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Sociology - Education > Topic 4 - Gender Differences in Achievement > Flashcards

Topic 4 - Gender Differences in Achievement Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Girls achievement
External factors

A

1 The impact of feminism
2 Changes in the family
3 Changes in women’s employment
4 Girls changing attitudes

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2
Q

The impact of feminism

A
  • Feminism has improved women’s rights and opportunities
  • MCROBBIEs study compared 1970s magazines emphasising the importance of marriage, to 1990s magazines which portrayed strong independent women
  • These changes may affect girls self-image and ambitions, explaining improvements in education
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3
Q

Changes in the family

A
  • Impacted girls attitude towards women e.g., girls may have the role model of strong independent women, to achieve this women need a well paid job and good qualifications
  • A rise in divorce rates also suggests to girls it is unwise to rely on their husband as the provider
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4
Q

Changes in women’s employment

A
  • 1970 EPA made it illegal to pay women less than men for the same work
  • The promotion of women in paid work has risen from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013
  • Some women are breaking through the glass ceiling
    = Greater career opportunities, better pay, and successful female role models provide an incentive for girls to gain
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5
Q

Girls changing attitudes

A
  • SHARPE interviewed girls in the 1970s and 1990s and saw a shift in how girls see their future:
    1974 girls had low expectations, prioritised love, marriage, husbands, children, jobs
    1990 girls prioritised their career and being able to support themselves
  • FULLER found educational success became part of girls identity. They believed in meritocracy and aimed for professional jobs which would enable them to support themselves
  • BECK and BECK-GERNSHEIM link this change in attitude to a trend in individualism in todays society, a career is part of a women’s self project promising recognition and economic self sufficiency
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6
Q

A03 Class, gender, and ambition

A
  • There are class differences in how girls ambitions have changed
  • REAY limited aspirations of working class girls reflect the limited jobs they perceive as being available to them. Traditional gender identity is seen as attainable and offers status
  • Working class girls therefore do not see the point in achieving in education
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7
Q

Internal factors

A

1 Equal opportunity policies
2 Positive role models in school
3 GCSE and coursework
4 Teacher attention
5 Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
6 Selection and league tables

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8
Q

Equal opportunity policies

A
  • Feminist ideas have impacted on the education system = reflected in education policy e.g., GIST (Girls into science and technology) and WISE (Women into science and engineering) encourage girls to peruse careers in non-traditions areas
  • The introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988 removed one source of gender inequality as boys and girls would have to study mostly the same subjects
  • BOALER sees the impact of equal opportunity policies as a key reason for the changes in girls achievement. Barriers to education success have been removed and schooling is more meritocratic
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9
Q

Positive role models in school

A
  • There is now an increase in female teachers and heads, showing women can achieve positions of importance
  • To become a teacher the individual must undertake lengthy and successful education herself therefore encouraging educational achievement
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10
Q

GCSE and coursework

A
  • GORARD claims the gender gap in achievement we fairly constant from 1975 to 1989 when there was a sharp increase, this was the year GCSEs and coursework were introduced = concluded that the gender gap is down to change in assessment, not the failing of boys
  • Increased use of oral exams, girls have developed language skills
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11
Q

A03 GCSE and coursework

A
  • ELWOOD although coursework may have had some impact it cannot be the only influence on the gender gap because exams have more influence on the final grade
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12
Q

Teacher attention

A

Teachers interact with boys and girls differently:
- FRANCIS boys were disciplined more harshly and felt picked on by teachers, who had low expectations of them
- SWANN and communication styles: boys dominate whole class discussions whereas girls prefer pair work or group work. Girls are also better at listening and cooperating, they take turns whereas boys interrupt one another
This could explain why teachers respond more positively to girls, this could lead to a SFP, promotion girls self esteem and raise achievement levels

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13
Q

Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum

A
  • The removal of gender stereotypes from learning material has removed a barrier to girls learning
  • WEINER claims since the 1980s, teachers have challenged these stereotypes and sexist images have been removed from textbooks. This could have impacted girls achievement by presenting them with more positive images of what women can do
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14
Q

Selection and league tables

A
  • Marketisation has created a more competitive system, in which schools see girls as more desirable recruits because they tend to do better
  • JACKSON high achieving girls are attractive to schools, whereas low achieving boys are not = SFP
  • SLEE boys are less attractive to better schools because of behaviour difficulties and they’re 4x more likely to be excluded
  • As a result boys are seen as liability students
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15
Q

Feminist view on girls’ achievement

A
  • Liberal feminist
  • Radical feminist
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16
Q

Liberal feminist view on girls’ achievement

A
  • Celebrate the progress so far in relation to girls’ achievement
  • Further progress will be made as a result of equal opportunity policies, encouraging positive role models, and overcoming sexist attitudes
  • Similar to functionalism, education is meritocratic
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17
Q

Radical feminists

A

The system is still patriarchal:
- Sexual harassment of girls at school
- Limits girls subject choices and career options
- Male teachers are still more likely to be heads of secondary skills
- Women are underrepresented in the curriculum
- WEINER secondary school history as a “woman free zone”

