Gender

Question 1

What are the 4 External explanations for?

Answer 1

1- The impact of feminism
2- Changes in the family
3- Changes in women’s family
4- Changing social attitudes, perceptions and ambitions

Question 2

External
1- The feminist movement and women’s rights

Answer 2

SHARPE- girls priorities had changed from love, marriage etc to career and independence
MCROBBIE- magazines have changed, don’t emphasise the importance of marriage
- more positive role models in the media

Question 3

Acts involved in the feminist movement and women’s rights

Answer 3

1975 Sex Discrimination Act
1969 The Abortion Reform Act
- not trapped into having a family, allowed family planning to focus on career
1970 Divorce Reform Act

Question 4

What are the disadvantages of the feminist movement and women’s rights?

Answer 4

Only benefits middle class girls

Question 5

External
2- Changes in the family

Answer 5

LOBBAN- story books
- females portrayed as dependent, passive quiet and sensible
- boys more adventurous, independent etc

Question 6

Primary socialisation`

Answer 6

Traditional ‘female’ socialisation is more suited to education than typical ‘male’ suited

Question 7

What are some examples of changes in the family?

Answer 7

• increased divorce rates
• decline in marriage rate
• decline in birth rates
• increase lone-parent households

Question 8

What are the evaluations of 2) Changes in the family?

Answer 8

LIC- lone-parents mothers, poverty and deprivation
- boys and girls underachieve

Question 9

External
3- Employment opportunities for women

Answer 9

MITSOS & BROWNE- growing service sector has created ‘feminised career opportunities’
FRANCIS- interviewed girls about their career aspirations , increased employment opportunities, more ambitious and aim for high professions

Question 10

Statistics by WEBB ET ALL

Answer 10

Women in employment has increased
- 1959 47%, 2007 70%
Pay gap has fallen
- 30-17% since 1975
More women are breaking the ‘glass ceiling effect’
- more managerial roles

Question 11

What Acts are involved in 3) Employment opportunities for women?

Answer 11

The 1970 Equal Pay Act
The 1975 Sex Discrimination Act
- prohibits in the workplace

Question 12

Evaluation of 3- Employment opportunities for women

Answer 12

Higher education is overexaggerated, everyone gets a degree
- hard to become employed
- low paid, unskilled jobs

Question 13

External
4- Changing social attitudes, perceptions and ambitions

Answer 13

1,2,3,4 all add weight to the argument that women are being perceived differently in contemporary society and that he ambitions of women are becoming bigger and more adventurous
= increased educational success of females

Question 14

What are the internal/inside school explanations?

Answer 14

1) Equal opportunities policies
2) Positive Role Models in schools
3) GCSEs and coursework
4) Teacher attention, stereotyping and labelling
5) Selection and league tables

Question 15

Internal
1) Equal opportunities policies

Answer 15

Education system has become much more gender aware
WISE and GIST
- encourage females to enter subject areas that are traditionally dominated by males which has opened up employment opportunities in ‘male stream’ careers
The Education Reform Act 1988
- national curriculum
- study the same core subjects, ore meritocratic to compete on equal terms

Question 16

Internal
2) Positive Role models in schools

Answer 16

WEINER- teachers are challenging gender stereotypes, sexist images removed from textbooks, more positive female imagery
- more positions of high responsibility

Question 17

Evaluation of Positive role models in schools

Answer 17

Primary schooling has become ‘feminised’
- may instil notions of ‘gender domains’ within young people from a very young age
X boys have less role models

Question 18

Internal
3) GCSEs and coursework

Answer 18

Assessments may favour females rather than males
GORARD- ‘gender gap’ success rates increased dramatically which coincides with the introduction of GSCEs and coursework based assessments

Question 19

What is the gender gap a product of?

Answer 19

The changed system of assessment

Question 20

What do Mitsos and Browne say that supports the view that girls are better suited to coursework than boys?

Answer 20

• girls spend more time on their work
• girls take more care in presentation
• girls are more organised than boys
• girls develop better speaking and listening skills, useful in oral exams

Question 21

Internal
4) Teacher attention, stereotyping and labelling

Answer 21

SPENDER- boys received received more attention in the classroom than girls
FRANCIS- boys more likely to be disciplined so attention is not always productive
GRODDAL- boys are more disruptive and boisterous, more attention
SWANN- boys dominate discussions, girls work quietly

Question 22

Links to Teacher attention etc

Answer 22

BECKER- Labelling theory and halo effect
KEDDIE- unequal access to classroom knowledge
ROSENTHAL N JACOBSON- Self-fulfilling prophecy
HARGREAVES, BALL, LACEY- Anti-school subcultures

Question 23

5) Selection and League tables

Answer 23

Marketisation and selection policies
1988 Education Reform Act
- ‘market principles’ instigated competition to raise standards

Question 24

What impact did formula funding and league tables have on education?

