Gender Flashcards
(50 cards)
General Patterns
Who currently outperforms who in the UK education system and why?
Girls outperform boys at most levels. Reasons include:
Schools being too feminized.
Coursework favoring girls’ learning styles.
Girls being part of pro-school peer groups.
Increased parental pressure and opportunity (60% of parents want their daughters to go to university).
General Patterns
Why might boys underperform in comparison to girls?
Lack of male role models in education (90% of primary school teachers are female).
More likely to be in anti-school subcultures.
Lower teacher expectations.
Boys tend to be stronger in practical tasks, which are less emphasized in exams.
Feminisation of Education
What is meant by the “feminization of education”?
The idea that schools reflect feminine values and practices, such as attentiveness, neatness, and verbal expression, which may disadvantage boys.
Feminisation of Education
What did Epstein argue in relation to boys’ underachievement?
Epstein identified a “poor boys’ discourse” which blames a feminized school system for alienating boys due to lack of male teachers and misunderstanding of masculinity.
Feminisation of Education
How did Abraham, Mitsos, and Browne evaluate the feminization argument?
Abraham: Deviant boys may actually receive more attention from teachers.
Mitsos & Browne: Teachers are less critical of boys, giving them lower expectations, which can reinforce failure.
Reed: Both male and female teachers use similar disciplinary styles (male discourse), challenging the idea that female teachers are “soft” on boys.
Self-fulfilling Prophecy & Marketisation
How do marketisation and school league tables influence gender achievement?
Schools may prefer girls because they tend to perform better, improving results. Boys are more likely to be excluded or overlooked if they are underachieving—creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
School Structure & Sexism
Despite more female teachers, why are schools still considered patriarchal?
Leadership roles (e.g., headteachers) are still male-dominated.
Girls face stricter dress codes and body regulation.
Girls experience more pressure leading to higher rates of eating disorders, self-harm, and depression.
Sexual harassment remains prevalent in schools (e.g., documented by Everyone’s Invited).
Subject Choice
What gender patterns exist in subject choices at A-Level and university?
Boys: More likely to take STEM subjects (e.g., engineering, maths, computing).
Girls: More likely to study caring/social subjects (e.g., psychology, humanities, arts).
Skelton and Francis: Argued this split reflects deep gender norms reinforced by schools, peers, and society.
Subject Choice
How do teacher styles affect subject choice?
Girls are drawn to discursive, discussion-based teaching (common in arts/humanities).
Boys are drawn to traditional instruction (more common in science/tech subjects).
Subject Choice
How does peer pressure affect subject choice?
Peer norms and gender stereotypes shape what subjects are considered “appropriate.” In single-sex schools, girls are 2.5x more likely to take physics, showing that peer influence strongly affects subject selection.
Science & Masculinity
Why is science often seen as a “boy’s subject”?
Science teachers are mostly male.
Textbooks and examples often relate to male interests (e.g., sports analogies).
Boys tend to dominate lab spaces and take control in experiments.
Moral Panic & Criticisms
What is the “moral panic” surrounding boys’ underachievement?
The media amplifies boys’ failure by associating it with gang violence or disengagement, overshadowing more significant factors like class (5x impact) and ethnicity (2x impact).
Example Question
Apply material from Item A and your knowledge to evaluate sociological explanations for gender differences in educational achievement (30 marks)
Intro:Over the past few decades, a significant gender gap has emerged in educational achievement, with girls consistently outperforming boys at most levels. Sociologists offer a range of explanations, including both internal factors (within schools) and external ones (outside schools), to account for these trends.
Example Question
30 marker para 1
One key internal explanation is the feminisation of the school environment. Epstein argues that the dominance of female teachers (over 90% in primary education) creates an environment that may alienate boys. Traits such as attentiveness and organisation—commonly associated with femininity—are rewarded in schools, putting boys at a disadvantage.
However, this view is contested. Mitsos and Browne found that teachers are actually less critical of boys, which can result in lower expectations and a self-fulfilling prophecy. Moreover, Reed found little evidence that teacher gender directly affects pupil outcomes, showing that this issue is more complex than teacher demographics alone.
30 marker para 2
Boys are more likely to join anti-school subcultures, which discourage academic success. According to Willis’ study (“Learning to Labour”), working-class boys often reject the values of the school and form ‘lads’ cultures that see academic achievement as ‘uncool’.
Girls, conversely, tend to form pro-school peer groups that encourage academic effort. These subcultures support school engagement and have been found to correlate with better attainment. This divergence in attitudes may help explain the gender gap in performance.
Yet, it’s important to note that these patterns are not universal. Mac an Ghaill found that boys from different backgrounds form different subcultures, some of which are pro-school. Thus, subcultural effects may also intersect with social class and ethnicity.
30 marker para 3
Externally, changing societal norms have influenced gendered educational outcomes. With the feminist movement and the ‘march of progress’, girls now have more career opportunities and role models. Sharpe found that girls’ priorities shifted from marriage and family (in the 1970s) to careers and independence (in the 1990s).
This has been reinforced by parental expectations: 60% of parents now see university as important for daughters, placing pressure on girls to succeed academically. Such aspirations are less often encouraged for boys, leading to differences in motivation.
30 marker para 4
Subject choice is another area where gender differences arise. Skelton and Francis note that boys and girls are often steered toward gender-typical subjects due to peer pressure and teacher expectations. Girls dominate caring subjects like health and social care, while boys dominate STEM.
However, in single-sex schools, these gender gaps narrow. Girls are significantly more likely to choose physics in such environments, suggesting that social influences—not biological differences—drive subject choice.
30 marker para 5
Some argue that boys’ underachievement has been exaggerated into a “moral panic”. The media often sensationalises failing boys, ignoring other influential factors. For example, social class has five times more impact on achievement than gender, and ethnicity has twice the impact.
Also, while girls do better on average, they still face significant issues, such as higher rates of anxiety, self-harm, and being victims of sexual harassment in schools—suggesting that education is not fully empowering for either gender.
30 marker conclusion
In sum, while gender clearly affects educational outcomes, it cannot be viewed in isolation. A full understanding requires considering how gender intersects with class, ethnicity, and school processes. Both boys and girls face unique challenges, and educational policy must address these without reinforcing stereotypes or ignoring wider inequalities.
Outline two reasons why girls outperform boys in education (4 marks)
Coursework benefits girls – Girls tend to be better organised and more conscientious in their studies. Coursework, which rewards these traits, gives them an advantage over boys who may be less organised or more likely to underachieve in independent work.
Pro-school subcultures – Girls are more likely to form pro-school peer groups that encourage academic success. They often support one another in homework and revision, while boys are more likely to join anti-school subcultures that devalue academic effort.
Carrington
there is little evidence to link the teachers gender and male outcomes
Read
studied the use of discipline by over 50 male and female primary school teachers - both were as likely to use a male discipline discourse
Skeleton & Francis
considerbale differences in subject choice between girls and boys - women end up in lower paid jobs as a result of their choices
How was the moral panic surrounding boys’ achievement been amplified?
by press rioting and gang violence - mods and rockers in the 70s (societal racism)