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18
Q

Identities, class, and girls achievement

A

ARCHER identified strategies that girls adopted to create a sense of self:
1 Hyper-heterosexual feminine identify
2 Having a boyfriend
3 Being loud
As a result, working class girls are faced with a dilemma:
- Gain symbolic capital from peers adopting a hyper-heterosexual identity
- Gain educational capital by rejecting working class identities and conform to the schools middle class, respectable, ideal pupil

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19
Q

Hyper-heterosexual feminine identity

A
  • The girls invested time and effort into constructing a feminine identity
  • This led to the school “othering” the schools
  • BOURDIEU = symbolic violence
  • ARCHER ideal female pupil = middle-class and de-sexualised
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20
Q

Having a boyfriend

A
  • Having a boyfriend brought symbolic capital, but gets in the way of school work = lowered aspirations
  • Girls wanted to “settle down”, have children, and work locally in working class feminine jobs
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21
Q

Being loud

A
  • Adopting loud, feminine identities
  • Outspoken, independent, and assertive
  • They didn’t meet the teachers expectations of the “ideal female pupil” = conflict with teacher
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22
Q

A03 Identities, class, and girls achievement

A
  • Working class feminine identities therefore conflict with educational success therefore being a major cause of underachievement
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23
Q

Successful working class girls

A
  • EVANS working class girls wanted to go onto university but not for themselves, but to increase their earning power and to help their families
  • SKEGGS their motivation reflect “caring” identities
  • ARCHER working class girls preferred to stay local (working class habitus) resulting in self exclusion from the top universities
24
Q

Boys achievement (external factors)

A

1 Boys and literacy
2 Globalisation and the decline of traditional men’s jobs

25
Q

Boys and literacy

A

DCSF gender gap is down to boys poor literacy and language skills:
- Mothers spend less time reading with their sons
- Reading is a “feminine” activity
- Boys leisure pursuits don’t aid language/communication skills, girls tend to have a bedroom culture
Policies have been introduced to try and improve boys achievement

26
Q

Globalisation and the decline of traditional men’s jobs

A
  • Since 1980s, much manufactory industry has relocated overseas to take advantage of cheap labour, with these sectors previously dominated by men
  • MITSOS and BROWNE argue this has led to an identity crisis for men, leading to lack of self esteem and lack of motivation
27
Q

A03 Globalisation and the decline of traditional men’s jobs

A
  • However, the decline has mainly been in manual working class jobs, where no qualifications are necessarily required, therefore it is unlikely the decline has had much impact on boys achievement
28
Q

Boys achievement (internal factors)

A
  • Feminisation of education
  • Shortish of male primary school teachers
  • Laddish subcultures
29
Q

Feminisation of education - boys achievement

A
  • SEWELL boys fall behind because the curriculum is feminised, school doesn’t nurture “masculine” traits such as competitiveness or leadership
  • Coursework also benefits girls, putting boys at a disadvantage
30
Q

Shortage of male primary school teachers - boys achievement

A
  • A lack of male role models is said to be a cause of boys underachievement
  • Only 14% of primary school teachers are male, according to Yougov 39% of 8-11 year old boys have no lessons whatsoever with a male teacher
  • Some argue the culture of primary school has become feminised, and male teachers are able to impose stricter discipline on boys
  • Suggesting we need more male teachers
31
Q

A03 Shortage of male primary school teachers

A
  • FRANCIS two thirds of all 7-8 year olds didn’t feel the gender of their teacher mattered
  • READ found most teachers used the masculine disciplinarian approach which would disprove the argument the culture of education is feminised, also disputing the claim only men can provide strict classroom discipline
32
Q

Laddish subcultures

A
  • EPSTEIN looked at how masculinity is constructed and found working class boys are likely to be harassed, labelled as sissies and subjected to homophobic abuse if they appear to be swots
  • This is because in working class culture masculinity is constructed as being tough and doing manual work, whereas non manual work and and extension schoolwork is seen as effeminate and inferior
  • As a result working class boys reject schoolwork
  • FRANCIS believes as girls start to move into traditional masculine areas, boys become even more laddish in an effort to construct themselves as non-feminine
33
Q

Government policy to deal with underachievement - boys achievement

A
  • National literacy strategy
  • Dad’s and sons
  • Teacher recruitment
  • Raising boys’ achievement
34
Q

Government policy to deal with underachievement - girls achievement

A
  • Equal opportunities policies
  • WISE
  • Non-sexist, non stereotyping careers advice
  • National curriculum
35
Q

Feminism

A
  • RINGROSE argues these views have contributed a moral panic about boys’ achievement
  • Reflects a fear that underachieving working class boys will grow up to be dangerous and unemployable
36
Q

Critics of feminism

A
  • Argues policies to promote gender equality in education are no longer needed, claiming girls “have it all” and women are now taking mens jobs
  • They believe girls are succeeding at boys’ expense
37
Q

Policy impact

A

1 Focus on failing boys ignores the problem of disadvantaged working class and ethnic minority pupils
2 Focussing on achievement ignores other problems faced by girls, e.g., sexual harassment, bullying, self-esteem, identity issues, and subject choices

