Gender Differences in achievement

• McRobbie - Impact of feminism (external)


  1970s - magazines emphasises importance of getting married

  Now - Images of assertive, independent women
• Impact of feminism (external)

  Considerable success in improving women’s rights and opportunities through changes in law
• How has increased divorce rate affected girls achievement (changes in the family - external)

  Suggest to girls that it is unwise to rely on a husband to be their provider

  Encourage girls to look to themselves and own qualifications to make a living
• How has an increase in female headed lone parent families effected girls achievement (changes in the family - external)

  More women taking on the breadwinner role

  Financially independent role model for girls - need well paid job and good qualifications
• What acts have led to a change in women’s employment (external)

  Equal Pay Act 2010

  Sex Discrimination Act 1975
• What are the effects on girls as a result of changes in women’s employment (external)

  Encouraged to see futures in terms of paid work
• What has happened to the gender pay gap since 1975 (external)


  It has halved from 30% to 15%
• How much has women’s employment increased (external)

  1971 - 53%

  2013 - 67%
• What are women breaking through in employment (external)

  The glass ceiling
• Fuller (girls changing ambitions - external)


  Girls beginning to see educational success as central aspect of identity

  Aiming for a professional career
• Sue Sharpe (girls changing ambitions - external)


  Interviews

  1974 - low aspirations, priorities were love and marriage

  1990s - wanting a career and to be able to support themselves, seeing their future as independent women
• Beck and Beck Gernsheim (girls changing ambitions - external)


  Independence valued more strongly

  Career became part of a women’s life

  Recognise they need a good education
• O’Connor (girls changing ambitions - external)


  2006 - 14 to 17 year olds = marriage and children not a major part of their life
• How does GIST impact girls education (equal opportunities policies - internal)


  Encourage girls to pursue careers in non traditional areas e.g. science

  Female scientists visiting schools and acting as role models
• What are policy makers more aware of (equal opportunities policies - internal)

  Gender issues
• How has the national curriculum effected gender achievement (equal opportunities policies - internal)

  Made girls and boys study mostly the same subjects
• Bealer (equal opportunities policies - internal)


  Impact of equal opportunities is a key reason for changes in girls achievement

  School is more meritocratic
• Positive role models in school - girls achievement (internal)

  Increase proportion of female teachers and heads

  Role models for girls showing them women can achieve positions of importance

  To be a teacher you need to undertake a lengthy and successful career
• Mitsos and Browne (GCSE and Coursework - Internal)


  Girls more successful in coursework - more organised

  They spend more time on work, meet deadlines and take care of how it is presented

  This is a result of gender role socialisation - encouraged to be neat, tidy and patient
• Elwood (GCSE and Coursework - Internal)


  Coursework unlikely to be only cause of gender pay gap

  Exams have more influence over final grades
• Jane and Peter French (Teacher attention - internal)


  Boys receive more attention
• Becky Francis (Teacher Attention - Internal)


  Boys disciplined more harshly

  Felt picked on my teachers
• Swann (Teacher attention - internal)


  Boys dominate whole class discussions

  Girls prefer pair and group work - better at listening and cooperating
• How do teachers see girls (teacher attention - internal)

  Cooperative

  Respond more positively
• How do teachers see boys (teacher attention - internal)

  Disruptive
• Gaby Weiner (challenging stereotypes in the curriculum - internal)


  Since the 1980s, teachers have challenged stereotypes in textbooks

  Raise girls achievement by presenting them with more positive images
• What has removed a barrier to girls achievement (challenging stereotypes in the curriculum - internal)

  Gender stereotypes in textbooks, reading and other material
• Who do schools see as desirable recruits (selection and league tables - internal)

  Girls

  They achieve better exam results
• David Jackson (selection and league tables - internal)


  League tables improved opportunities for girls

  High achieving girls are attractive to schools - more likely to be recruited by good schools)

  Low achieving boys are not
• Roger Slee (Selection and League tables - internal)


  Boys less attractive to schools because they are more likely to suffer from behavioural difficulties

  More likely to be excluded
• Liberal feminist view of girls achievement 


  Celebrate the progress made so far

  Further improvements will be made by continuing development of equal opportunities policies, encouraging positive role models, and overcoming sexual attitudes and stereotyping
• Radical feminists view of girls achievement 


  System remains patriarchal

  Sexual harassment of girls continues

  Education limits girls subject choice and career options

  Male teachers more likely to become heads of secondary schools
• Who speaks about symbolic capital (identity, class and girls achievement)

  Louise Archer
• Louise Archer - Symbolic Capital (identity, class and girls achievement)


  By girls performing their working class female identities, they gain symbolic capital from their peers
• What is the impact of symbolic capital according to Archer (identity, class and girls achievement)

  Conflict with school

  Prevents them from gaining qualifications and a middle class career
• Boyfriends (identity, class and girls achievement)


  Brought symbolic capital

  Got in the way of school work and lowered girls aspirations

  Lost interest in University and gaining a professional career

  Aspired to ‘settle down,’ have children and work locally in working class jobs
• Being ‘loud’ (identity, class and girls achievement)


  Working class girls adopting ‘loud‘ feminine identities

  Outspoken, independent and assertive

  Questioning teacher authority

  Failed to conform to schools stereotype of girls

  Conflict with teachers
• Hyper-heterosexual feminine identities 


  Girls investing considerable time, effort and money into constructing desirable and glamorous hyper heterosexual identities

  Status from female peer groups

  Avoided being called a tramp
• How does hyper heterosexual feminine identities affect girls education (identity, class and girls achievement)

  Punished for having wrong appearance e.g. jewellery and makeup

  School defining them as ‘not one of us’ and incapable of educational success
• What does Bourdieu describe hyper heterosexual feminine identities as (identity, class and girls achievement)


  Symbolic violence