external gender differences in education Flashcards
(7 cards)
Gender Gap in Achievement : Official Stats
Girls do consistently better
than boys, especially in English,
where the gender gap widens
with age.
Starting school:
* 2013 teacher assessments showed girls
ahead of boys in all 7 areas of learning
(literacy, language, maths, and personal,
social and emotional development)- by 7-17
percentage points.
Impact of Feminism
Feminist movement increased women’s rights and challenges their‘traditional’ role in education.
* McRobbie (1994)- media supports this, study of magazines found women are now encouraged to be assertive and independent.
* Changes encouraged by feminism positively help girl’s life/career ambitions and self-esteem- which leads to improved achievement at school.
Changes in the Family
Family changes since the 1970- higher divorce and cohabitation rates, increased in
lone-parents & smaller families.
These changes affect girl’s attitudes to education.
* EG: female lone-parent families creates and independent and financially stable role model for girls. Girls need well-paid jobs & good qualifications to achieve this.
* EG: increases in divorce suggests to girls that relying on their husband is unwise, so they should look to getting good qualifications and working hard to get them.
changes in womens employment
- 1970 Equal Pay Act- men and women have to be paid equal values.
- 1975 Sex Discrimination Act- outlaws discrimination at work.
- Pay gap has been cut in half since 1975 (now 15%).
- Women in employment has increased: 1971- 53%, 2013-67%.
Growth of part-time jobs and jobs in service sectors means more opportunities for women. - Women are breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’- invisible barrier-stopping them from reaching high-level professional or managerial roles.
These changes mean girls now see their future in paid work, instead of as housewives. Better pay, career opportunities and role models
of successful women are all incentives for girls to work hard at school and get qualifications.
Class, gender & ambition:
- There are class differences in how much girl’s ambitions have changed.
- WC girls still have stereotypically female aspirations like marriage and children, and expect to do traditional low paid women’s work.
- Reay (1998)- this shows the reality of WC girl’s positions. Their aspirations reflect the limited job opportunities
they see as available to them. A ‘traditional’ gender identity like being part of a couple is attainable, and is a source of status. - Biggart (2002)- found WC girls are more likely to have a precarious position in the labour market, and
motherhood is seen as the only viable option for the future. This means they see less point in education, like the WC girls in Fuller’s study that weren’t interested in staying on at school- as they desired low-level jobs.
Girls Chanigng ambitions
Sharpe (1994)- Girl’s ambitions have changed over time,
in 1970 love, marriage, husbands and children were the
priority, and in 1990 girls prioritised careers and financial
independence instead.
This change is reflected in girls achieving higher in school to get the future they want.
* O’Connor (2006)- Study found 14-17 year old girls found
marriage and children not to be a major part of their life
plans.
* Beck & Beck-Gernsheim (2001)- Link this to individualisation in modern society, where independent is much more valued than it was in the past, and a career
becomes important to a woman’s life as it means
recognition and financial independence. Girls now
recognise that to get these things, they need a good
education.
* Fuller (2011)- girls make education a central part of their identity, they see themselves as in charge of their own future. They also believed in meritocracy and aimed for professional careers that can support them. These aspirations need educational qualification, whereas 1970s ambitions didn’t need them, so girls would not aim to achieve high.
