Educational Achievement as a Result of Changes in the Wider Society

345 Words2 Pages
Sociology explanations have suggested many different reasons for the gender differences in educational achievement. Some sociologists claim that gender differences in achievement are the result of external factors such as changes in wider society for instance the impact of feminist ideas and changing employment opportunities. This however can also be an outcome of internal factors such as the education system becoming feminised, which could have impacted the performance of girls achievement, due to the fast rising rates and in some subject areas. Some sociologists also argue that the media have exaggerated the extent and nature of any problem. Since the 1960's, feminism has challenged the traditional stereotypes of a woman's role as mother and housewife within a patriarchal family. It also raises girls' expectations and ambitions with regard to careers and family. These changes are partly reflected in media. A good illustration of this is McRobbie's comparison of girl’s magazine in the 1970's, where they stressed the importance of marriage to the 1990's, where it was more focused on career and independence. Changes in the family and employment are also creating changes in girls' ambitions, which is supported by Sue Sharpe's research where she compared the results of interviews she carried out with girls in the 1970's and 1990's, where in the 1970's the girls had low ambitions and their priorities was love, marriage, husbands and children before careers. However, in the 1990's girls were becoming more independent women with a career based future, rather then dependent on their husband and his income to keep the roof over their head. Since then, the feminist movement has completely changed the stereotype of women from being a housewife and mother to also being the breadwinner role of the house with their husband. Women now are among the wealthiest and even
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