Gender & Achievement Flashcards
Why do girls do better than boys in schools? (6)
Feminism
Employment opportunities
Major changes in the family
Aspirations
Labelling
Equal opportunitues policies
How does feminism explain why girls do better? (2) What is the impact of this? (3)
They have challenged traditional stereotypes of women’s roles as women as housewives and mother’s.
People have become more aware of patriarchy and the problems of it.
Impacts: It has allowed women to become independent and financially independent. It also gives them a way to escape the patriarchy.
How does employmen opportunities explain whay girls do better? (5) What is the impact of this? (2)
The Equal Pay Act 1970
The sex Discrimination act 1975
Changes in the labour market
Increase in women working
Increase in women breaking the ‘glass ceiling’
Impacts: It has allowed girls to change their social position. It allows less discrimination and more opportunities.
How does major changes in the family explain why girls do better? (3) What is the impact of this? (3)
Changes in gender role socialisation
Increase age at first marriage
Increase in lone-parent families
Impacts: more female role models, focusing on aspirations instead of starting a family, more motivation.
How does aspirations explain why girls do better? (2) What is the impact of this (3)
Wilkinson suggests that young women have experienced a gender quake.
Sharpe found that between 1974 and 1994 girls’ priorities switched from love and marriage to careers and supporting themselves.
Impacts: Focused more on career, more motivation, prioritising themselves more.
How does labelling explain why girls do better? (2) What is the impact of this? (2)
Francis and Skelton argue that teachers have ‘social constructions of appropriate gendered behaviours’ of boys and girls. This has shown to result in teachers seeing them as having different potential and ability.
Teachers have higher expectations and give more positive attention to girls.
Impacts: Girls are more likey to be poisitively labelled and teachers have high expectations which is the halo effect. They are less likely to be excluded so will learn more.
How does equal opportunities policies explain why girls do better? (2) WHat impact odes this have? (3)
Policymakers have introduced education policies to promote equality like the National curriculum, GIST and WISE.
Challenges the androcentric curriculum.
Impacts: more motivation on aspiration, more opportunities, positive female role models.
What is the evaluation of girls achievement? (4)
Connolly suggests that certain combinations of gender, class and ethnicity have more effect than others which is called the ‘interactions effect’.
Girls across all ethnic groups do better than boys except the Gypsy/Roma community.
Some girls underachieve due to lack of parental interest and they are victims of symbolic violence meaning that they are at a disadvantage.
Girls wanted to succeed and go to university to increase their earning power for their families. Seeing education as a blessing.
Why do boys underachieve? (4)
Masculinity crisis
Anti-school subcultures
Literacy Skills
Education has become feminised.
Why does the masculinity crisis explain why boys underachieve? (2) What impact does this have? (2)
Mitsos and Browne argue that globalisation of the economy has led to manufacturing industry to relocate in developing countries.
In the last 30 years the economy has become feminised so there are more jobs for women in the service sector whichh has led to an identity crisis for men.
Impacts: Men will join anti-school subcultures as it elevates their masculinity, but they will underperform.
They won’t study and will give up because they won’t see a point in revising.
How can anti-school subcultures explain why boys underachieve? (2) What is the impact of this? (3)
Francis argues that as girls move into traditional masculine areas, boys will respond by becoming increasingly laddish to construct themselves as non-feminine.
As a result, w/c boys will reject school work to avoid being harrassed, bullied and being labelled as ‘gay’
Impacts: They want to achieve symbolic capital so they will conform in other groups which results in a culure clash.
Paul Willis’ lads
Sugarman’s working class values.
How can literacy skills explain why boys underachieve? (2) What are the impacts of this? (2)
The gender gap is mainly due to boys poor literacy skills. Reading is feminised and it may explain why parents spend less time reading to their sons.
Girls tend to have bedroom culture which promotes literacy and communication skills whereas boys engage in more activities like football.
Impacts: Boys are lacking in literacy skills because it is seen as feminine.
Girls are learning more because they are at home learning.
Why does education becoming feminised explain why boys underachieve? (1) What impact does this have? (2)
Sewell claims thst schools do not nurture masculine traits. This is seen in the use of coursework and the lack of male teachers particularly in primary schools.
Impacts: Exams benefit boys more, whereas coursework benefits girls more.
Less role models for boys.
What is the evaluation for why boys underachieve? (4)
Ringrose argues that there is a moral panic about failing boys which has caused a major shift in educational policy like literacy schemes and campaigns to raise boys’ achievement. E.G: Reading Champions.
Francis and Skelton claims that this doesn’t explain why the continuing greater numbers of women teachers was not considered a problem for boys in the 60s, 70s, and 80s when they were seen as more successful than girls.
Osler notes the focus on underachieving boys and laddish masculinity had led to a neglect of girls.
The decline in male employment opportunities has largely been in manual w/c jobs that require few qualifications It seems unlikely that this would have much impact on boys motivation to succeed.
What are the patterns of subject choice? (2)
2018 National Curriculum: The national curriculm offers little freedom to choose or drop subjects. However, where choice is available boys and girls choose differently.
2018 A Levels and GCSES: At GCSE, Physics between male and female are similar (49% f, 51% m) But, at A-Levels boys choose to cary on the subject (76% m, 22% f)
