Different types of schools help as parents have more choice and freedom of where they want their child to go. Single sex schools also help as it is thought that females do well when there are no males to distract them. They also get better exam results. Academy
Since the early 1990’s, girls have begun to outperform boys at most levels of the education system. According to Pirie in Item A, the modular courses and continuous assessment found in education today has been seen to favour the systematic approach of girls, compared to the old O level exam which typically favoured boys. These changes within the education system are seen as the main result of gender differences in education, nevertheless, external factors such as the impact of feminism and changes in the job market may also have influenced the increase in girl’s attainment. Firstly, it may be argued that the way pupils are assessed has favoured girls and disadvantaged boys. Gorard found that the gender gap in achievement was stable from 1975 up until 1988 when it increased rapidly.
Sharpe’s believe this could be because of the changing attitudes of society in general towards women and the impact of feminism. Mitsos and Browne (1998) say that the service sector which is traditionally seen as women’s work has expanded. Employers usually like women in this sector as they have good communication skills and the rise in the employment of women has given girls the incentive to do well at school. Mac and Ghaill claim that the decline in male employment opportunities has led to an ‘Crisis of Masculinity’ as many boys now believe they have a less chance in a getting a proper job. This undermines their motivation and self-esteem therefore they give up on trying to do well in education and have a fatalistic attitude towards it.
Critical Analysis In “The War Against Boys” the author, Christina Hoff Sommers, stated that times are changing and boys should “watch out” in school. She states that girls are starting to be more benefited in school then boys in the educational system, that girl aren’t considered the “second” sex anymore, and that girls are statistically better than boys in academics. I personally agree that times are changing and that boys aren’t getting any special treatment and girls are on the same level as boys, and that they also are better in school then most boys. This to me has a lot to do with that growth gap that there is between both genders, girls start developing at a much earlier age then us, thus letting them learn things at a much faster rate
Political status for women was possible, but only for those who were in the upper class and were important to society. Islamic and Christian women were viewed very similarly though they were from different religions; however, Islamic women were treated better. In Christian Europe, around 1000 B.C.E until around 1200 B.C.E, it was the dark ages. Because of educational and religious traditions, women had restrictions on entry and participation in the workforce. Women’s restriction in the workforce was also because of their forced dependency on men and poor socio-economic status of women.
They will choose it as it is the social norm to do man-based subjects such as science, p.e, woodwork etc. They are stepping out of their comfort zone and doing what is expected of them. Now-a-days, education has been more feminised. Not only Social Policies have been introducted like GIST and WISE which stands for (Girls in Science and Technology and Women in Science and Engineering) which have been introducted to make education more fairer for both sexes so now women can do man-based subjects. Kelly 1987 belives that making scienve part of the national curriculum has made things more easier for both sexes, as well as lifting the barrier for girls and is more meritocratic.
In addition to this, the introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988 removed one source of gender inequality by making boys and girls study mostly the same subjects. The impact of equal opportunities can be seen as a key reason for the changes in girls’ achievement because schools have been made more meritocratic and so girls – who generally tend to work harder than boys, achieve more. It can also be argued that the way in which pupils are now assessed favours girls more than it does boys. Stephan Gorard found that the gender gap in achievement was fairly consistent, up until 1988/9 when GCSE examinations were introduced. With the introduction of GCSE’s came coursework with the majority of subjects studied in schools.
To some extent source 13 and 14 suggest that changes in schooling that took place in the second half of the 19th century did lead to some improvements in the role and opportunities of British Women due to more women in new lines of work and free education. However to a stronger extent sources 13, 14 and 15 suggest that changes in schooling and their impact on the role and opportunities of British Women were severely limited, due mainly to the extent of provision provided and most schools encouraged the traditional role of women (the angel in the house). On one hand the sources suggest that the changes in schooling did help to improve opportunities for women in the second half of the 19th century. The sources imply that schooling challenged the traditional Victorian ideal of ‘angel in the house’. Source 14 shows this by saying it “broke the mould” implying that women were one step further into breaking their stereotype and more opportunities which were opening up for them, by sending some students on to Higher Education.
This was introduced by the Labour party, who Lewis argues have taken on the idea of ‘social investment in children’ seriously and have realised family forms are changing. The Labour party have introduced a number of laws, attempting to strengthen the family unit. They were mainly concerned on helping the social and economic position of women, for example, marital rape was made illegal in 1991 by the Labour party. The rights of children have also been improved by the labour party due to the children’s act of 1989. New right thinkers however; believe that these laws undermine the traditional male dominance in families, but many believe these new policies for women and children strengthen the family rather than weaken it.
As well as the professors, the parents are a huge success in the children’s success in an institution. According to Rachel Williams, writer of “Middle-class Children Do Better at School Because Of Parents,” claims middle-class pupils do better because parents and schools put more effort into their education; thus children from poorer backgrounds were not predisposed to work less hard, but parents’ attitudes were most important, making more of a difference than schools