AQA Sociology: Gender Differences in Educational Achievement

Gender Patterns:

• In the past, boys out performed the girls.
• Since 1980s, girls have improved more rapidly & now they do better than boys at all levels and in most subjects.
• At Key Stages 1 - 3 girls do better than boys, especially in English. Gap is narrower in maths and science.
• At GCSE, girls are around 10% points ahead.
• At AS and A level, girls  are more likely to pass, get higher grades. Gap is narrower than at gcse.
• Girls even do better in traditional boys' subjects like sciences.
• More girls than boys go into higher education.

Before then, Spender (1983) argued that education was controlled and dominated by men. The curriculum was male-centred, boys got more attention and boys got away with being disruptive in class.

The Impact of Feminism

• A change in female expectations. More awareness of inequality.
• Feminist ideas affected girls' self-image and aspirations. More motivated to do well in education.

Changing Ambitions and Perceptions

• Linked to influence of feminism. Studies show major shift in how girls see themselves and their future.
• Sharpe (1994): Compared her two studies of working class girls in 1970s and 1990s. Found that:
• In 1970s, girls priorities were love, marriage, husbands, children, jobs and careers. Saw a future in terms of domestic role, not paid work.
• In 1990s, priorities switched to careers and being able to be independent.

Changes in the Family

• Since 1970s:
• Increase in the divorce rate - about 40% of marriages end in divorce.
• More lone parent families. Over 90% female headed.
• Smaller families and more women stay single.
• Women have more need & more opportunity to be economically independent. More motivation to do well educationally & get good qualifications.

Changes in Womens Employment

• More employment opportunities for women.
• Women's employment has risen from under half of married women in 1950s to about three quarters today.

Changes in the Law:

• 1970 Equal Pay Act and 1975 Sex Discrimination Act - more employment rights. Pay gap getting smaller.

Although divided into internal & external factors, in reality they are linked. (Show connections).

Equal Opportunities Policies

• Feminist ideas now widespread in education system.
• Gender Equality - girls and boys are equally capable & should have same opportunities.
• GIST and WISE programmes to encourage girls into science and technology.
• The National Curriculum introduced in 1988. Girls and boys now largely study same subjects. e.g. Science compulsory.
• Meritocracy as a result of policies. Girls now able to do better.

Role Models

• Mitsos and Browne (1998) say teaching has been feminised. Women are more likely to be classroom teachers, especially in primary schools. - positive role models. 

Coursework

• Mitsos and Browne (1998) say girls do better than boys in coursework because they are more conscientious and better organised. Girls mature earlier and can concentrate longer.
• Although coursework has some impact on results, Elwood (2005) found that exams have more influence on final grades. Coursework has a limited effect on gender differences in achievement.

Stereotypes in learning Materials

• Textbook and reading resources have changed and less likely to stereotype girls into passive roles since 1980s.
• Sexist images removed & replaces with more positive images of females. Impact on girls perceptions.
• Can connect removal of stereotypes to equal opportunities policies with impact on feminist ideas on education.

Teacher Attention Explain how classroom interactions help girls to do better.

• Spender (1983) found that teachers spent more time interacting with boys than girls.
• French and French (1993) found that teachers paid boys & girls similar amounts of attention. But boys received more attention overall because they attracted more punishments for misbehaviour.
• Francis (2001) found that boys received more attention but disciplined more harshly, felt teachers picked on them & had lower expectations of them.
• Swann (1998) found that boys dominated class discussions whereas girls prefer group work. Teachers favour group work & respond more positively.

Selection and League Tables

• Marketisation: Girls are generally more successful than boys - more attractive to schools.
• Boys are lower achieving and more badly behaved. Schools see as liability.

Evaluation: girls now achieving more but radical feminists argue that education system remains patriarchal. e.g. sexual harassment in schools.

Literacy

• Parents spend less time reading to sons. Seen as a feminine activity.
• Boys interests (sport and computer games) don't encourage language & communication skills. Girls 'bedroom culture' does.

Globalisation and Decline of Traditional 'men's jobs'.

• Since 1980s, manufacturing industry has relocated to developing countries leading to decline in UK.
• Many boys try less to get qualifications.
• Traditional male manual jobs needed few qualifications, so seems unlikely that disappeared of these jobs would affect boys' motivation to obtain qualifications.

Feminisation of Schooling

• Boys don't have as many role models.
• Some argue coursework is example of feminisation. Disadvantages boys.
• Over 60% of 8-11 year old boys have no lessons with a male teacher. May give idea that education is a feminine activity.

Lack of Male Role Models at Home

• Increase in number of female-headed lone parent families means now many boys grow up lacking a positive male role model who works to support family. May thus be less likely to see value of employment & qualifications.

'Laddish' Subcultures

• Peer pressure on boys to show masculinity by being anti-school.
• Epstein (1998) found that pro-school working-class boys more likely to be harassed, labelled as 'gay' and subjected to verbal abuse.
• Internal or External? Subcultures can be both inside & outside school

Girls and Boys follow different 'gender routes' in subject choices.

• In National Curriculum, most subjects are compulsory but where choice is possible, girls & boys choose differently. E.g. food tech, wood tech.
• In post-16 education big gender differences emerge.
• In vocational subjects, gender segregation is at its greatest. Only 1% of construction apprentices are female.

1) Early Socialisation: involves learning behaviour expected of males & females. In family (girls & boys dressed differently, given different toys. Boys rewarded for being active, girls for passive). At School & Leisure reading & subject choice.

2) Gendered Subject Images: Tasks & activities seen as either male or female territory. Science - BOYS, english - GIRLS

3)Peer Pressure: Pressure to Conform. Links to self-image. Sport - M, music - G

4) Gendered careers: Many jobs seen as either men's or women's & tend to be dominated by one gender.

Feminists argue that experiences in school act as a form of social control to reproduce patriarchy - male domination & female subordination.

Teachers Haywood & Mac an Ghaill (1996) found that more teachers reinforced gender identities by telling boys off for 'behaving like girls and ignoring boys' verbal abuse of girls.

The Male Gaze - a form of social control where male pupils and teachers look girls up and down as sexual objects. Boys who don't participate labelled 'gay'.

Double standards - when one set of moral standards is applied to one group but a different set to another. e.g. boys boast about sexual exploits, but label girls negatively for same behaviour.