Gender and Achievement

• What is habitus?

  Socialized norms and dispositions
• Who calls the withholding of symbolic capital symbolic violence?

  Pierre Bourdieu
• What can be used as an indicator of poverty when measuring working-class achievement?

  Free school meals
• What are the learning objectives regarding gender and educational achievement?

  Describe, explain, and discuss patterns
• True or false? Girls outperform boys in all levels of the education system.

  True
• True or false? Girls do better than boys in English, Maths, and science at GCSE and A’ Level.

  True
• True or false? Girls are more likely than boys to choose Maths, Science, and technology subjects at A’ Level.

  False
• True or false? Women are more likely than men to achieve a 2.1 or First in a degree.

  True
• Since when have girls tended to outperform boys at most levels of the education system?

  Since the 1990s
• What percentage of females progressed into higher education in 2006?

  48%
• What percentage of girls achieved five A*-C at GCSE in 2013?

  73%
• What are the problems that remain for some girls in education?

  • Some girls underperform
  • Girls on free-school meals underperform
  • Middle-class boys outperform working-class girls
  • Girls tend to take art subjects
  • Girls slip back between GCSE and A Level
  • Girls are less qualified than males in the workplace
• What are some external factors that explain gender differences in educational achievement?

  Changes in family, feminism, ambitions, employment
• What are some internal factors that influence educational achievement and gender?

  Equal opportunities policies, teacher attention, coursework
• What is the measure of material deprivation used in education?

  Free school meals
• What does symbolic capital refer to?

  Status, recognition, and sense of worth
• What are the three strategies girls use to cope with symbolic violence?

  Being hyper-heterosexual, having boyfriends, being loud
• What dilemma do girls face regarding their identities?

  • Gain symbolic capital from peers
  • Conform to hyper-heterosexual identity
  • Reject working-class identity for educational capital
• What did Evans (2009) find about working-class girls' aspirations?

  They want to help their families financially
• What is a reason for self-exclusion from elite universities among working-class girls?

  Preference for local universities due to familiarity
• What are some reasons sociologists suggest for male students' underperformance?

  Boys' literacy, globalisation, feminisation of education
• What are the four key reasons for gender differences in subject choice?

  1. Gender socialisation
  2. Subject counselling
  3. Subject images and peer pressure
  4. Gendered career opportunities
• What does early gender role socialisation lead to?

  Ideas of male and female behaviour
• How do teachers influence gender identities according to Haywood and Mac an Ghaill (1996)?

  By telling boys off for 'behaving like girls'
• What is the 'male gaze' as described by Mac an Ghaill?

  Judging girls as sexual objects
• What is a double standard of sexual morality?

  Boys are praised for sexual exploits, girls shamed
• What are the factors influencing pupils' sexual and gender identities?

  • Verbal abuse
  • Male peer groups
  • Teachers and discipline
  • The male gaze
  • Double standards
  • Female peer groups
• What did Archer find about working-class pupils and their identities?

  They achieve symbolic capital from hyper-heterosexual identity
• What is the role of verbal abuse in asserting gender identity?

  It is used to police sexual and gender identity
• How do male peer groups use verbal abuse according to Epstein & Willis?

  They accuse achieving boys of being gay
• What is the impact of teachers on gender identities?

  They reinforce traditional gender roles
• What are the implications of educational policies on gender achievement?

  • Ignored girls' needs
  • Focused on boys' behavior
  • Reinforced male dominance in education
• What is the significance of the 'glass ceiling' in education?

  It limits women's advancement in careers
• What is differential educational achievement?

  Variations in educational success among groups
• What is the purpose of creating exam questions in pairs?

  To prepare for potential exam content
• What is required for a top band 30-mark answer in sociology exams?

  • An introduction
  • 5-6 PEELE paragraphs
  • Evaluation of evidence