educational achievement in gender Flashcards
(32 cards)
Some key facts regarding gender and education
-girls do better at every stage in the national curriculum tests
-girls are more successful than boys in most GCSE subjects - although boys are catching up
In 2013 66% girls got 5 A-C grades compared to 54% of boys
most present in English Literature- 70% of girls got A-C compared to 54% boys
They are more likely to get 2:1s or 1sts
higher proportion stay on to sixth form and post 18 education
Despite these facts what is key to note regarding equality and education system
may girls are still underachieving- there is a difference between MC girls and WC girls
MC boys outperform WC girls
girls eligible for free school meals also underperform compared to both boys and girls not on FSM
Boys and Girls choose different subjects boys=science girls=maths
girls also achieve fewer high grade A levels than boys with the same GCSE results
women with similar qualifications to men have less employment opportunities than men
Boys and education
WC boys achieve worst in education system and especially those on FSM
however boys are still doing well in the system and improve their results each year
Why are girls outperforming boys (external)
Impact of women’s movement and feminism
REASON: Feminists have challenged the traditional stereotype of a woman’s role as exclusively that of a mother and a housewife in a patriarchal nuclear family and inferior to men outside the home, work, education and Law
- raised girls self esteem and aspirations reflect this
EVIDENCE: Angela McRobbie- girls magazines in 1970s emphasized the importance of getting married and not being ‘left on the shelf’ whereas in 90s images of assertive, independant women
Why are girls outperforming boys
(external)
Family as no longer a suitable career
REASON: there have been major changes in the family since 1970s these include increases in divorce rate, increase in cohabitation and decrease in the number of first marriages, lone parent families and smaller families make insecurity as family is not a viable career
EVIDENCE: Sue Sharp- love marriage no longer come first
Why are girls outperforming boys ( external)
Changes of women in employment
REASON- growing opportunities for women in the service sector. As a consequence girls may have become more ambitious, main goal in life is less likely to be the home and the family- many girls growing up have mothers in paid employment to provide positive role models. The future is often paid work with combined family responsibilities
EXPLANATION, Sue Sharp, Legislation Equal Pay Act 1970, Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Equality Act 2010
Why are Girls outperforming Boys
(external)
Girls Ambition
REASON- role models in media and home + belief in equality between sexes, girls aspirations had grown to include a career before,during or instead of marriage
STUDY- Sue Sharp- Interviews with girls in 1970s and 1990s
1974- girls had low aspirations, educational success was unfeminine and appearing to be ambitious was unattractive. Their priorities were #1 love,marriage and careers was last
there was a major shift in the 1990s and sharpes results say the opposite
External factor- girls acheivement, maturity
Girls are thought to mature earlier- physically and emotionally (by 16 girls are estimate to be more mature than boys by up to 2 years)
They work harder and are better motivated with more peer group support
Girls are likely to veiw exams in a far more responsible way
External Factors- Boys Underachievement
Globalization and Declining trad male opportunities
REASON- since 1980s , decline in jobs in primary sector- industries of mine,steel, engineering- resulting of globalisation of economy- these jobs were relocated in developing countries, traditionally these industries were mainly employed by men and associated with masculinity
EXAMPLE- Mac&Ghaill decline in traditional male WC jobs is a factor in why particularly wc boys underachieve- they lack motivation and ambition due to limited prospects, qualifications will make no difference- boys and men have lower expectation, low self image/esteem collapse in trad male breadwinner role
EVAL- these trad wc jobs never required qualifications
boys underachieving- hegemonic masculinity and stereotypes
REASON- crowds out other masculine styles(artistic/gay) trad veiw of a man is lack of housework and childcare- men are risk takers, independant, self reliant, tough, competition, aggression- learn to conceal any ‘girly’ signs of gentleness and kindness
- young men are put under pressure to present themselves as hard, strong independant
EXAMPLE- Connell (1995)- involves study of domination over women and power of some men over other minority
RENOLD 2001- power of heg masc in final yr of primary school
Depth of Renold (2001) Hegemonic masculinity
Study of boys in final year of primary school. Some are gentle, academic, artistic and non sporty but risk being teased and ridiculed for being geeks rather than ‘real’ boys. Although they continue to study hard, they adopt strategies to stop being seen as feminine, joining in with bullying of other studious boys or behave badly to disguise positive attitude towards study. They also ridicule boys with poor sports skills and girls who are too academic
Boys underachievement- overestimation of ability
REASON- boys and girls feel differently about their own ability
boys= overest girls= underest
boys feel they are bright and capable but at the same time they say they don’t like school- cost along and rise to the challenge of work, they don’t work enough to get results of which they’re capable of
EVIDENCE- STANWORTH (1983) litch and Dweck 1987- girls lacked confidence, paradoxically greater anxiety may be greater success.
