Assess sociological explanations of gender differences in education (20 marks) Exams results for GCSE and A level have shown that girls are doing better than boys even in the traditional male subjects like maths and science, although boys are slightly improving, they are not improving as fast as girls are and this is dues to many external and internal factors. An external factor of why girls are achieving better than boys in education is because there is now changes in the attitudes, ambitions and roles of females in society. Sue Sharpe’s (1994) did a study on working class girls in the 1970’s and found that girls main priorities were love, marriage and family. She then did the study again in 1990’s and found that attitudes of females have changed as girls now believe a career and being independent is important. Sharpe’s believe this could be because of the changing attitudes of society in general towards women and the impact of feminism.
One of the arguments of co-education is the idea that it provides too many distractions for students. Several scholars have argued that these distractions have led to less attention on school work and class participation, due to girls and boys trying to impress each other. Furthermore, it has also been argued that students who are intimidated by the opposite sex may also be affected by low performance and low grades. Many educators believe that single-sex education does not enforce any type of gender-based stereotypes or adolescent subculture. Due to this, single-sex schools have been established to combat these issues.
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.
arol Gilligan—influential feminist psychologist and author—is worried. Gilligan's 1982 book In Another Voice (called "the little book that started a revolution" by Harvard University Press) electrified the pundit class with its premise that girls were fundamentally misread and oppressed by American society. The advocacy programs promoting equality for girls that resulted from Gilligan's call-to-arms have had an impact few would deny. In fact, they may have worked too well, as schools generally acknowledge that girls now outshine boys in grades and high level-course enrollment (even in math and science, says the National Center for Education Statistics) and outnumber them in formerly male bastions such as honor societies, debating clubs and
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. Sociologists such as new right thinkers argue that the Labour party has constructed a ‘nanny state’ which over-intervenes in personal living arrangements. The Labour party have constructed many laws beneficial for women in families as they have realised most families now rely of two
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.
Asian mothers There is a substantial amount of difference in the question of upbringing of children whether you are in the eastern hemisphere or in the western hemisphere. In the east, parents have a more strict policy towards children than in the west. In Asia it is primarily the women who are in charge of the children’s upbringing where in the west parents see it more as a joint venture. Lu Chin who is an Asian mother is the woman behind the essay “Asian Mothers” which was brought in The Wall Street Journal in January 2011. Lu Chin is arguing for the Asian model of bringing up children with arguments such as most Asian children receives a better result of their education than the Western children.
What would an all-girls’ school be like? Single sex schools are more rare than coeducational schools, so students taught in coed schools may think about this question once in a while. But is there a reason that single sex schools aren’t as common as coed? Many professionals have argued in favor of single sex schooling to reduce distraction and better address learner dispositions. Although single sex education does have advantages, there are good arguments on the other side.
While sex refers to the biological differences between male and female, gender refers to the socially constructed and variable categories of masculine and feminine. Men are the world leaders, policemen, and private security and military, women are the housekeepers and child caregivers. They are lower paid and work as repairers of the consequences of violence as nurses, psychologists and social workers. The United Nations regard gender equality as a human right. They point out that: empowering women is also an indispensable tool for advancing development and reducing poverty.
This may come as a shock since it is easy to assume girls pay attention more, and therefore participate more in school. This is an obvious example of gender stereotyping when it comes to communication, however it happens to be wrong. Gender differences are important because some stereotypes can be misleading when it comes to communication among the different sexes. There are obvious differences when it comes to gender, but one of the biggest differences is the way the genders communicate with each other, and the opposite sex. The