Gender - girls

• Archer


  Girls gain symbolic capital from peers: boyfriend, loud, glam
• Who perform best?


  Past - boys outperformed girls

  Now - girls consistently do better
• Impact of feminism


  1960s - feminism challenges stereotypes or roles

  Not achieve equality but improved through law change

  Raises womens self esteem and expectations
• McRobbie - feminism


  Girls magazines:

  1970s - getting married

  Now - independence

  Explains educational improvement
• Changes in the family

  Increase in divorce rate, cohabitation, lone parent families and decrease in first marriages

  Women becoming more financially independent

  Forms female role models
• Changes in women's employment

  1970 equal pay act, 1975 sex discrimination act

  = more women in employment

  Break through glass ceiling
• Sharpe - ambitions 


  Interviews

  1970 - low aspiration, want love and marriage

  1990 - want careers and independence
• Reay - ambitions


  Motherhood only option - limited
• Equal opportunity policies


  GIST (girls in science + tech),

  WISE (women in science + engineering),

  1988 national curriculum (girls and boys study the same)
• Boaler - policies


  Key reason for change in achievement

  Barriers removed = meritocracy

  Girls work harder than boys
• Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum 


  Reading schemes show clear stereotypes

  • Girls - housewives
  • Physics - frightened by science
  • Maths
• League tables and selection


  Marketisation policies create competition

  Students with a high pass rate are wanted
• Jackson - league tables


  High achieving girls are attractive
• Slee - selection


  Boys behavioural issues not attractive

  Boys 4x likely excluded

  Boys = liabilities
• Francis - teacher attention


  Not as strict with boys, low expectations

  Tolerant to behaviour and extend deadlines
• Swann - teacher attention


  Boys dominate class discussions

  Girls prefer pair work, speak in turn

  Teachers more +ve to girls - self fulfilling prophecy
• Positive role models in school

  Increase in female teachers - role models

  Girls aim higher (want to go to uni)
• Mitsos and Browne - GCSE + Coursework


  Girls success due to consciousness and organisation

  Keep to deadlines + equippment
• Gorad - GCSE + Coursework


  1975-89 constant gender gap

  GCSEs increased girls performace
• Elwood - GCSE + Coursework


  Exams have more influence than coursework on final grades