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Gender Differences in Education Why are girls outperforming boys? - Coggle…
Gender Differences in Education
Why are girls outperforming boys?
External factors
Changes in the family
Increase in number of female-headed lone-parent families
creates positive strong role models and encourages women to take on 'breadwinner role' and achieve financial independence therefore girls must work hard in school
Chester: 'The Neo-conventional Nuclear Family'
dual-earning parental role models show girls they are equal to their male counterparts therefore encourages them to work hard in school
Increased divorce rate
means girls realise financial security from husband is not secure or reliable so work hard in school to become financially independent
This is not necessarily 'encouraging' for girls (especially WC girls) - 2022/3 cost of living crisis means lone parents are suffering economically
Changes in women's employment & impact of feminism (liberal feminist = policy changes)
The impact of Feminism
Raising women's self-esteem
and confidence at school and career ambitions
Improved legal rights
- women work harder as they have the right to succeed through 'equal' career opportunities (eg 1970 Equal Pay Act)
Perspectives on girls' achievement
Radical Feminists
emphasise the patriarchal male-dominated system (underrepresentation, sexual harassment in schools) - eg Weiner - history is a
'woman-free' zone
- also unrepresented in science subject - eg
Rosalind Franklin
discovered the double helix DNA but Watson and Crick were given the credit
Liberal Feminists
celebrate progress made by equal opportunities policies
Access to employment
1970 Equal Pay Act
means women are treated more equally in the workplace
Evaluation
there is a 'cultural lag' so social attitudes do not align with legal rights (eg lack of encouragement for women to get high-paying jobs, assuming women will take maternity leave)
1975 Sex Discrimination Act
- reduced discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, and marital status from education, work, and training
Flexible part-time work is now available for women
- balancing motherhood and working is a viable option
Evaluation
only available for MC mothers who have funds to pay for expensive childcare- keeps WC women in underpaid full-time work or not at all to look after children
Since 1975, the gender pay gap has halved
Not all employment is accessible for girls
- eg
glass ceiling
still exists to block access to the top highly-paid managerial corporate positions - majority of the
service sector are female workers
who are underpaid (THINK NHS STRIKES OVER PAY) -
this is patriarchal
Changes in girls' ambitions
Sue Sharpe (1994)
girls' aspirations dramatically changed from traditional wife and mother role in 1974 to career-focused and financially independent in 1994
Evaluation: WC girls' ambitions are still low
Class and gender differences in ambition
Diane Reay (1998)
WC girls have gender-stereotyped aspirations for their futures (eg mother and wife role, traditional low paid work) as they view this as attainable
Andy Biggart (2002)
WC girls are more likely to face 'precarious positions in the labour market' (eg insecure jobs, low wages) and see motherhood as only viable option
Class, gender, and identity: Louise Archer et al (2010): Urban Youth and Schooling
WC girls gain symbolic capital but this prevents them from gaining educational and economic capital; adopting a
hyper-heterosexual feminine identity
gains symbolic capital
Carol Fuller (2011): Identity
some girls in study viewed educational success as a central aspect of their identity, believed in meritocracy, aimed for professional careers
Beck - individualisation
girls have higher ambitions due to greater individualisation in modern society
Internal factors
GCSE and Coursework
the way pupils are assessed favours girls over boys
Mitsos & Browne (1998)
girls are more successful at coursework because they are more organised and conscientious and benefit from oral exams (more expressive)
Evaluation: Elwood (2005)
argues coursework is not the only cause of gender gap as it has less influence than exams on final grades
Gorard
(2005) found gender gap increased when GCSE, which involved lots of coursework, were introduced in 1989
Teacher attention
French (1993)
analysed classroom interactions and found boys received more hostile teacher attention
Francis (2001)
found boys were disciplined more harshly by teachers than girls due to lower expectations
Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum and more positive role models in schools
removal of gender stereotypes removes barriers for girls
NOW - Increase in female teachers
means girls have successful female role models and encourage them to pursue senior leadership roles
NOW - Weiner (1995)
teachers have challenged gender stereotypes since the 80s
NOW - Removal of gender-stereotypical images
from textbooks and learning materials
THEN - Lobban (1974) content analysis
girls presented in traditional roles in children's stories used in reading schemes
Selection and League Tables
Marketisation policies
have created a competitive climate where schools view girls as more desirable than boys because they achieve better exam results
Jackson (1998)
exam league tables
have improved opportunities for girls as they value academic achievement which girls tend to do better at
Slee (1998)
schools view boys as unattractive because they are more likely to have bad behaviour ('liability students')
2013 Academies Commission
- the ideal pupils were seen as white MC girls - open evenings used for covert selection of pupils (admissions interviews not allowed, so they get around this by holding social events)
Gilbourn & Youdell - A to C economy
and educational triage - girls more likely to be in higher sets and selected by schools as they are expected to get within the A-C grade range - makes schools look good on leauge tables
Equal Opportunities Policies
GIST
encouraging girls to study STEM
Evaluation
cultural lag means girls still do not have confidence to choose male dominated STEM subjects
1988 National Curriculum
made society more meritocratic as boys and girls learnt the same subjects and 'removed' gendered subjects (eg domestic duties)
Boaler (1998)
equal opportunities policies are important as they make schools more meritocratic
Boys and achievement
why are boys underachieving in school?
Internal Factors
The Feminisation of the curriculum
-
Sewell
argues this is particularly evident in English (eg set texts about romance and love- expressive topics)
Yougov
there is a shortage of male teachers
Mitsos and Browne
boys less conscientious than girls
Pollack
Laddish subcultures
Feminist - Ringrose (2013): 'Moral panic about failing boys'
- anti-feminists argue that girls are taking boys jobs and that girls 'have it all'
Ringrose argues this narrative creates moral panic about failing boys (underachieving WC boys will become a dangerous underclass and threat to social stability) - education policy has not changed to focus on raising boys underachievement
(
This neglects girls, who tend to disengage themselves silently
from school, and only supports WC boys who tend to 'loudly' disengage themselves (eg through rebellious anti-school subcultures)
External Factors
Mitsos & Browne
male identity crisis
Eccles
parental expectations
Mothers more likely to read
to children than fathers
MacInnes
society pushes boys to be macho
Subject choice
Gendered identities and policing