38
Q

Intersectionality - girls’ and boys’ achievement

A
  • Social class
  • Ethnicity
39
Q

Intersectionality - Social class

A
  • Girls and boys of the same social class achieve similar results
  • For example the gender gap within a social class is rarely beyond 12 points
  • Across social classes this is much wider
  • Girls from highest class can be up to 44 points ahead of girls from lowest class
  • Proving class is more of an important factor than gender
40
Q

Intersectionality - Ethnicity

A
  • Gender gap among black Caribbean pupils is greater than other ethnic groups
  • FULLER found black girls may define their femininity in terms of success at school and independence
  • SEWELL found black boys define their identity as opposition to education
41
Q

Gender and subject choice

A
  • National curriculum
  • A-Levels
  • Vocational subjects
42
Q

Explanations of gender differences in subject choice

A
  • Gender role socialisation
  • Gendered subject choices
  • Gender identity and pear pressure
  • Gendered career opportunities
43
Q

Gender role socialisation

A
  • BRYNE teachers encourage boys to be tough, show initiative, and to not be weak, whilst girls are encouraged to be quiet, helpful, clean, and tidy - develop different tastes in reading
  • MURPHY and ELWOOD argue this leads to different subject choices, boys read hobby books and girls read books about people
  • BROWNE and ROSS gender domains are the tasks that children view as either male or female
44
Q

Gendered subject choices

A

KELLY science is seen as a male subject:
- Science teachers more likely to be men
- Examples used in textbooks are often boys
- Boys dominate science labs

45
Q

Gender identity and peer pressure

A
  • PAECHTER sport is seen as male domain so girls who are sport have to deal with an image which contradicts their stereotypical imagery
  • DEWAR studied an American college and found male pupils would call girls butch or lesbian if they engaged in sport
46
Q

A03 Gender identity and peer pressure

A
  • Peer pressure is a powerful influence on gender identity and how pupils see themselves in relation to particular subjects
  • In mixed schools peers police one another on their subject choices
  • Single sex schools = absence of a peer pressure from the opposite sex may explain why students chose to study subjects that go against their gender domain
47
Q

Gendered career opportunities

A
  • Employment is highly gendered
  • Women are concentrated in a narrow range of occupations which may reflect the gender choices in education
  • This sex typic of occupations affect boys and girls ideas about jobs which are acceptable for them
  • This may explain why vocational courses are more gender-specific, as they’re more closely linked with career paths
48
Q

Intersectionality - gender, vocational choice, and class

A
  • FULLER found working class girls had ambitions to go into hair, beauty, or childcare: reflecting their working class habitus
  • These often arise out of work experience where schools steer girls toward a certain type of job, and therefore towards a certain type of vocational course
49
Q

Pupils sexual and gender identities

A
  • Double standards: when we apply a set of moral standards to one group, but a different set to another group
  • LEES identifies a double standard of sexual morality
  • FEMINISTS see this as patriarchal ideology, justifying male power
50
Q

Verbal abuse - pupils sexual and gender identities

A
  • CONNELL identifies a rich vocabulary of abuse as a way in which gender identities are reinforced
  • LEES boys called girls “slags” if they appeared sexually available, but “drags” if they weren’t
  • PAECHTER sees name calling as maintaining male power, use of labels such as “gay” are a way pupils police each others identities
51
Q

The male gaze - pupils sexual and gender identities

A
  • MAC AN GHAILL refer to the male gaze as the way male pupils and teachers look girls up and down, seeing them as sexual objects, and making judgements about their appearance
  • See this as surveillance, reinforcing heterosexual masculinity and is a way of boys proving their masculinity to their friends
  • Boys who do not do this risk being labelled as “gay”
52
Q

Teachers and discipline - pupils sexual and gender identities

A
  • HAYWOOD and MAC AN GHAILL male teachers told boys off for “behaving like girls”, but ignored boys verbal abuse and blamed girls for attracting it
  • ASKEW and ROSS male teachers can reinforce dominant gender ideas, for example going into a female teachers class to result them by threatening disruptive pupils
53
Q

Male peer groups - pupils sexual and gender identities

A
  • WILLIS study found buys in anti-school subcultures who wanted to do well were labelled as gay/effeminate
  • MAC AN GHAILL found working class “macho lads” were dismissive of other working class boys who worked hard and aspired for middle class careers
  • MAC AN GHAILL did find a shift from “macho lads” in lower school to “real Englishmen” in sixth form, reflecting the middle class atmosphere of sixth form
54
Q

Female peer groups (policing identity) - pupils sexual and gender identities

A
  • ARCHER shows how working class girls gain symbolic capital from their female peers though performing a hyper-heterosexual identity
    RINGROSE studied 13-14 year old working class girls peer groups, finding being popular was crucial to their identity, and faced tension between:
  • Idealised feminine identity
  • Sexualised identity
55
Q

Idealised feminine identity

A
  • Showing loyalty to friendship group and being non-competitive
56
Q

Sexualised feminine identity

A
  • Competing for boys in the dating culture

Sociology - Education (7 decks)

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