Why do girls to achieve higher grades than boys at key stage 4?
Secondary information
Passage from books ‘an introductory to Sociology second edition’ by Ken Browne.
Gender Differences in Education
The underachievement of boys
‘In the early 1990’s girls began to outperform boys in all areas and at all levels of the education system. The main problem today is with the under-achievement of boys, although there are still concerns about the different subjects studied by boys and girls.’
The following graph is to show the differences in boys and girls achievement in 1997.
I have chosen this graph as it compares the achievement in Education between boys and girls and shows how sexes affect grades at Key Stage 4 and this is the basis of this investigation.
Other factors, rather than sexes affect how well girls do, such as gender.
This is described in the ‘GCSE Sociology: Social Life’ book, by Dave Longmate and Grahame Coates.
‘Although boys and girls all now have to follow the national curriculum and therefore study the same subjects, the hidden curriculum is said to be important in reproducing traditional gender role. This happens in a variety of ways, but in each case what is being emphasised is that there are acceptable forms of behaviour, abilities and careers for girls and different ones for boys. The role of the hidden curriculum in relation to gender roles is to emphasise the difference between the genders as opposed to emphasising equality.
For example, girls may find that they are punished more severely than boys for fighting at school. This difference in punishments emphasise the idea that it is ‘unfeminine’ to fight, but more acceptable for boys to act in such a way. Girls may also find that teachers are more likely to criticise their work for being untidy than for being wrong. Boys are less likely to find their work criticised for being untidy, but more likely to find it criticised for being inaccurate.’
The difference in gender roles does have an impact on the achievement of boys and girls. Girls are tended to be pushed further and are more organised than boys, as this is how they are expected to be, and if they fulfil these standards then they will obviously achieve a higher attainment than boys.
Table 13.1 A
GCSE achievements of 15-year-old males and females: by subject group, entries and pass rates (percentage achieving grades A* - C), England, by end 1994/4.
Further research from the book ‘GCSE sociology: Social life’ by Dave Longmate and Grahame Coates.
Girls outperform boys at every stage - throughout the SATS in English, Maths and Science at GCSE and most recently at A level. There are now more females than males in higher education.
Why do girls get better results than boys?
There are two kinds of explanation for the different success rates of males and females in education, those to do with changes in the status of young men in society, and those to do with changes in the status in young men in society.
Explanations for the improved performance of females in education.
♦The national Curriculum
The national curriculum now makes it compulsory for girls and boys to study English, Maths and Science up to the age of 16. Together with the emphasis on testing, meeting government targets and gaining a good position in the league tables, this means that girls as well as boys are encouraged to do well. This change has not had much of an impact after GCSE’s- boys are still likely to choose traditional ‘male subjects’ at A level, and girls tend to choose traditional ‘ girl subjects.’
♦Role models
Partly as a result of economic changes, partly as a result of legal changes, and partly as a result of other social changes, many girls studying for GCSE’s and A levels will have grown up in homes where both parents worked. Many of today’s school leavers come from households where both incomes were important. It is not just boys who can relate to college to gain qualifications. Not only have girls grown up with new role models at home but they have also been presented with a range of positive role models in the mass media. From assertive, confident females in music like Madonna to TV shows showing women in a range of roles from Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French to Kirsty Young and Kate Adie.
♦Legal changes
‘ There were changes made in education to ensure equality between males and females. For example reading schemes for younger children were altered to avoid gender stereotyping. There were also initiative such as GIST (Girls Into Science and Technology) to increase the numbers of girls taking part and succeeding in science and technological subjects. At the same time legislation such as the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 not only made discrimination in education illegal but also in employment.’
♦Feminism
Underlying many of the changes outlined above is in the feminist movement, which has challenged the stereotypical views, held mainly by men, but also by some women, about what are appropriate roles for women and men. Without pressure from feminists the change described above would not have been possible. Feminists have not only changed the views of women about their expectations but they have at least made some men aware of the lack of equality between their sexes. Many women today do not see their lives purely in terms of family and motherhood, but also in terms of educational achievement and careers.