BARBER 1996- more boys than girls think they are able or ‘very able’- fewer boys think they are ‘below average- GCSE results show opposite
Francis 1998-9 boys thought it was easier to cost exams and when they do fail they tend to blame on school rather than ability or effort
evaluation of female role models
may not apply for working class girls who still have gender stereotyped aspirations for children and low paid jobs
changes in the family- boys
more than 1.5 million boys in the UK are growing up in female headed lone parent families may impact on boys view on working women
why are girls outperforming boys- INTERNAL- Labelling and SFP
REASON: evidence suggests that staff are stricter with boys whereas with girls they are more likely to extend deadlines/ tolerate more bad behaviour- lower expectations link to SFP= Low Achievement
EXPLANATION= Jane and Peter French, although boys received more attention due to being reprimanded, boys feel they are disciplined more harshly than girls- causes a SFP that they will fail as they get told off more than girls so have a negative view of education
why are girls outperforming boys- INTERNAL- equal opportunity schemes
REASON: feminist ideas have had a major impact on the edu system- those whom run the system are aware of gender issues/teachers are more sensitive to avoiding gender stereotype- The beleif that boys and girls are equally capable/entitled to same opportunities- now mainstream- in education
EXAMPLE- GIST/WISE: encourage girls to pursue careers in science/non trad/ fem scientists visit schools=role models. Raise fem aspirat/ learning materials in science reflect girls interest.
NATIONAL CURRIC= 1988- boys and girls studied the same subjects- not always case
JOE BOALER (1998)- saw impact of equal opportunities policies as a key reason for the change in girls achievement- schools have become meritocratic- girls who work harder acheive more overall
GIRLS OUTPERFORM- INTERNAL
POSITIVE ROLE MODELS
REASON- Increase in fem teachers/ fem in senior roles= good role models for fem students- shows women can acheive as much as men= girls empowerment in/out of school. fem teachers would have to undertake lenghly training/education to work- encourage girls to work hard
EXPLANATION- 14% of primary school teachers are male (YouGov) 39% boys 8-11 have no lessons with a male teacher
GIRLS OUTPERFORM- INTERNAL challenging gender stereotypes
Gaby Weiner (1995)
-remove from textbooks, less sexist images- positive images of what girls can do.- removed barriers
Weiner belives teachers have removed stereotypes since 1980s
GIRLS OUTPERFORM- Marketisation
- competitive climate, schools see girls as desirable recruits because they achieve better in exams. Boys may be seen as liabilities and obsticles in high league table results
LEE= 1998= boys are 4x more likely to ger excluded- more likely to have behavioural difficulties
Jackson 1988- leauge tables have improved opps for girls- high acheiving girls are attractive to schools. SFP
Boys- anti school subcultures
-peer group status, laddish-anti education work is seen as ‘unmacho’ and ‘uncool’- many explain why boys lack the persistent application for exams for success
Paul Willis- ‘lads’
Francis 2000- research confirms that laddish behaviour/messing around- contributed to underachievement
archer et al- working class girls (symbolic capital)
status recognition- sense of worth and recognition from peer groups
archer et al 2010 (hyper heterosexual feminine identities)
considerable time,money and effort into constructing desirable/glamorous identies on clothes makeup/hairstyles- confidence in fem identity but issues in schools +/uniform compliance
archer et al- boyfriends wc girls
having a bf bought symbolic capital- hindered schoolwork/girls aspirations academically/distraction
did not want to take masculine subjects
archer et al- wc girls ‘loud’
- some wc girls adopt ‘loud’ feminine identities- outspoken independant and assertive
not school stereotypes of passive and quiet
