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• AS and A level


  Gender subject choice is much more noticeable after the national curriculum, when students have greater freedom of choice: boys - maths and physics; girls - sociology, English and foreign languages.
• Vocational courses


  Evidence shows a similar but exaggerated pattern to that of A levels.
• Explanations


  Early gender role socialisation; gender subject image; gender identity and peer pressure; and gendered carrier opportunities.
• Fiona Norman (1988)


  From an early age, boys and girls are dressed differently, given different toys and encouraged to take part in different activities.
• Murphy and Elwood (1998)


  Boys read different books and information texts so prefer science subjects, whilst girls read stories about people and prefer English.
• Browne and Ross (1991)


  Children's beliefs about 'gender domains' are shaped by their early experiences and the expectations of adults. Children are more confident when engaging in tasks they see as part of their own gender domain.
• Murphy (1991)


  Girls focus more on how people feel, whereas boys focus more on how things are made and work, even when they are dealing with the same tasks, which explains a difference in subject choice between humanities and science.
• Gendered subject image


  Kelly: since is seen as a boys subject because science teachers are more likely to be men, examples in textbooks often draw on boys interests and boys often monopolise the apparatus and dominate the laboratory during lessons.

  DfES (2007): Children who attended single-sex schools tend to hold less stereotyped subject images. Leonard (2006): this may cause them to make less traditional subject choices.
• Gender identity and peer pressure


  Other boys and girls may apply pressure to an individual if they disapprove of the choice. Not opting out of music and dance may attract a negative response.

  Paetcher (1998): girls who are 'sporty' have to cope with an image which contradicts th conventional female stereotype.

  The absence of peer pressure could explain why they are more likely to choose 'boys subjects' if they go to a single-sex school.
• Gendered career opportunities


  Employment is highly gendered. Women's jobs often involve work similar to that performed by housewives. This affects ideas about what kinda of jobs are possible or acceptable. This also explains why vocational courses are more gendered.
• Gender identity experineces


  Verbal abuse, male peer groups, teachers and discipline, the male gaze and double standards.

  
  

  Connell (1995): These reinforce 'hegemonic masculinity'.
• Verbal abuse


  Connell: A 'rich vocabulary of abuse' reinforces dominant gender and sexual identities.

  Paetcher: Name-calling helps shape gender identity and maintain male power.
• Male peer groups


  Epstein and Willis: Boys in anti-school Subcultures often accuse boys who want to do well of being gay and effeminate.

  Mac an Ghaill's (1994): study of Parnell School
• Female peer groups


  Archer: working class girls gain symbolic capital from their female peers by performing a hyper-hetrosexual, feminine identity.

  Ringrose (2013)