Boys and achievement - Education

Boys and achievement

• Recently, the gender gap in achievement has risen to concern about boys falling behind. 
• Factors responsible for this include external factors such as the decline in traditional male jobs, as well as internal factors such as the feminisation of education.

Boys and literacy

Firstly, according to DCSF, the gender gap is mainly the result of boys' poorer literacy and language skills. 

One reason for this is that parents spend less time reading to their sons. 

In addition, boys' leisure activites, such as football, do little to help develop their language and communication skills.

By contrast girls tend to have bedroom culture centered on staying in and talking with friends. 

Poor language and literacy are likely to affect boys' achievement across a wide range of subjects.

In response to this the government has introduced a wide range of policies to improve boys' skills, for example the national literacy strategy includes a focus on improving boys' reading. 

Globalisation and the decline in traditional men's jobs

Secondly, since the 1980's there has been a significant decline in heavy industries such as iron and steel, shipbuilding, mining and enginerring. 

This has been partly the result of globalisation of the economy, which has led to much manufacturing industry relocating to China to take advantage of cheap labour. 

Mitos and Browne claim that this decline in male employment opportuinites has led to an identitiy crisis for men. 

Many boys now believe that they have little prospect of getting a proper job.

This undermines their motivation and self-esteem and so they give…