Boys Underachievement

• Parents spend less time reading with their sons than their daughters

  Mothers normally do the reading- feminises reading

  Stereotypical boys’ hobbies, e.g. sports, do little to help develop their language and communication skills
• •Gender gap is mainly the result of boys’ poorer literacy and language skills
• Decline of traditional men’s jobs


  •Due to globalisation since the 1980s there has been a decline in heavy industries, such as iron and steel, engineering, mining etc
• Decline of traditional men’s jobs

  •Mitsos and Browne- decline in male employment opportunities has led to ‘identity crisis’ in boys who believe they have no job prospects so lack motivation. Results in belief that they will not get a ‘proper job’= low self esteem and motivation to get grades!!!
• Eval

  •Decline is mainly in manual working class jobs, which didn’t need academic qualifications to begin with.•Therefore it’s unlikely that disappearance of such jobs would have much impact on boys’ motivation to obtain qualifications.
• Feminisation Of Education

  •Schools do not nurture masculine traits, such as competitiveness and leadership•Instead celebrate qualities such as attentiveness in class, methodical working•Sewell thinks coursework should be replaced with exams and emphasis in outdoor education within the curriculum.
• Feminism Of Education

  The idea of ‘male and female traits’ is obviously stereotypical. Most sociologists would agree these traits are not biological. However, many of us are socialised into them (because we live in a society where stereotypical gender norms are influential) so, stereotype or not, they make a difference.
• Lack Of Male Rolemodels

  •Lack of positive male role models both at home and in school = boys underachievement•90% single parent families headed by women•Only 16% teachers in primary schools are male
• Laddish Subculture


  •What studies have we already done on this topic?–Willis – learning to labour–Stacey – pro and anti school subcultures–Hargreaves – ‘triple failures’’–(Epstein 1998) Working class boys are concerned about peers labelling them as ‘sissies’ if they do well in school–Francis (2001)- being labelled a swot threatens masculinity•Archer – Nike identities
• Laddish Subculture

  •Working class culture= masculinity is equated with being tough and doing manual work•Non-manual work, (academic work) is seen as inferior••“Real boys don’t work and if they do they get bullied”