Gender and Life Chances

• The concept of Life Chances was used by Max Weber (1948) in relation to social class, but can be applied to a range of social groups
• Life Chances describes the opportunities (chances) for advancement that an individual or social group possesses (e.g. educational attainment, health and social mobility)
• Education is often regarded as a key means of improving life chances as well as increasing social mobility
• There is several data to suggest that females do at least as well and often better than males in educational achievement at different levels of qualification
• In 2013, universities reported a gender gap in admissions, Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS) shows women are now a third more likely to enter higher education than men
• In 2012, among UK residents, 134,097 women aged 19 and under were accepted to English Universities, compared with 110,630 men
• According to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (2014) of students who enter with A Level grades AAB, 79% of female students go on to gain a higher class degree compared to 70% of male students
• GCSE exam results have consistently shown that girls out-perform boys:

  • In 2014, the A*-C pass rate for girls was 73.1%, compared to 64.3% for boys
• Despite these positive outcomes for females in education, they often have reduced life chances compared to men, so educational success does not translate into similar levels of achievement in the workplace