Gender and achievement

• EXTERNAL: change in family patterns

  More divorce, less marriage, more cohabitation, more lone parent families and smaller families have lead girls to take on the breadwinner role - independent women who work.
• EXTERNAL: rise in girls aspiration

  Sharpe study compared girls ambitions in the 1970s (Love, marriage, husband) to 1990s (Career, independence, income).
• EXTERNAL: impact of feminism


  McRobbie study of magazines showed the change in media messages to women from 1970s getting married,how to get a man, how to kiss, to 1990s - images of assertive independent women. This demonstrates the positive culture change due to feminism.
• EXTERNAL: change in women employment

  Due to changes in legislation such as Equal Pay Act (1970) means more women are working. Female role model. Girls see their future in paid work not housework.
• EXTERNAL: globalisation and loss of male jobs

  Loss of manual labour means that traditional masculine jobs such as mining are no longer available to boys, no goal or job for them.
• EXTERNAL: lack of male role model

  Rise in divorce means more female headed lone parent families. Boys lack a consistent father figure. More apparent with Black boys.
• EXTERNAL: Girls bedroom culture

  Girls spend their leisure time in their bedroom discussing magazines, staying in and talking with friends - improves communication skills for success in english.
• EXTERNAL: boys leisure activities

  Boys leisure pursuits such as football, do little to develop their communication skills.
• INTERNAL: GCSE and coursework

  Changes in the assessment, benefit girls. e.g. coursework - plays to girls strengths of handing work in on time, presentation skills, drafting and redrafting. However, coursework has now removed off most subjects, but still in A level English, Media, which typically girls do.
• INTERNAL: Equal opportunities policy in education

  National curriculum ensures all students are taught the same. Girls entered for exams in 1988 in boys subjects for the first time. Policies such as GIST and WISE.
• INTERNAL: Female teachers


  Primary school teachers most female giving girls positive role model. However, boys lack this role model as there is a shortage of male primary teachers.
• INTERNAL: Feminised education


  Sewell claimed that education has become feminised (BBC) as schools nurture feminine traits (being attentive, conforming) and supress masculine traits (such as assertive, competitive and leadership)
• INTERNAL: Laddish subcultures


  W/C boys join subcultures - Working class boys are more likely to be harrassed, labelled as sissy and subjected to anti-gay verbal abuse if they appeared to be swots, from other working class lads. Girls are more resistant.
• INTERNAL: working class girls (Analysis)

  Class differences - Archer found not all girls are successful in school. Working class girls, gained their status (symbolic capital) from having a hyper-heterosexual identity, being loud and competing for boyfriends.
• EXTERNAL - GLOBALISATION


  World has become smaller and more interconnected. This leads to deindustrialisation (factories moving abroad). Leads to loss of aspiration and crisis of identity in boys.
• EVALUATION - Moral panic

  Social reaction (or over-reaction) to a perceived problem, e.g. failing boys. Often policies targeting failing boys, ignore disadvantaged w/c and ethnic groups. Also ignores other issues in school such as sexual harassment and bullying.