Answer 24

• puts pressure on schools to perform
• schools favour girls as they achieve better results
• boys seen as liabilities
• best schools can be more selective and recruit more girls, SFP might kick in

Question 25

Why do liberal feminists see the 'improvements' as a positive step?

Answer 25

It breaks down gender inequality within the education system arguing that it shows that meritocracy is a reality - link to functionalism

Question 26

Why do radical feminists criticise it?

Answer 26

X sexual harassment still continues X females subject choices are still restricted X male teachers are more likely to be head teachers X history subjects are 'women free zones'

Question 27

Jannette Elwood other criticisms of internal factors

Answer 27

JE X exams are more important than coursework X assumes labels always stick- deterministic X females are still generally paid less in employment

Question 28

Explaining male underachievement

Answer 28

1- poor male literacy 2- deindustrialisation 3- feminisation of education 4- shortage of male primary school teachers 5- laddish subcultures 6- overestimating own ability 7- subject choice and identity 8- policies 9- socialisation 10- gender identity and image 11- gendered career opportunities 12- peer pressure 13- male peer groups 14- teachers and discipline 15- the male gaze 16- double standards 17- the hidden curriculum 18- verbal abuse

Question 29

1- poor male literacy

Answer 29

Department- children, schools, families (2007) - result of gender gap - reading is feminised - boys socialised to be active

Question 30

2- deindustrialisation

Answer 30

decline in manufacturing - employment opportunities hampered - 'masculine' jobs moved abroad MITSOS N BROWNE - crisis of masculinity

Question 31

3- feminisation of education

Answer 31

SEWELL 2006 - education has become feminised - does not nurture masculine traits

Question 32

4- shortage of male primary school teachers

Answer 32

Lack of positive role models DfES (2007)- 16% of school teachers are male YOUGOV (2007)- 39% of 8-11 yr olds have no male teachers

Question 33

5- laddish subcultures

Answer 33

EPSTEIN- WC 'swot' , subject to homophobic harassment when seen to be doing their work - 'masculinity' viewed negatively within education FRANCIS - reject culture & values of ES as a result

Question 34

6- overestimating own ability

Answer 34

Licht & Dweck - girls are less confident than boys Barber - boys overestimate whereas girls underestimate Stanworth - boys more likely to blame lack of effort or teacher failure instead of their own lack ability

Question 35

7- subject choice and identity

Answer 35

Wikeley- girls choose different subjects wherever possible - apparent in post-compulsory education in 2007, 1/100 construction students were female showing a divide in vocational areas

Question 36

8- policies

Answer 36

- National literacy strategy - Playing for success - Dads and Sons campaign - Reading champions scheme - Raising boys achievement project

Question 37

9- socialisation

Answer 37

Oakley- learning beh expected, shaped into gender roles Elwood- B, text info G, novels = different attitudes Delamont- G, cuddled, fragile B, play fight Ross- S reinforces gender domains, more confident in expected domain Murphy- design boast n advert= sport n family

Question 38

10- gender identity and image

Answer 38

Kelly - science for girls - more male science teachers - textbooks draw on boys experiences n interests - boys monopolise apparatus n equipment Colley - ICT seen as masculine - machines part of male gender domain - methodical appeals to boys

Question 39

11- gendered career opportunities

Answer 39

Connel - schools reinforce hegemonic masculinities = subordination of female n gay identities - subject choice influenced by gender employment patterns - males heavily involved in practical, vocational areas

Question 40

12- peer pressure

Answer 40

Peatcher- girls who choose sport are stigmatised because sport is in the male gender domain - peer pressure exerts a huge influence of subject choice Dewar- US study - girls labelled lesbian or butch - less likely in same-sex schools

Question 41

13- male peer groups

Answer 41

Mac n Ghaill, Epstein, Willis - evidence of male anti-school subcultures - anything other than masculine values were ridiculed and devalued

Question 42

14- teachers and discipline

Answer 42

Mac n Ghaill - male teachers subtly tease male pupils for 'behaving like girls' - more likely to simply accept bad language from males

Question 43

15- the male gaze

Answer 43

Mac n Ghaill- MP and MT perceive female pupils and colleagues from a typically hegemonic masculine perspective - sexual objects - feminine attributes become devalued

Question 44

16- double standards

Answer 44

Lees- male 'liberal' sexuality s celebrated - female sexual experiences labelled as 'promiscuity', negatively - restricts female behaviour and expression

Question 45

17- the hidden curriculum

Answer 45

TEXTBOOKS Deem- history Lobban- women in domestic tasks LANGUAGE - generic use of 'he' Spender- fundamental male bias ORGANISATION - hierarchy, women have a lower status - more women in primary schools, low pay, skill TEACHERS ATTITUDES - affect how they treat pupil - 42% W career not as important as mens INTERACTIONS Spender- B received 58% of her time Stanworth- encourage position of being 2nd best

Question 46

18- Verbal abuse

Answer 46

Paetcher n Dewar, same - anything out of gender domains ridiculed - lessened in same-sex schools, gender stereotypes are not so rigid