Gender and Education

• Gender differences in educational achievement and subject choice are evident in patterns and trends.

Patterns and Trends in Achievement

• In 2013, teacher assessments showed girls performing better than boys in all seven learning areas by 7-17 percentage points.
• According to a 2013 Department for Education study, boys are 2.5 times more likely to have special educational needs statements.
• At Key Stages 1-3, girls consistently outperform boys, especially in English, the gender gap widens with age.
• The gap is narrower in Science and Maths, but girls still perform better.
• In 2013, the GCSE achievement gender gap was about 10 percentage points, but boys have been catching up recently.
• In 2014, at GCSE English, 70% of girls achieved A*-C grades, compared to 54% of boys.
• Girls are more likely to take, pass, and get better grades at AS and A Level, though the gap between genders is smaller than at GCSE.
• In 2013, 47% of girls got A or B grades at A Level, compared to only 42% of boys; girls are also more likely than boys to get A-C grades even in traditionally male subjects.
• More women pursue further education after sixth form, with female students more likely to receive top first-class and upper second-class degrees.

Sociological Explanations for Gender Differences in Achievement

• Sociological explanations can be broken down into analysis, external (outside school) factors, internal (within school) factors, and evaluation.

Analysis and External (Outside School) Factors

Impact of Feminism

• The feminist movement since the 1960s challenged the traditional role of women as solely mothers and housewives.
• This shift is reflected in media images, as Angela McRobbie's research shows girls' magazines portray assertive, independent women now, unlike in the 1970s.

Girls' Changing Ambitions

• A study highlights girls' changing ambitions in the 70's and 90's showing that in the 1970s, girls had lower educational aspirations due to the belief that academic success was undesirable.
• According to Francis (2001), girls now have higher career aspirations, which need educational qualifications.
• These changes, which feminism has encouraged, impact girls' self-image and ambitions, which then translates to improved academic achievement.

Changes in the Family

• Rising divorce rates, cohabitation, and single-parent families all affect attitudes toward education in girls and boys
• An increase in female-headed households means that more women are required to take on the role of breadwinner
• This creates a new role model for women, whereby financial independence is normal.
• It also explains why boys might under achieve as a result of a lack of aspirational role models within the family unit

Changes in the Labour Market

• Equal Pay Act of 1970 made it illegal to pay women less than men for equal work and the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 makes workplace discrimination unlawful.
• There has been a decline in heavy industries such as iron or steel in the United Kingdom, this has led to an identity crisis for men", according to Mitsos and Browne, where they believe they have little job prospects.
• As a result, they do not try hard and underachieve at school while women strive to to obtain qualifications.

Internal (Within School) Factors

GCSE and Coursework

• In 2005, Gorard discovered that the gender achievement gap significantly increased with the introduction of GCSEs in 1989.
• This increase was due to the coursework component, where girls excel because of conscientiousness and organizational abilities.

Challenging Stereotypes in the Curriculum

• Research from the 1970s and 1980s indicates past reading schemes, physics, and math books would portray women as housewives, frightened by science, and less inventive.
• It is argued that teachers have challenged these stereotypes since the 1980s, with the goal of of raising girls' self-esteem by presenting them with a clearer view of women.

Selection and Marketisation

• Marketisation policies have created competition between schools to recruit girls because their exam results perform better.
• Schools want to recruit high-achieving girls, as their exam results perform better.

Feminisation of Education

• According to Sewell, educational institutions do not value assertive traits in boys and instead favor the traits of girls, therefore boys underachieve.

'Laddish' Subcultures

• Working-class boys are subject to subject of homophobic abuse and labelled 'sissies' because of the labor working-class culture.
• According to Epstein, working-class cultures equate academic work as effeminate and less masculine, so most of working-class boys reject school to avoid being called 'gay'.

Evaluation

The Impact of Feminism

• McRobbie’s research might be outdated; the media has drastically changed in the last 20 years

Girls' Changing Ambitions

• Gender-stereotyped aspirations are still common among some working-class girls, as discovered by Diane Reay.

Changes in the Family

• Sociologists on the New Right theoretically support explanations of changes in the family; they claim that a decline in the nuclear family has caused most boys to develop anti-school subcultures, which results in academic struggles

Changes in the Labour Market

• Sociologists have criticized Mitsos and Browne for pointing out that the decline in employment has been in labor working-class jobs, therefore its unlikely to impact qualifications.

GCSE and Coursework

• However, in 2005, Elwood argued that coursework is unlikely to be the only cause of the achievement gap because exams have more influence on final grades.

Challenging Stereotypes in the Curriculum

• Liberal feminists support Weiner's research, taking a march of progress view, claiming improvements have resulted in increased academic success amongst women

Selection and Marketisation

• According to Slee in 1998, boys are less desirable at schools because they are more likely to suffer behavioral problems and be suspended.

Feminisation of Education

• It can be said that perhaps girls underachieve in school, but not so in relation to boys.
• The feminization of education disregards how boys still dominate lessons, therefore it may be argued that girls underachieve at school, but not in comparison to boys.

'Laddish' Subcultures

• The work of Epstein is supported by Francis in 2007, he claims that boys were more concerned about being labelled because it threatened their masculinity compared to girls.

Patterns and Trends in Subject Choice

National Curriculum Options

• Boys tend to choose graphics or resistant materials, while girls take food technology.

AS and A Levels

• Girls choose English, languages, and sociology while boys opt for math and physics.
• This pattern of choice is mirrored at the university level.

Vocational Courses

• Very few boys (1 in 100) apprentice in childcare, while only 2 in 100 girls take on vehicle maintenance and repair.

Analysis: Sociological Explanations for Gender Differences in Subject Choice

External (Outside School)

• Gender Role Socialisation

Gender Role Socialisation (EXTERNAL)

• Gender role socialization is the process in which society transmits the behaviors that are expected of men and women
• Since childhood, Norman claims that girls and boys are raised differently through toys etc.
• In 1979, Murphy and Elwood displayed how boys read informational books over stories compared to girls, influencing the academic subjects they pursue.

Internal

• Gendered Subject Images

Gendered Subject Images (INTERNAL)

• According to Kelly, research demonstrates that most science teachers are men, with teaching examples drawing primarily from males.

Gender Identities Within School (INTERNAL)

• Pupils' experiences reinforce gender identities through 'hegemonic masculinity'
• Verbal and abusive language amongst students reinforces gender identities, where a boy will be called gay if he is friendly.
• Mac an Ghaill claims that the male gaze is a form of surveillance whereby girls are objectified and reinforced for their masculine traits.
• Boys that boast about exploits will be call “slags” compared to girls who are shamed for the same behavior
• In a 1988 study, Mac discovered that teachers play a part in reinforcing the gender identities as they discipline boys for “behaving like girls' in the classroom This ultimately leads to the gender segregation, whereby boys can opt for Math or girls can opt for English

Evaluation

Methodological Evaluation of Subject Choice

• Research into gender and subject make it easier to judge pattern, making the process very hard.
• This weakens the research and adds judgement.

Gender Identities within School

• According to Leonard, stereotypes tend to hold less subject matter and make a less traditional choice during schools.
• Girls should study English and boys should study math.

Equal Opportunities Policies

• Equal opportunities policies aren’t taken into account in studies on gender differences amongst subjects.
• These policies make sure that a non-sexist approach is taken in all academic subject, making sure to split genders and promote career growth.

Explore gender dynamics in education, from GCSE performance to the impact of feminism. Discover trends, gaps, and legislative milestones. Analyze studies by DfE and Angela McRobbie.