♦The changing job market
There are more opportunities for female employment today than in the past. Economic changes have meant an increase in the number of jobs for women. This is partly because of the decline in the number of traditionally male jobs such as mining or heavy manufacture and because of the increase in the number of service sector jobs.
The evidence that such changes have occurred are;
Two pieces of research conducted by Sue Sharpe in 1976 and 1994 are important here. In her book ‘ Just like a girl’ published in 1976, Sue Sharpe said that what was important for girls of school leaving age were ‘love, marriage, husbands, children, jobs, and careers, more or less in that order.’
But by 1994 when she repeated her study, things had changed. By then girls were more interested in gaining qualifications and getting a job or career. However, she also found that girls are still socialised to be wives and mothers.
A cautionary note about explanations - an examiners point of view.
Sometimes in examination papers students refer to two particular explanations to explain girls’ improved performance. The first one is that girls mature earlier than boys. This may well be the case but unfortunately it’s not a sociological explanation, it is a biological one.
Also, as it is not a new phenomenon it cannot be used to explain the improvement in girls’ performance. Some students also refer to the fact that girls work harder than boys.
This is obviously as reason for girls doing better than boys but the question we should be asking ourselves as sociologists is ‘why are girls working harder?’ The fact that girls work harder is what we are trying to explain, not an explanation in itself.
Gender and Subject choice - the other side of girls’ improvement.
Although girls are now outperforming boys in education up to A level, as we have already seen there is still a pattern of subject choice according to gender in A levels and other post - 16 courses. This division also exists in higher education. At university, females tend to choose arts and social science. Males tend to choose science-based courses.
Why do females now do better than males?
♦The work of sociologists in highlighting the educational underperformance of girls in the past led to as greater emphasis in schools on equal opportunities. This was to enable girls to fulfil their potential more easily. These policies included things like monitoring teaching and teaching for sex bias to help schooling to meet the needs of girls better.
Teachers are now much more sensitive about avoiding gender stereotyping in the classroom and this may have overcome many of the former problems which girls faced in schools.
♦More employment opportunities and changing female attitudes. The number of ‘male’ jobs has been declining in recent years, while there are growing employment opportunities for women. This may have made girls more ambitious and less likely to see having a home and family as their main role in life. Many girls growing up today have mothers working in paid employment, and this provides more positive role models for them. Many girls now recognize that the future involves paid employment often combined with family responsibilities. Sue Sharpe found in ‘Just like a girl’ in 1976 that girls’ priorities were ‘love, marriage, children, jobs, and careers, more or less in that order.’ When she repeated her research in 1994 she found these priorities had changed to ‘ job, career and being able to support themselves.’ These factors may all have provided more incentives for girls to gain qualifications.
♦ ‘ The women’s movement.’ The women’s movement (discussed in chapter 6) has achieved considerable success in challenging the traditional stereotype of women’s roles as housewives and mothers. This means many women now look beyond housewife/mother role as their main role in life.
♦’Girls work harder.’ There is mounting evidence that girls work harder and are better motivated than boys.
- They put more effort into their work.
-They spend more time on doing their homework properly
-They take more care with the way their work is presented.
-They concentrate more in class (research shows the typical 14-year-old girl can concentrate three or four times as long as her fellow male students)
- They are generally better organised- for example, in bringing the right equipment to school and meeting deadlines for handing in work.
It has been suggested that the above factors may have helped girls to take more advantage of the increasing use of coursework in GCSE, A level and GNVQ. Such work often requires good organisation and sustained application, and girls appear better in these respects.
♦ ‘ Girls mature earlier than boys.’ By the age of 16, girls are estimated to be more mature than boys by up to two years. Put simply, this means girls are more likely to view exams in a far more responsible way, and recognise their seriousness.