Gender and educational achievement Cambridge IGCSE Sociology revision
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In plain words
Fifty years ago the worry in many countries was that girls were being left behind. Now it is boys. In other parts of the world the old problem has not gone away, and millions of girls never see the inside of a secondary school.
9 things to know
- The pattern: in many countries girls now get better results than boys at most levels, and more of them go to university. Subject choices still differ. In some countries girls have less access to school and achieve less.
- Differential gendered socialisation: girls are often brought up to be careful, quiet and good at talking and reading, which fits what school rewards. Boys are often brought up to be active and to take risks.
- Social control: girls tend to be supervised more closely by parents and spend more time at home, where homework gets done.
- Teacher expectations: teachers may expect girls to work hard and boys to cause trouble. Pupils live up or down to these expectations.
- Cultural and social factors: more jobs are open to women, there are more female role models, and girls' ambitions have shifted from marriage towards careers. Meanwhile many traditional jobs for men have gone, and some boys see little point in school.
- Access to education: where families are poor, sons may be sent to school before daughters, and girls may leave early to marry or to work in the home.
- In-school factors: in some boys' peer groups, working hard is seen as uncool. Girls' peer groups are more often pro-school.
- Labelling theory: boys who are labelled as disruptive may accept the label.
- Feminist explanations: despite better results, girls are steered into certain subjects and women still earn less. In strongly patriarchal societies the education of girls is valued less.
Worked example
In a class, the girls hand in homework on time and the boys joke about never doing any. Give two sociological explanations.
- Socialisation: the girls have been brought up to be organised and to please adults, which matches what school asks for.
- In-school factors: in the boys' peer group, working hard is seen as uncool, so they gain status by not working. It is an anti-school sub-culture.
- Teacher expectations may strengthen both patterns.
Tips and tricks
- Be exact about place. "Girls outperform boys" is true of many countries, not all. Say "in many societies".
- Explain boys' underachievement as well as girls' success. The best answers do both.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Gender and educational achievement: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
In many countries today, which group achieves higher exam results on average?
The pattern has reversed in many societies in recent decades.
Which is a reason for boys' underachievement?
Status in the group comes from not trying.
How have girls' ambitions changed?
More opportunities for women raised what girls aimed for.
Why might a poor family send a son to school but not a daughter?
Poverty and patriarchy act together.
Which is a feminist criticism of the claim that girls now have equality in education?Stretch
Better grades have not ended gender inequality.
Quiz
5 questions
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Worksheet
3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Gender and educational achievement
Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 · 10 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
What is meant by "gendered socialisation"?[2]
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The process by which girls and boys are brought up differently, learning the behaviour expected of their gender.
Explain two reasons why girls outperform boys in many countries.[4]
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Any two, each explained: girls' socialisation encourages care, reading and organisation, which schools reward; girls now have career ambitions and female role models; teachers expect girls to work harder; girls' peer groups are more likely to be pro-school; girls spend more time at home doing homework.
Explain why girls have lower achievement than boys in some countries.[4]
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In some societies girls have less access to education. Poor families may pay for sons' schooling before daughters'. Girls may be kept at home for housework or leave school early to marry. Cultural beliefs may value the education of girls less.
Answers: Gender and educational achievement
- 1. The process by which girls and boys are brought up differently, learning the behaviour expected of their gender.
- 2. Any two, each explained: girls' socialisation encourages care, reading and organisation, which schools reward; girls now have career ambitions and female role models; teachers expect girls to work harder; girls' peer groups are more likely to be pro-school; girls spend more time at home doing homework.
- 3. In some societies girls have less access to education. Poor families may pay for sons' schooling before daughters'. Girls may be kept at home for housework or leave school early to marry. Cultural beliefs may value the education of girls less.