sociology- education

Question 1

what is Impact of feminism?

Answer 1

Since 1960 the feminist movement has challenged the tradition stereotype of a woman’s role as solely a mother/housewife.

Question 2

How has the feminist movement improved women’s rights and opportunity?

Answer 2

Through changes in laws which has created more opportunity for women which raised women’s expectation and self esteem.

Question 3

How are these reflected in the media

Answer 3

McRobbie study of girl magazines in 1970s emphasizes the importance of getting married and not being left on the shelf whereas now they contain imagines of independent women.

Question 4

What is the impact of these changes?

Answer 4

It has changed girls self image and ambition. They aspire to be independent and then work harder in order to be so.

Question 5

How has the family changed?

Answer 5

• increase in divorce rates
• increase cohabitation
• increase in no. of LPF (lone parent families)
• smaller families

Question 6

How does a increase in the number of LPF effect girls achievement?

Answer 6

An increase in the number of female headed LPF means that the woman is now the breadwinner which becomes the new adult role model for girls= the financial independent woman. They work harder and gain the qualifications to become like their role model.

Question 7

How has women’s employment changed?

Answer 7

1970 equal pay act meant illegal to pay women less
1975 the pay gap halved from 30%-15%
Number of working women increased 53% (1971) to 67% in 2013
women are breaking through the glass ceiling.

Question 8

How has changes in women’s employment improved girls achievement?

Answer 8

These changes encouraged girls to see their future in terms of paid employment rather than being a housewife. Greater opportunity and higher pay incentives them to obtain higher qualifications.

Question 9

How has girls ambition changed?

Answer 9

Sharpe- 1974 girls saw educational success as unattractive and unfeminine and were more concerned with having a family. In 1990 girls had more ambition and prioritized having a career.
O’Connor’s study of 14-17 year old found they no longer saw marriage and kids as part of their plan.

Question 10

How has changes in ambition impacted girls achievement?

Answer 10

Girls are now more ambition so by prioritizing their careers they work harder in school to get the sufficient qualifications required to obtain their goals.

Question 11

Does this include girls from different classes?

Answer 11

No working class girls still have gender stereotyped aspirations and Reay argues this reflects their class position. Their limited aspiration reflects their limited opportunity.

Question 12

Internal Factors influencing achievement

Answer 12

1) Equal opportunity - Boaler
2) Positive role model
3) GCSE and Coursework - Gorard + Mitsos and brown ( AO3+Elwood)
4) Teacher attention - French + Francis
5) Textbook stereotype

Question 13

External Factors

Answer 13

1) Impact of feminisation (McRobbie)
2) Changes women’s employment- Equal pay act
3) Changing girls aspiration- Sharpe, O’Connor (Raey)
4) Changes in family

Question 14

what is the difference in achievement for girls in different social classes?

Answer 14

40.6% of Girls on FSM got 5 A*-C V 2/3 of Non-FSM girls.

Question 15

what is the difference in achievement for girls on FSM ?

Answer 15

Archer- due to the conflict of working class feminine identity v school values

Question 16

What is symbolic capital?

Answer 16

Sense of self worth, recognition and status we gain from each other. W/C girls performed their identity they gained symbolic capital but conflict with the school which prevented them from obtaining educational capital.

Question 17

What do the W/C feminine identity include?

Answer 17

Hyper-heterosexual identity, having boyfriends and being loud.

Question 18

Hyper-heterosexual identity

Answer 18

Working class girls spent a lot of time and effort on their appearance to avoid being ridiculed or being called a ‘tramp’ if they wore wrong brands. Teachers saw this as a distraction and labelled them as ‘not one of us’ and saw them of being incapable for educational success led to symbolic violence.

Question 19

What is symbolic violence?

Answer 19

Denying someone symbolic capital and seeing their identity as worthless.

Question 20

Having boyfriends

Answer 20

This brought symbolic capital but it distracted girls from their school work. it meant they were less likely to do ‘masculine’ subjects such as science. They were less ambitious and were more settled on settling down rather than going to university.

Question 21

What is the working class girl dilemma?

Answer 21

Either gaining symbolic capital or educational capital . so girls tried to cope with this dilemma by describing themselves as ‘good underneath’ which reflects struggle of achieving status in the education system.

Question 22

Success of the working class girls

Answer 22

Some W/C girls succeed and go on to higher educations. Evans study found girls wanted to go uni to increase their earning powers but not for themselves but for their family to give back. This motivation reflects their W/C feminine identity. Skegg found caring was a key part of this identity.

