EXTERNAL

• how has feminism impacted gender differences in achievement?

  challenged the traditional role, it has raised women’s expectations and self esteem
• How do fathers impact boys achievement?

  fathers are less present in childrens school lives than mothers. If they appear disinterested boys might feel school isn’t important
• More working mothers provide good role models for girls, they realise they can have a successful career
• Female role models in the media promote women to aim high. Recent prime ministers. Pop culture etc
• Why do more boys fail english?

  fathers dont tend to read books as visibly as mothers, might put boys of reading for pleasure, thus effecting literacy
• how does socialisation of children affect achievement?

  Gender Domains

  we raise “good” and ’clever’ girls and praise obedience, boys are raised to be ‘rough and tough’ The girls gendered traits are more suited to doing well at school.
• McRobbie

  feminism has given women expectations and self esteem, the media depicts women as more independent and less focused on family
• What changes in the family have caused changes in gender achievement?

  Genderquake - more diverse family types create new expectations and options

  Bott - joint conjugal roles is the norm in most families now
• 1970 equal pay act


  Women can now work and get paid the same for the same work, encouraging women to have the same academic aspirations as men
• Sue Sharpe

  in the 70s girls had low aspirations, focusing mainly on the family.

  in the 90s they have aspirations to be independent, more focus on education and career
• Impact of social class

  Raey - expectations are different for each class, working class girls aspirations limiting them to low paid jobs, less likely to aspire to university
• Mitsos and Browne

  A decline in manufacturing industries, due to cheaper labour in other countries. Led to identity crisis for men, little use for school is ‘men’s jobs’ don’t exist