based on gender expectations

Question 16

gender socialisation

Answer 16

learning gender norms and values

Question 17

bedroom culture - McRobbie

Answer 17

practising literacy skills through reading, chatting, writing in their bedrooms (mostly done by girls at a young age)

Question 18

how does bedroom culture contribute to the gender gap in educational attainment?

Answer 18

helps to develop superior literacy skills in girls which helps with exams and therefore increases achievement

Question 19

how does gender socialisation contribute to the gender gap in educational attainment? (in girls)

Answer 19

girls are socialised into a passive role which leads to positive labelling by teachers, eg the halo effect makes them more engaged with their studies and more hardworking

Question 20

how does sex role theory contribute to the gender gap in educational attainment?

Answer 20

affects the gendered expectations of boys and girls, affecting their achievement as boys may think boisterous behaviour is okay in class, disrupting their achievement

Question 21

Liberal feminist viewpoints on the gender gap in educational attainment

Answer 21

• celebrate the progress made in equal opportunity policies, role models, overcoming sexist attitudes
• believe things will continue to improve
• this shows a similarity between functionalists and liberal feminists bc they both think schools are meritocracies.

Question 22

Radical feminist viewpoints on the gender gap in educational attainment

Answer 22

• things have improved but schools are still patriarchal
• sexual harassment continues in schools
• education still limits girls’ subject choices and career options
• males are still more likely to be in positions of leadership
• women are still underepresented in the curriculum- in 2016 feminism was removed from A level politics and 94% of the thinkers are male

Question 23

why could the gender gap in educational attainment not be problematic?

Answer 23

• both sexes have improved their achievement in the past 45years and the gap has remained consistent
• only some w/c boys can be described as underachieving, we should be more concerned about class + ethnicity issues rather than gender

Question 24

why do boys and girls pick different subjects?
gender domains- Partricia Murphy (+Browne and Ross)

Answer 24

• boys + girls feel better performing tasks within their own gender domain- more confident
• they tend to focus on different things
• Browne and Ross- beliefs about gender domains are shaped by early experience + expectations of adults

Question 25

why do boys and girls pick different subjects?
gendered subject images - Kelly and Colley

Answer 25

• STEM can be deterring to girls- the way it is taught + dominance of the boys
• most part of male gender domain

Question 26

why do boys and girls pick different subjects?
same-sex schooling- Diana Leonard 2006 (13,000 ppl data)

Answer 26

• students from same sex schools hold less gendered subjects images
• makes them less likely to choose conventional subjs

Question 27

do all boys join laddish subcultures?
(Francis and Epstein)

Answer 27

• esptein- w/c boys more likely to be harassed + called ‘swots’
• francis- boys more concerned than girls about being labelled, threat to masculinity
  -francis- laddish subcultures becoming more widespread, it is a backlash against feminism and political correctness
• w/c culture- boys want to be tough + do manual work, not schoolwork
• boys want to be non-feminine

Question 28

do we need more male teachers?
Francis
Read

Answer 28

• Francis- 213 of 7-8 y/o believed gender of teachers does not matter
• Read- both male + female teachers use the ‘masculine’ disciplinarian discourse to control students
• this disproves the claim that only male teachers can provide the stricter classroom that boys supposedly thrive in

Question 29

is it a moral panic?
crisis of masc

Answer 29

• moral panic created by critics of feminism who believe that girls have succeeded at the expense of boys (Ringrose)
• contributes to fear that they will become a dangerous and unemployable underclass
• ringrose 2013- this neglects girls issues: self esteem, sexual harassment etc.
• osler 2006- girls disengage quietly while boys do this by public displays of masculinity, so girls are ignored

Question 30

trends in gender achievement

Answer 30

• 1950s = concern about boys’ ach
• prev 50y= was slowly increasing
• now: white w/c pupils underachieve
• more white boys are the lowest achievers among ethnicity, class + gender

Question 31

canalisation

Answer 31

the use of gendered icons in primary socialisation to reinforce gender roles (such as girls’ dolls and boys’ tractors)

Question 32

what are the external factors? (4)

Answer 32

• impact of feminism
• changes in the family
• changes in women’s employment
• girls changing ambition

Question 33

what are the internal factors for gender and achievement? (5)

Answer 33

• equal opportunities policy
• positive role models in school
• GCSE coursework
• teacher attention
• challenges to stereotypes in the curriculum

Question 34

external factor: crisis of masculinity

Answer 34

Mac an Ghail- widespread decline of traditional male w/c jobs has led to the crisis of masculinity due to globalisation of the economy
- the impact of globalisation has meant that these jobs have been moved to other countries like China to take advantage of cheap labour
- they then become demotivated and seek status through other means

Question 35

Jackson- boys joining ‘laddish subcultures’

Answer 35

• men resort to hegemonic masculine identities to gain status
• feminisation of education means that boys reject it
• laddish behaviours, anti-school attitudes and competetiveness are present in males across all soc classes