education and gender

Question 1

what was 1950 - 1988 like for girls in education?

Answer 1

serious concern of underachievement.
- less likely to take A-levels
- did worse in exams across the board
- less likely to progress onto higher eduction

Question 2

shift in gener and education in the early 90s?

Answer 2

girls narrowed the gap eventually eliminating it
- by 1990s girls were outperforming boys at every level of the national curriculum STATS key stages 1-3 and every subject at gcse and a level.

Question 3

higher eduction in 2006?

Answer 3

• 48% of females went onto higher education
• 38% of males went onto higher education

Question 4

university choices?

Answer 4

• boys more likely to study maths, science and technology in higher education
• girls more likely to study psychology, linguistics, history, social sciences or employment related degrees

Question 5

what does conell suggest ?

Answer 5

suggests that biological difference are overstated, and assumptions between men and women are generalisations. Basically gender is a social construct.

Question 6

Wilkinson created the term?

Answer 6

‘gender quake’ to describe shifts that were taking place in society

Question 7

the link to socialisation?

Answer 7

primary socialisation in the home reinforced in secondary environment which is a possible explanation for ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ subjects

Question 8

what are some changes in school organisation?

Answer 8

• policies and exams have seen to favour girls
• teaching has become more female dominated
• fewer role models for boys

Question 9

willis suggests ?

Answer 9

some boys reject values of education, likely to advocate vocational workplace

Question 10

what do feminists argue?

Answer 10

that the education system makes sure that males and females stay unequal in British society. Regardless of the improved position of females, there’s still traditional divide when it comes to subject choices.

Question 11

what did wikeley find?

Answer 11

a clear difference in which subjects boys and girls pick. for example, in 2007 only 1/100 construction students were female.

Question 12

external factors for gender differences in attainment?

Answer 12

factors outside of s cool in wider society that contribute to higher attainment of girls and lower attainment of boys.
- impact of feminism
- changes in family socialisation
- changes in employment and jobs

Question 13

internal factors for gender differences in attainment ?

Answer 13

factors within the school system that contribute to the higher attainment of girls and lower attainment of boys

Question 14

example of an external factor that impacts gender differences?

Answer 14

feminism has impacted the motivations and ambitions of girls.

Question 15

what did Sue Sharpe compare?

Answer 15

results of interviews with girls in the 70s and 90s she found that there was a shift in the way girls viewed themselves.
70s = low aspirations, felt unfeminine to gain educational success
90s = having a career and being able to support themselves were a main priority, more likely to see themselves as independent women

Question 16

external changes in family and socialisation?

Answer 16

girls = changes in family patterns
- decreasing marriage rates
increasing female lone parent household which create new role models for girls to recognise the importance of qualifications from school and to become more independent
- girls are also more likely to be socialised to be more passive and obedient which leads to them becoming the ‘ideal pupil’
boys = parents spend less time reading with their sons decreasing their literacy skills, boys hobbies also do little to help develop language and communication skills.

Question 17

external changes in employment/jobs ?

Answer 17

girls = legal changes encourage girls to see their future in terms of paid work rather than housewives. greater opportunities in the workplace and better pay for women. (equal pay act and sex discrimination act)
boys = due to globalisation there’s been a decline in heavy industries such as iron and seeds, engineering etc.
Mitsos and Browne suggested declines in male employment opportunities has led to ‘identity crisis’

Question 18

evaluation of external factors ?

Answer 18

• still evidence of pay gaps between men and women
• differences in subject choice between girls and boys show there must be some career and ambitions girls feel held back from
• decline is mainly manual working class jobs that don’t need qualifications

Question 19

internal labelling and teacher attention?

Answer 19

teachers interact with girls and boys differently, boys receive more negative attention than girls. difference in attitude could lead to a self fulfilling prophecy in which successful interactions with teachers promote girls’ self esteem and raise their achievement levels.

Question 20

internal feminisation of education?

Answer 20

in 2021 statistics showed that 75.5% of teachers were women. female pupils have more role models within education system which may help explain their educational success. Lack of male role models for boys could be impacting their achievements

Question 21

internal changes of gcse’s / coursework?

Answer 21

Gorard = ‘gender gap’ increased dramatically in 1988/9 as gases brought the introduction of coursework
Mitsos and Browne = support this view by suggesting corsework suits girls because girls spend more time on their work, taking care of presentation and organisation as well as meeting deadlines.

Question 22

internal laddish subcultures ?

Answer 22

• growth of laddish subcultures have contributed to boys underachievement.
• Epstein suggested if working class boy is a swot they’re more likely to be harassed labelled as sissies and subjected to homophobic verbal abuse.