4.gender differences in achievement(e) Flashcards
(36 cards)
what are some A02 points for GCSE?
-overall, A* rates for boys was 5.9% compared to 8.1% for girls
-boys outperformed girls in biology and chemistry
-female A*-C rate was 73.1% compared to 64.3% for boys
what are some A02 points for alevel?
-in 2021, 44.3% of alevel entries in england were awarded an A* or A
-2021 first year where more female students got A* grade in maths than males
-gender gap reached its highest level in 10 years, with the rate of A* and A’s standing at 46.4% for girls vs 41.7% for boys
what is womens education?
-historically, womens education was designed to teach m/c and u/c girls how to be better mothers and wives
-make girls more attractive marriage material for men
-m/c taught very basics of reading, writing, maths, domestic skills
-werent encouraged to have academic aspirations
-in 1840s it was first acknowledged that if women were the first educators of children, they needed a solid education
what are some gender differences within achievement?
-girls statistically do better than boys at every level o education system in english and science
-boys starting to catch up but not in GCSE english where 70% of girls pass compared to 54% of boys
-more girls stay on post 16
-more women accepted into uni
-women more likely to get 1st class degree
if girls are doing so well, why are feminists moaning about education?
-feminists still concerned about girls experiences of education
-15,000 girls leave school with no qualifications
-girls less likely to take subjects like physics and maths for alevel
-girls tend to slip back a little at alevel where they were high performers at GCSE
-women still underpayed compared to men
what was education like from 1950-1988?
-concerns about underachievement of girls at school
-girls did worse in exams and were less likely to progress to higher education
what was education like in early 1990s?
-girls narrowed the gap and eventually eliminated it
-girls were outperforming boys at every level of national curriculum and in every subject at GCSE and alevel
what was education like in 2006:higher education?
-48% of females went onto higher education vs 38% of males
-males were ahead in achieving higher classifications than women
what is the external factor ‘feminism’?
-feminist movement challenged traditional stereotype of womens role as solely mother and housewife
-feminist raised womens expectations and self-esteem
-McRobbie’s (1994) study of girls magazines: in the 1970s they emphasised the importance of getting married and not being ‘left on the shelf’, whereas nowadays they contain images of independent women
what is the external factor changes in employment?
-equal pay act (1970) and sex discrimination act (1975)
-growth of service sector has increased career opportunities for women
-girls have become more ambitious and are less likely to see having a family and home as their main role in life. many girls growing up today have mothers working in paid employment
what is the external factor changing girls ambitions?
-Sharpe’s (1994) interviews with girls in the 1970s and 1990s show major shift in the way girls see their future. in order to achieve independence, many girls recognise they need an education. 1974: girls had low aspirations, believed educational success was unfeminine, gave their priorities as ‘love, marriage, husbands, children, jobs, careers more or less in thst order’. 1990: wanted careers and to be able to support themselves
what is the external factor changes in the family?
-since 1970s, been increase in number of lone parent families which tend to be headed by women
-more women taking on breadwinner role
-increase in divorce rate, suggests to girls it is unwise to rely on a husband the be their provider
what is the internal factor government policies and programmes?
-Boaler= ‘equal opportunities’ policies key to changing girls achievement. barriers removed
-Gist & Wise= encourage girls to pursue careers in non-traditional areas
-national curriculum=girls & boys study mostly same subjects, removed some gender inequality
-league tables= marketisation policies created more competition where schools see girls as desirable recruits as they do better in exams
-Jackson 1998= league table improved opportunities for girls- high achieving girls are attractive to schools whereas low achieving boys arent
what is the internal factor role models in education?
-increasing number of women in senior positions in education such as headteacher and academy CEOs
-lack of male primary school teachers suggests to boys that learning is a female activity
what is the internal factor changes in curriculum?
-introduction of coursework=favours girls. Gorard=argues changed system of assessment is reason behind gender gap in achievement. Mitsos & Browne= girls are more successful in coursework as theyre better organised than boys
-Elwood (2005)= exams have more influence than coursework on final grades, coursework is unlikely to be only cause of gender gap
-challenging stereotypes= removal of gender stereotypes from textbooks has removed barrier to girls achievement
what is the internal factor labelling?
