Gender

• Gender domains: Tasks and activities that are seen as male and female territory. For example, boys may be good at fixing cars and girls may be good at looking after children.
• Trends in educational achievement (Gender):

  • Girls get better results at all levels in tests in every subject but maths.
  • Girls are more likely to achieve GCSE's
  • Women are more likely to go to university
  • There is many differences in subjects each gender choose, girls choose communication, boys choose technological.
• Inside school factors (Gender differences in educational achievement):

  • Feminisation of education (Teaching has become more feminised with more female teachers and role models).
  • Textbooks have changed.
  • Girls have been forced to do male subjects such as maths.
  • GCSE's included more coursework which is easier for girls.
  • Girls are more encouraged in non-traditional girly subjects.
• Outside school factors (Gender differences in educational achievement):

  • Policies that create equal opportunity
  • Growth in service sector (more jobs for girls)
  • Girls see positive role models in employment.
  • Girls priorities have changed.
  • Feminist movement
  • Divorce laws, girls no longer depend on a man for their whole life.
• How boys affect educational achievement:

  • Boys may be having an identity crisis and create anti-school subcultures.
  • Teachers have lower expectations for boys.
  • Boys lack role models
  • Reading is seen as uncool.
• Harris: Studied attituded of working class boys and found that they saw less need for qualifications, found it difficult to organise their time and were easily distracted in class.
• Willis: Lads cope with underachievement by creating anti school subcultures.
• Mac an Ghail: Said that there was many complicated subcultures. For example, macho lads & dickhead achievers.
• Fuller: Afro-Caribbean girls in London formed a subculture to prove teacher labelling wrong and do well in exams. Shows that girls strive to do well despite Teachers.
• Subject choice:

  • Expectations of teachers
  • Expectations of parents
  • Peer influence
  • Gender socialisation
• Mc Robbie: Saw that magazines in the 1970's emphasised the importance of marriage but in 1994 they contained more independent women and more job tips.
• Sue Sharpe: In 1974 when girls were asked their priorities they answered with marriage however in the 1990's when asked the same questions girls answered with work.
• Mitsos and Browne: Believe that girls do better in coursework as they are more focused and better organised. They also claim that a decline in male employment opportunities has led to identity crisis in men.
• Kelly: Argues that science is seen as a boys subject because its more likely that they have male teacher and the textbook show men more than women. The boys also hog the science equipment during experiments putting girls off.
• Francis: Found that two thirds of 7-8 year olds believed that it didn't matter what gender their teacher was.
• Mc Robbie (Evaluation): There is evidence to show that girls have more role models than before especially in higher positions.
• Sharpe (Evaluation): Many examples support a change in priorities, there is however still a pay gap and the girls priorities still focused on lower paying jobs.
• Mitsos and Browne (Evaluation): Too deterministic because it more based on the individual depending on how well someone does in coursework.
• Kelly (Evaluation): Stats support that men are more likely to study science however biology is becoming a more female dominated subject as it is now being seen as being the most feminine science.
• Mac an Ghail (Evaluation): Too deterministic assuming boys would fall into one of the subcultures, it's also outdated because there is now more subcultures such as transgender people.