Question 23

Explanations for boys underachievement

Answer 23

1) Boys and Literacy
2) Globalisation and decline traditional male jobs
3) Feminisation of education
4) shortage of Male primary teachers
5) Laddish subculture

Question 24

Boys and Literacy

Answer 24

Boys have poorer levels of literacy because parents spend less time reading to their sons. Usually the mother does the reading so it is seen as a feminine activity. Boys leisure pursuits include football which does nothing to develop their language. wheres girls have a ‘bedroom culture’ which consists of them talking to friends.

Question 25

Globalisation and the decline in traditional male jobs

Answer 25

There has been decline in the manufacturing sector. Mitsos and Browne say the decline in male employment opportunities has led a identity crisis where boys believe they have little chance of getting a proper job and lowers their motivation and self esteem.

Question 26

Feminisation of education

Answer 26

Sewell says that the education system is becoming feminised as it does not nurture masculine traits such as competitiveness or leadership but it celebrates qualities closely associated with girls e.g attentiveness in class

Question 27

Shortage of Male Teachers.

Answer 27

According to Yougov only 14% of primary teachers are male and 39% of 8-11 year olds have no lessons with a male teacher. They behave better with male teachers as they are able to impose strict discipline. 42% of boys said they work harder when they had a male teacher.

Question 28

Are more male teachers needed?

Answer 28

Francis found 2/3 of 7-8 year olds said the gender of a teacher doesn’t matter. Read studied 2 types of languages which showed that female teachers could exert firm discipline just as a male teacher could.

Question 29

What are the 2 types of Language Read studied?

Answer 29

Disciplinary discourse which was associated with masculinity, where teachers had an explicit form of discipline involved shouting. This was common amongst both female and Male teachers.
The liberal discourse which is implicit and invisible where teachers spoke to their pupils as if they were adults.

Question 30

What are the gender differences in subject choice?

Answer 30

AS and ALEVEL boys tend to do subjects such as Maths and Science whereas girls tend to do subjects such as sociology.

Question 31

Explanations of gender differences in subject choice

Answer 31

1) Gender role socialization
2) Gender image of subject
3) Gender identity and peer preessure\
4) Gender career opportunities

Question 32

Gender role socialisation

Answer 32

The process by which boys and girls are taught what is expected from them in society. Norman notes that boys and girls are dressed differently and given different toys encouraged to take part in different activities. Byrne identifies that teachers encourage boys to be tough and girls to be passive and quiet where they develop different tastes.

Question 33

Gender image of subject

Answer 33

Kelly identifies that science is seen as a boys subject as examples used in textbooks mainly boys and boths usually dominate the apparatus during experiments. Colley identifies that computer science is also a boys subject because it involves using machines which is apart of the male domain.

Question 34

Gender identity and peer pressure

Answer 34

Boys may opt out of subjects such as music and dance as it does not fit their gender domain and risk being ridiculed by their peers. Girls opt out of subjects such as sports or deal with an image which contradicts the conventional female, risk being called lesbian or butch.

Question 35

Gender career opportunity

Answer 35

Jobs are often sex typed. Either for males or females which effect subjects they choice. Jobs meant for women typically involve similar work thats done at home, women are concentrated in a narrow range of occupations. For example if boys get message that nursery nursing is a job for female they may opt out of subjects such as childcare.

Question 36

How does a pupils experience in school help to construct and reinforce their gender and sexual identity?

Answer 36

1) Double standards of sexual morality (Lees)
2) Verbal Abuse
3) Male Gaze

Question 37

Double standard

Answer 37

Lees identifies a double standard of sexual morality where boys boast about their sexual conquests and gain status amongst their peers. But when girls dont have a steady boyfriend they are labelled as ‘slags’ feminists say this is a patriarchal ideology which reinforces gender inequality.

Question 38

Verbal abuse

Answer 38

what connells calls “a rich vocabulary of abuse” boys use name calling as a way of asserting masculinity if they dress a certain way that makes them appear available they are called slags and if not they are called ‘drags’. use words such as ‘gay, queer’ to police sexual identity.

Question 39

Male Gaze

Answer 39

Mac and Ghail call the male gaze way in which male pupils and teachers look at girls as sexual objects and judge them based on their appearance. it is a form of surveillance where dominant heterosexual identities are reinforced and femininity is devalued.