Topic 4: Gender - Trends Flashcards
What did feminists in the 1980s state, and how has this changed?
In the 1980s, feminists claimed that education systematically discriminated against girls; this is why they did not do as well in higher levels of education.
However, since then, girls have vastly outperformed boys in nearly all levels of education.
What did Michelle Cohen (1998) note about gender difference in the early years of education?
She said that, at the earlier stages of education, girls have always outperformed boys; dating back to when mass ed was introduced in UK.
Despite this, girls did not have the same opps in higher education as boys.
How were women disadvantaged at university back in the 19th century and early 20th?
Before 1877, no uni accepted female students.
They were first awarded degrees at Oxford in 1920, and Cambridge in 1921.
How did the tripartite system discriminate against girls?
Despite girls performing better on it, there were no extra places for girls over boys.
Thus, they had to get higher marks than the boys to be accepted.
How did people try and justify the tripartite discrimination?
- Boys “mature later”.
2. A woman’s main priority was supposed to be homemaking, not a career.
What have statistics, since the early 1990s, shown?
Girls outperform boys at nearly every level of the system (this may have something to do with the introduction of GCSEs over O-Levels).
What was the only subject that girls did not achieve more level 4s in at SATS in 2011?
Maths (80% of boys and 80% of girls achieved a level 4).
What was the difference between Level 4 attainment for SATS Writing in 2011?
Girls: 81% achieved a Writing Level 4
Boys: 68% achieved a Writing Level 4
What were the only subjects that girls did not perform higher in, in 2013?
GCSE: Maths (A*-C)
A-Level: French (A*-C), Economics, Media and film (less likely to pass than boys).
Are differences at A-Level as pronounced as other levels?
Nope.
For A*-E grades, there are only 3 subjects where there is more than a 1% gap between girls’ and boys’ overall achievement.
Thus, it is wrong to exaggerate boys underperformance at this level.
In 2012 and 2013, who gained more A*s at A Level?
Boys gained slightly more A* grades.
(My ideas) what could the closing of the gap at A Level be a symbol of?
- The idea of boys maturing later holds weight.
or - It is only the most able boys who sit A Levels anyway, so it naturally equals out.
Are girls necessarily as disadvantaged in university as they once were?
No.
In 2010/11, there were more female, full time undergrads than male.
55% vs 45%.
Further, in 2012, girls were 1/3 more likely to start a degree.
Who performs better at university?
Girls.
2012: 63% of Boys got a 1st or upper 2nd; this was 68% for girls.
This 5% point difference has remained consistent for a number of years.
Why does research from Haralambos and Holborn (2013) show that these differences in attainment may be overestimated?
Because boys have been gaining ground on girls - the gap is narrowing.
Their results have been steadily improving at GCSE and A-Level (could this be due to a move away from traditional manual work to a service economy?)
