gender differences
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Gender differences in educational attainmentTRANSCRIPT
Gender DifferencesIn educational attainment
In the 1960s and 1970s sociologists were concerned about the underachievement of girls.
By the 1990s this concern had switched to the boys.
In the past
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority found girls scored higher on all tests.
62% of girls could concentrate for 10 minutes
Only 49% of boys could 56% of girls could write/spell their name 42% of boys could
DfES (2007) 70% of children with special educational needs are boys
Starting school
Girls do better in all subjects
Although the gap is less in Maths and Science
Key stage 1-3
There is around a 10% difference between boys and girls achieving 5 GCSEs at grade A-C
GCSE
Girls are more likely to pass and get higher grades.
The gap is much narrower than at GCSE.
(2006) 95.8% of girls passed two or more Alevels and only 94% of boys did.
AS and Alevel
Both genders have improved every year
It’s just that girls have improved more
Not all boys underachieve (Coffrey, 2001)
Interpreting the data
Certain groups of boys are more likely to fail than others
Social class is a huge determining factor in this
(Epstein et al, 1998)
Class has over 5 times the effect of gender on attainment (Gilbourne and Mirza, 2000)
Interpreting the data
When the 11+ test was introduced in the 1940s more girls passed than boys
The results had to be ‘adjusted’
So girls doing better is not necessarily a new phenomena (Chitty, 2002)
Interpreting the data
Create a mind map of reasons for this ‘gender gap’
Factors affecting achievement
Factors affecting achievement can be split into two categories.
Factors affecting achievement
INTERNAL FACTORS EXTERNAL FACTORS
1. What is feminism?
2. Briefly describe two different strands of feminism
3. Outline how feminism may have helped girls achieve more at school
The impact of feminism
1. Feminism is a social movement concerned with equal rights for women in all areas of life.
The impact of feminism
Liberal feminism – seeks to create equality through changes to the law.
Marxist feminism – believes that inequality stems from the capitalist economic system.
Radical feminism – believes inequality stems from male power (Patriarchy) and only truly radical solutions will work
Difference feminism – notes the importance of individual experience (not all women experience the same difficulties)
The impact of feminism
Sue Sharpe ‘Just like a girl’ (1976 and 1994) Found that 1990s girls were More assertive More ambitious More confident
Main priorities of 70s girls were ‘love, marriage, and children’
The impact of feminism
Feminism has challenged the ‘traditional’ image of women as housewives and mothers only.
Feminism has challenged the gender binary
The impact of feminism
MasculineDominant
StrongLogical
AggressiveProtective
Sexually assertiveBlue
BreadwinnerSporty
Competitive
FeminineSubmissive
WeakEmotional
PassiveIn need of protection
Sexually passivePink
HomemakerCaring
Sensitive
Gender Binary
From the moment children are born, they are assigned a gender that will affect the ways people interact with them.
Children learn gendered norms and gender stereotypes
Primary Socialisation
In the 60s and 70s women were often depicted in domestic roles.
The ladybird reading scheme was used in many schools.
How might the following images normalise gendered roles?
Representation
Representation
Representation
Angela McRobbie (1994)
Content analysis of girl’s magazines from the 70s and 90s
Jackie magazine emphasised the importance of getting married and not getting ‘left on the shelf’
Magazines
Angela McRobbie (1994)
Modern magazines have images of assertive, independent women.
Similarly TV programmes have more positive female role models.
Magazines
Girls Magazines
Boys Magazines
Perform your own content analysis on some modern magazines.
What images are they portraying to young women?
Magazines
Girl Power?Can you think of any girl power icons or
positive role models from the media?