-teacher attention= French & French (1993) analysed classroom interaction and found boys received more attention as they attracted more reprimands. Francis (2001) found that while boys got more attention, they were disciplined more harshly
-ideal pupil=may explain why teachers respond more positively to girls. may lead to self-fulfilling prophecy. girls also spend more time on their work, take better care with presentation, meet deadlines.
-laddish sub-cultures= contributed to boys underachievement. in w/c subculture, masculinity is equated with being tough and doing manual work. Epstein (1998) found that w/c boys are likely to be harassed, subjected to homophobic verbal abuse if they appear to be ‘swats’
what are ‘laddish subcultures’ in boys and achievement?
-francis (2001)- found boys are concerned about being labelled as ‘smart’ as it threatens their masculinity
-epstein (1998)- found that pro-school w/c boys were likely to be harrassed, labelled as ‘gay’ and subjected to verbal abuse by peers if they appear as ‘swats’
-some sociologists argue that the growth of ‘laddish’ subcultures has contributed to boys underachievement
what is feminisation of schooling in boys and achievement?
-sewell (2006)- argues boys are underachieving bc education has become feminised.
schools no longer embody traditional masculine traits like competition and leadership.
-instead they celebrate things like methodical working and attentiveness in class
-sewell suggests coursework is major cause in gender differences in achievement
what is lack of male role models in boys and achievement?
-lack of male role models within schools means education is more feminised
-some sociologists believe with the rise of female headed lone parent families, the lack of male role models at home is a contributing factor to boys underachievement
-yougov (2007)- most boys surveyed said presence of male teacher made them behave better, 42% said ti made them work harder
-some sociologists argue female teachers are unable to control boys behaviour, and male teachers are better able to impose strict discipline boys need
what is literacy in boys and achievement?
-some sociologists identified boys poor literacy skills as further factor contributing to their underachievement
-one reason for their poor literacy skills may be bc parents
spend less time reading to their sons as its seen as a feminine activity
-boys leisure interests dont encourage communication & language skills, whereas girls tend to have ‘bedroom culture’ centred on staying in and talking with friends
what is globalisation in boys and achivement?
-since 1980s, manufactoring industries have relocated into developing countries like china
-globalisation has led to decline of traditional male jobs in heavy industries like shipbuilding, mining, manufactoring within uk
-mitsos and browne argue that decline in heavy industry employment has lead to identity crisis among males
-many boys believe they dont have a chance at getting a job so have less motivation to gt a job
what are some evaluations of boys and underachievement?
male teachers
-research suggests the absence of male teachers may not be major factor in boys underachievement
-francis (2006)- two thirds of 7-8 year olds delieved gender of teachers doesnt matter
-read (2008)- criticised idea that only male teachers can exert firm discipline. she studied types of language teachers used and found two types:
*disciplinarian discourse= teachers authority is made explicit and visible
*liberal discourse= teachers authority is implicit and invisible
what are some evaluations of boys and achievement?
moral panic
-critics of feminism speak of ‘girl power’ and of girls today ‘having it all’, they believe girls have succeeded at disadvantage of boys
-ringrose (2013 feminist)- believes these views have contributed to moral panic about ‘failing boys’
-ringrose argues that this has caused a shit in educational policy:
*too focused on ‘failing boys’, ignoring problem of disadvantaged w/c and minority ethnic pupils
*by focusing on achievement gaps it ignores other issues faced by girls, like bullying, sexual harassment, self-esteem, identity issues
what is gender role socialisation in factors affecting subject choice?
-process of learning the behaviour expected of males and females in society
-norman (childhood activities)- from early age, boys & girls are dressed differently, given different toys , encouraged to take part in different activities
-byrne (schools)- teachers encourage boys to be tough and show initiative whereas girls are expected to be quiet, helpful, clean, tidy
-browne and ross (gender domains)- tasks and activities that boys and girls see as male or female territory. children more confident in task when they see it as their own gender norm
-murphy and elwood (reading)- boys and girls develop different tastes in reading. boys read hobby books and informative texts, girl read stories about people
