Gender differences in achievement Flashcards
(36 cards)
How can the impact of feminism explain gender differences in achievement?
Challenges stereotypes that womens only role is to be a mother and hosuewife,
-raises womens expectations and self esteem
-this may affect Girls ambitions and self esteem with regard to careers, explaining the increased achievement
How can changes in the family explain gender differences in achievement
Matrifocal SPH may provide a female breadwinner role model for girl to look up to, highlighting a financially independent female role model
-rise in divorce amy show its unwise to rely on a man for financial means and should instead get qualifications
How can changes in womens employement explain differences in achievement?
Legislative changes e.g Equal Pay Act, Sex discrimination Act, shrinking of the gender pay gap etc. highlight that girls have a carrer in paid work rather than as housewives
-Provides incentives to gain qualifications
How can Girls changing ambitions explain gender differences in achievement?
Sharpe found that in the 1970’s and 1990’s girls had different views of their future
-1970; low aspirations, educational success is unfeminine, ambition is unattractive
-1990; more likely to dee a future as an independent woman instead of a housewife
How can individualism explain girls changing ambitions?
independence is valued more highly now then in the past. In order to be independednt and self-sufficient you need qualifications
How can equal oppurtunities policies explain gender differences in achievement?
GIST and WISE encourage girls to pursue careers in non traditional areas
-Female scientists visiting schools
-Introduction of the national curriculum mean boys and girls study mostly the same subjects now
How can positive role models in schools explain girls achievement?
Increase in female headteachers and teachers act as rooe models for girls, giving them not traditional ambitions
How has GCSE and coursework led to gender differences in achievements
Mitsos and Browne argue the introduction of GCSE’s and coursework favours girls as they are more conscientious and organised
-Oral exams also benefit girls as they have better language skills due to socialisation
How can teacher attention explain gender differences in achievement?
Teachers respond more positively to girls who they see as cooperative, this may lead to self-fulfilling prophecy which aids girls self esteem
How can changing stereotypes in the curriculum explain gender differences in achievement
Removal of gender stereotypes from textbooks presents girls with more positive images of what women can do, instead of only showing them as housewives and mothers
how can selection and league tables explain gender differences in achievement?
Girls seem more attractive due to marketisation as they achieve better exam results.
-Girls are thus more likely to be recruited by good schools and so do well
Slee argues boys will not be recruited as they are more likely to have behavioural problems
How do liberal feminists view the achievement of girls?
They celebrate th rpogress that has been made but believe more can be made by increasing positive role models etc.
How do Radical feminists view the achievement of girls?
recognise that girls are achieving more but emphasise the system is still patriarchal
e.g sexual harrasment still continues, male teachers still more likely to be headteachers, womens contribution in history is ignored
How can the concept of symbolic capital explain class differences in girls achievement
w/c girls gain symbolic capital from their peers through adopting hyper-heterosexual feminie identities, being loud and having boyfriends (Archer).
-This leads to conlict with the school and thus underachievement
How can adopting a hyper-heterosexual identity lead to exclusion of working class girls
It can lead to conflict with the school as clothing/appearance often doesnt meet the dress code.
-Schools then labelled the pupils as incapale of success and not worthy of success (symbolic violence)
How can having a boyfriend affect achievement of w/c girls
It got in the way of schoolwork and lowered girls aspirations.
-they were more interested in settling down rather than a career
How can being ‘loud’ affect w/c girls achievement?
Teachers interpret the behaviour as agressive not assertive, leading to conflict
What is the working class girls’ dilemma
gaining symbolic capital from their peers via hyper heterosexual feminine idenity or educationaly capital by rejecting w/c identity
How can the low literacy and language skills in boys be explained
Parents spend less time reading to boys
-Mothers are more likely to read to their children and so it is seen as feminine
-Boys activities e.g football do not enhance their language skills whereas girls bedroom culture does
How has globalisation and the decline of traditional men’s jobs affected boys achievement?
Mitsos and Browne- traditional jobs taken over by developing countries for cheap labour,
-leads to ‘identity crisis’ as boys dont believe they can get a ‘proper job’
-leads to low motivation so give up
How has the feminisation of education affected boys achievement?
Schools do not nurture masculine traits e.g competitiveness and leadership and instead celebrate girly traits e.g attentiveness
How can a shortage of maleprimary school teachers affect boys achievement
Female teachers are unable to control the behaviour of boys, lacking strict disciplinarian style that boys need to concentrate
A03) Read found that female teachers can also possess this discplinarian discourse
What has concerns about boys underachievement led to?
Policies used to improve boys motivations as well as literacy skills, for example the Reading Champions scheme
What are the gender differences in subject choice in vocational courses and national curriculum
Although under the NC boys and girls chose the same subjects, girls are more likely to chose food tech for thei option subjects whereas boys chose resistant materials
-Vocational courses: only 11% of construction apprenticies are female
