Gender in education Flashcards
(12 cards)
Why do girls outperform boys in education?
External: Feminist impact, changing job market, socialisation
Internal: Equal opportunities, coursework, teacher attention, role models
Name External factors improving girls’ achievement
Impact of feminism – Challenged stereotypes, boosted self-image (McRobbie – girls’ magazines changed)
Changes in the economy – More female jobs; decline in male manual work (Mitsos & Browne)
Changing ambitions – Sharpe: 1970s girls = marriage; 1990s = career
Socialisation – Bedroom culture promotes reading skills (Mitsos & Browne)
nternal factors improving girls’ achievement
Equal opportunity policies – GIST/WISE, National Curriculum (1988)
Positive role models – More female teachers
Coursework – Favors organised students (Mitsos & Browne)
Teacher attention – French: Girls receive more positive feedback
Challenging stereotypes – Textbooks less sexist (Weiner)
League tables – Schools want high-achieving girls (Jackson)
Why do boys underachieve?
Literacy gap – Reading seen as ‘feminine’
Decline of traditional male jobs – Crisis of masculinity (Mac an Ghaill)
Laddish subcultures – Epstein: Working-class boys mock ‘try hards’
Feminisation of education – Sewell: Too focused on coursework
Teacher labelling – Boys seen as disruptive (Francis)
What did Sharpe (1976/1994) find about girls’ ambitions?
n the 1970s, girls prioritised love, marriage, children.
By the 1990s, girls focused on careers and independence.
🔑 Shows shifting female aspirations due to feminism and social change
What did McRobbie say about media and girls’ achievement?
Compared magazines in 1970s vs 1990s:
Old magazines = focused on beauty, marriage
New magazines = emphasised career and empowerment
🔑 Feminism improved girls’ self-image and ambitions
What did Mitsos & Browne argue about gender performance?
Girls outperform boys in coursework — more organised, better presentation.
➡️ Boys have a literacy deficit – linked to leisure (less reading, more games).
🔑 School assessments favour female learning styles.
What did Francis find about teacher labelling and boys?
Teachers see boys as disruptive and overconfident, but still expect less from them.
➡️ Boys think they’ll succeed with little effort.
🔑 Labelling reinforces boys’ underachievement.
What did Sewell argue about the feminisation of education?
➡️ Schools favour “feminine” learning styles (e.g. coursework, obedience).
➡️ Lack of male role models and emphasis on passive learning disadvantages boys.
🔑 Boys need more structure and discipline to thrive.
What did Epstein find about working-class boys?
➡️ WC boys face peer pressure to reject school.
➡️ Being studious = labelled “gay” or “feminine”.
🔑 Anti-school subcultures damage male achievement
What did Jackson argue about marketisation and gender?
➡️ Girls are seen as desirable pupils in competitive schools — better behaviour, higher results.
➡️ League tables encourage schools to recruit girls.
🔑 Marketisation indirectly benefits girls
What did Mac an Ghaill mean by the “crisis of masculinity”?
➡️ Decline in traditional male jobs → boys lack clear role or identity.
➡️ Loss of breadwinner role = identity crisis, low motivation.
🔑 Economic changes affect boys’ achievement & attitudes.
