Education & Gender

Question 1

What are the external factors that cause girls to achieve more than boys?

Answer 1

• The impact of feminism
• Changes in family
• Changes in women’s employment
• Girls changing ambitions

Question 2

How does feminism lead to achievement in girls?

Answer 2

The changes encouraged by feminism can challenge stereotypes of women’s movements in both sphere

Question 3

What are some of the major changes in the family since the 1970s?

Answer 3

Increased divorce rate
increase in cohabitation
An increase in lone parent families
Smaller families

Question 4

How do changes in the family lead to achievement in girls?

Answer 4

Increasement in female’s lone parent families gives girls higher aspirations and sense of independence.
The increase in divorces reinforces the idea girls don’t have to rely on husbands.

Question 5

What are some important changes in women’s employment?

Answer 5

The Equal pay act 1970 and the sex discrimination act 1975 shows women are breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’.

Question 6

How do changes in employment lead to achievement in girls?

Answer 6

Encourages girls to have greater career opportunities and have role models with successful career acting as a incentive to gain qualifications.

Question 7

What did Sharpe 1994 find?

Answer 7

Girls priorities have changed from love, marriage and children in 1970 to being career focuses in 1990s.

Question 8

How do girls changing ambitions lead to achievement in girls?

Answer 8

They recognise that in order to achieve independence and self sufficiency, they need a good education.

Question 9

What are the internal factors of gender differences in achievement?

Answer 9

∙Equal opportunities policies
∙GCSE and coursework
∙Marketisation
∙Teacher’s attention

Question 10

What are examples of educational policies?

Answer 10

GIST and WISE which encouraged girls to pursue careers in non traditional fields.

Question 11

What did the introduction of coursework do?

Answer 11

Girls are more successful in coursework as they are more conscientious and better organised, take care with presentation and are better at meeting deadlines, which helps girls benefit more from the introduction of coursework

Question 12

How has there been an increase in positive role models in schools for girls?

Answer 12

The increase in female teachers and head teachers show women can achieve senior positions.

Question 13

What do sociologists argue that these characteristics and skills are the result of?

Answer 13

Early gender role socialisation where girls are more likely to be taught to be neat, tidy and patient, which helps girls in the assessment system

Question 14

Why do teachers respond negatively to boys

Answer 14

Boys attracted more teacher attention but also discipline them harsher and lower their expectations of them

Question 15

Why do teachers respond more positively to girls

Answer 15

boys dominate class discussion whereas girls prefer group work and turn taking showing they are more cooperative then boys who are more disruptive

Question 16

How can teacher attention lead to achievement in girls?

Answer 16

Positive attention can lead to a self fulfilling prophecy due to interactions that promote their self esteem, and so raise their achievement levels

Question 17

How did marketisation affect gender achievement

Answer 17

The introduction of exam league tables improves opportunities for girls as higher achievers so are selected to better schools

Question 18

What is the liberal feminists view of girls’ achievement?

Answer 18

They celebrate the progress made to encourage equal opportunities policies and believe further progress can be made to help overcoming sexist attitudes and stereotypes.

Question 19

What is the radical feminists view of girls’ achievement?

Answer 19

They are more critical of the progress made as they believe the system remains patriarchal

Question 20

What evidence do radical feminists give to show education is still patriarchal?

Answer 20

There is still continued sexual harassment of girls and a limitations of girls subject and career choices

Question 21

What did Archer et al argue there was?

Answer 21

A conflict between w/c girls feminine identities and the values of the school cause class differences in girls-symbolic capital which is gained from performing their working class feminine identities but bought conflict with school, preventing educational and economic capital

Question 22

What strategies does Archer identify the girls use to create a valued sense of self?

Answer 22

Adopting a hyper-heterosexual feminine identity, having a boyfriend and being ‘loud’

Question 23

How do boyfriends affect working class girls achievement?

Answer 23

Boyfriends can get in the way of schoolwork and lowers girls’ aspirations, including losing interest in university, studying ‘masculine’ subjects or gaining a professional career, instead the girls aspire to ‘settle down’

Question 24

What is a further reason for these working class girls to remain at home whilst at university?

Answer 24

The fear of getting into debt

Question 25

What are factors that affect boys achievement levels?

Answer 25

∙Poor literacy skills
∙Decline in traditional men jobs
∙Leisure activities

Question 26

What are reasons for why boys have lower literacy and language skills?

Answer 26

Parents tend to spend less time reading to their sons and when they do it tends to be the mother which can portray reading as a feminine activity

Question 27

Why can a decline in globalisation affect educational achievement

Answer 27

Can lead to a male identity crisis as their less male employment opportunities

Question 28

Why does Sewell argue education has become more feminised?

Answer 28

Because schools doesn’t nurture masculine traits such as competitiveness

Question 29

How does laddish subcultures affect achievement?

Answer 29

Masculinity is constructed within schools so when boys participate in non-manual work they risk being called ‘gay’.

Question 30

What can affect pupils gender identities

Answer 30

• Double standards
• Verbal abuse
• The male gaze
• Peer groups
• Teacher’s and discipline