Gender and subject choice Flashcards
in 2016 A Levels what % of computer science students were female?
10%
the institute of physics found the proportion of female A Level physics students had been…
stubbornly consistent at 20% for 20 years
1 in 100 ……… apprentices are boys
childcare
2012 - what % of Vehicle maintenance and repair apprentices were girls?
2%
4 main explanations for gender differences in subject choice:
gender role socialisation
gendered subject images
gender identity/peer pressure
gendered career opportunies
what is gender role socialisation?
the process of learning the behaviour expected of males and females in society
how do schools shape gender identity according BYRNE?
teachers encourage boys to be tough/show initiative and girls to be quiet, helpful, clean and tidy
what is a gender domain?
tasks and activities that boys and girls see as male/female ‘territory’ and therefore as relevant to themselves.
how do gender domains impact subject choice according to BROWNE and ROSS?
children are more confident when engaging in tasks that are part of their domain. e.g. girls are confident when tackling a maths question about food, and boys when it is presented as being about cars.
Why is science seen as a boys’ subject according to KELLY?
- teachers more likely to be men
- examples in textbooks and chosen by teachers draw on boys’ interests
- boys monopolise the apparatus and dominate the laboratory
why is computer studies seen as masculine according to COLLEY?
involves working with machines - part of male domain
way it’s taught is off-putting to females. few opportunities for group work.
who found that pupils in single-sex schools were more likely to take A Levels in non-traditional subjects?
LEONARD
girls in single-sex schools were …….. times more likely to take physics A Level than those in mixed schools? Institute of Physics
2.5 times
PAECHTER - what do girls who are involved in sport have to cope with?
an image that contradicts with the conventional female stereotype
how does peer pressure affect subject choice?
powerful influence on gender identity.
peers police one another’s subject choices so they adopt an appropriate gender identity.
clearly, in single-sex schools, there is an absence of pressure from the opposite sex.
