Topic 4 - Gender Differences in Achievement

Question 1

External factors - Impact of feminism

Answer 1

Girls changing priorities from the 70s-90s, more career dominated & independent now.

Question 2

External factors - Changes in Law

Answer 2

Changes in the law have improved the position of working women e.g. Equal Pay Act (1970)

Question 3

External factors - Changing girls ambitions

Answer 3

Sharpe interviewed girls:
in 1970s: wanted marry and have children, and saw their future in terms of a domestic role.
in 1990s: girls priorities had changed to careers and wanting to be independent.

Question 4

Internal Factors - Coursework

Answer 4

Mitos and Brown - girls do better than boys in coursework because they are more conscientious and better organised.

Question 5

Internal factors - Equal opportunities policy

Answer 5

GIST and WISE programmes to encourage girls into science and technology.
National curriculum allows choice, & girls and boys study same subjects

Question 6

Internal factors - Role models

Answer 6

More female teachers (only 1/6 primary school = male)
Feminization of education.
School part of the ‘female gender domain’

Question 7

Internal factors - Teacher attention

Answer 7

Swann - teachers respond more positively to girls & give more encouragement

Question 8

Internal factors - Selection & league tables

Answer 8

Girls are generally more successful than boys, so are more attractive to schools.

Question 9

External factors - Boy’s achievement [2]

Answer 9

• Boys leisure interests do not encourage language and communication skills, whereas girls ‘bedroom culture’ does.
• A decline in manual labour, less motivation to get qualifications - has led to a ‘male identity crisis’

Question 10

‘Bedroom culture’

Answer 10

Girls bedroom culture encourages language and communication skills + homework.

Question 11

Internal factors - Feminisation of education

Answer 11

• Boys fall behind because education has been ‘feminised’, meaning schools no longer nurture masculine traits.
• The introduction of coursework has disadvantages boys.

Question 12

Internal factors - Laddish subcultures

Answer 12

• There is peer-pressure on boys to demonstrate their masculinity by being ‘anti-school’.

Question 13

Evaluation of gender differences [4]

Answer 13

• Ward: Boy’s can reject ‘macho’ culture and adopt ‘geek’ identities
• Identity formation changes over time - e.g. gender identity is not fixed and completely shaped by school
• Individuals also shaped by ethnicity, class, age
• Other agents e.g. family, media, religion may also shape gender identity.