Gender Differences in Education - Internal and External Factors

Question 1

What is feminism?

Answer 1

A social movement which strives for equal rights for women

Question 2

What have feminists challenged since the 1960s?

Answer 2

Traditional roles of women

Question 3

What has feminism raised for women?

Answer 3

Their expectations and self-esteem

Question 4

What did McRobbie find when they compared girls’ magazines from the 1970s to girls’ magazines today?

Answer 4

Found girls’ magazines in 1970s emphasised importance of getting married but now they contain images of independent women

Question 5

Of all students that achieved all 9s in their GCSEs in 2022, what percentage of them were female?

Answer 5

67%

Question 6

How has feminism resulted in girls achieving better exam results than boys?

Answer 6

Improved self-esteem and ambition are possible reasons

Question 7

What did the 1970 Equal Pay Act state?

Answer 7

It’s illegal to pay women less than men for work of equal value

Question 8

When was the Sex Discrimination Act and what did it outlaw?

Answer 8

1975. Outlawed discrimination in the workplace

Question 9

Percentage of women in work from 1971 to 2013

Answer 9

53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013

Question 10

What have changes in women’s employment encouraged girls to do?

Answer 10

See their future in employment rather than housework

Question 11

Why do girls have a higher incentive to work harder in school in recent years?

Answer 11

Because of role models of successful women and changes in careers

Question 12

What percentage of marriages end in divorce?

Answer 12

40%

Question 13

What factors have contributed to major changes in the family size since 1970? (5)

Answer 13

Increase in divorce rates
Increase in cohabitation
Decrease in number of first marriages
Increase in number of lone parent families
Smaller families

Question 14

What have major changes in the family since 1970 does for girls?

Answer 14

Impacted their attitudes

Question 15

In what ways have the changes in the family changed girls attitudes? (3)

Answer 15

Changed their attitudes towards education
More women are breadwinner which created a role model for girls
Increase in divorce rate suggests it’s unwise to rely on men to be provider which encourages girls to achieve more educational success

Question 16

How did girls see their future in the 1970s according to Sharpe?

Answer 16

Girls had low aspirations and believed educational success was unfeminine

Question 17

How did girls see their future in the 1990s according to Sharpe?

Answer 17

Girls more likely to see future as an independent women with a career

Question 18

Why do girls need educational qualifications according to Francis?

Answer 18

Because they now have higher career aspirations

Question 19

External factors contributing to girls achieving better than boys (4)

Answer 19

Impact of feminism
Changes in women’s employment
Changes in the family
Girls’ changing ambitions

Question 20

How may women in senior roles in schools act as role models for girls?

Answer 20

They may show girls that women can achieve important positions

Question 21

What figures within school are important role models for girls?

Answer 21

Female teachers

Question 22

Female headteacher number in 1992 in UK

Answer 22

50 female nursery and primary school headteachers
22 female secondary school headteachers

Question 23

Female headteacher number in 2012 in UK

Answer 23

71 female nursery and primary school headteachers
37 female secondary school headteachers

Question 24

What is the gender gap in achievement a ‘product of’ according to Gorard?

Answer 24

A ‘product of the changed system of assessment rather than any more general failing boys’

Question 25

Why did the introduction of coursework benefit girls’ achievement according to Mitos and Browne? (4)

Answer 25

Girls generally: - spend more time on work - take more care with presentation - are better at meeting deadlines - bring the right resources to lessons in comparison to boys

Question 26

Why does Elwood believe the introduction of coursework isn’t very relevant to the changes in achievement for girls?

Answer 26

Because if only makes up a small percentage of overall grade

Question 27

How could it be argued that the 1988 Education Reform Act removed gender inequality in achievement?

Answer 27

Made boys and girls study mainly the same subjects

Question 28

What organisations encourage non-traditional gender careers?

Answer 28

GIST (Girls in Science and Technology) WISE (Women In Science and Engineering)

Question 29

How do policy makers make sure there are equal opportunities in schools for girls and boys?

Answer 29

They are now more aware of gender issues and teachers are more sensitive to avoid stereotyping

Question 30

How has marketisation improved girls educational achievement?

Answer 30

Marketisation policies have created a more competitive climate and schools see girls as desirable because they achieve better. Better quality schools now pick more girls for this reason

Question 31

What has been introduced which has improved opportunities for girls according to Jackson?

Answer 31

Exam league tables

Question 32

SFP causing girls to achieve better

Answer 32

Girls more likely to do well as they’re recruited by good schools

Question 33

Why are boys less attractive to schools according to Slee?

Answer 33

Because they are more likely to suffer from behavioural difficulties and are 4x more likely than girls to be excluded

Question 34

How did educational books portray women in the 1970s and 1980s”

Answer 34

Reading schemes portrayed women as housewives and mothers Physics books portrayed women as fearing science Maths books portrayed boys as more inventive

Question 35

What has been removed from learning material in recent years?

Answer 35

Sexist images

Question 36

What did Jane and French find in their analysis of classroom interaction?

Answer 36

Boys received more attention from teachers because they attracted more disapproval

Question 37

Internal factors linking to gender differences in achievement (6)

Answer 37

Positive role models GCSE and coursework Equal opportunities Selection and league tables Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum Teacher attention