DA and Gender

• DA and Gender - Girls - External Factors:

  > impact of feminism

  > changes in the family

  > changes in women's employment

  > changing ambitions
• DA and Gender - Girls - Internal Factors:

  > equal opportunities policies

  > positive role models

  > GCSE and coursework

  > teacher labelling
• DA and Gender - Boys - External Factors:

  > poorer literacy skills

  > unrealistic aspirations

  > decline of traditional male jobs
• DA and Gender - Boys - Internal Factors:

  > feminisation of education

  > teacher interactions

  > laddish subcultures
• Girls - External - Impact of Feminism:

  > feminism has raised girls' expectations and ambitions with regard to careers and family - these changes are reflected in the media

  > McRobbie's comparison of magazines:

  > 1970s - magazines stressed the importance of getting married

  > 1990s - emphasised career and independence
• Girls - External - Changes in the Family:

  > increase in divorce, cohabitation and lone-parent families (mainly female headed) in last 30 years - affect girls' attitudes towards education

  > increased number of female-headed lone-parent families mean more women take on the major income-earner role

  > creates a financially independent, career-minded role model for girls - recognise the need for qualifications
• Girls - External - Changes in Women's Employment:

  > proportion of women in employment has risen from 53% (1971) to 67% (2013)

  > women breaking through the 'glass ceiling' to high-paying professional jobs

  > greater opportunities provide an incentive for girls to take education seriously
• Girls - External - Changing Ambitions:

  > Sue Sharpe - compared interviews she carried out with girls in the 1970s and 1990s

  > 1970s - girls had low aspirations, saw education as unfeminine and prioritised marriage and children

  > 1990s - girls saw their future as an independent women with a career
• Girls - Internal - Equal Opportunities Policies:

  > it is now the mainstream belief that boys and girls should have the same educational opportunities

  > GIST and WISE - encourage girls to pursue careers in non-traditional areas

  > National Curriculum - boys and girls have to study the same thing
• Girls - Internal - Positive Role Models:

  > number of female teachers and headteachers has increased

  > demonstrates to girls that it is possible for them to achieve important positions

  > reinforces the importance of education
• Girls - Internal - GCSE and Coursework:

  > Mitsos and Browne - girls are more successful in coursework as they are better organised and more conscientious

  > spend more time on work and presentation, and are better at meeting deadlines than boys

  > girls benefit from the introduction of coursework
• Girls - Internal - Teacher Labelling:

  > teachers respond more positively to girls than boys, as they see girls as cooperative and boys as disruptive

  > leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy - positive interactions raise girls' self-esteem and achievement

  > Francis - boys get more attention, but are disciplined harshly and teachers have lower expectations of them
• Boys - External - Poorer Literacy Skills:

  > girls are more likely to spend leisure time in ways that compliment their education

  > Mitsos and Browne - mothers are more likely than fathers to read to their children, so girls have same-sex role models that encourage them to read

  > Kirkby - organised social games have been replaced with video games, which leads to language deficiency
• Boys - External - Unrealistic Aspirations:

  > boys are often surprised when they fail exams, and blame it on bad luck rather than lack of effort

  > Francis - boys are more likely to have unrealistic career aspirations that require few formal qualifications, whereas girls' aspirations require academic effort so they have a commitment to school
• Boys - External - Decline of Traditional Male Jobs:

  > significant decline in heavy industries (factories, mining and engineering) due to globalisation - manufacturing industry relocates to developing countries

  > Mitsos and Browne - decline in traditional male job opportunities has led to crisis of masculinity, as boys now believe they have little chance of getting a proper job (WC boys lack motivation)
• Boys - Internal - Feminisation of Education:

  > Sewell - boys fall behind because schools have become feminised (tends to emphasis feminine traits like methodical working which disadvantage boys)

  > sees coursework as a cause of gender differences - should be replaced with final exams and an outdoor curriculum

  > only 14% of primary school teachers are male
• Boys - Internal - Teacher Interactions:

  > negative labelling of boys undermines their confidence and interest in school

  > teachers tend to be less strict with boys and expect a lower standard of work - this can allow boys to underachieve by failing to push them to achieve their potential
• Boys - Internal - Laddish Subcultures:

  > Mac an Ghaill - examined the relationship between school, work, masculinity and sexuality

  > identified a pupil subculture (the 'macho lads') which explains why some boys underachieve - they were hostile to school authority and learning, like the lads in Willis' study