Gender and Educational Attainment Sociologists have put forward a variety of explanations as to why there is differential access and attainment regarding males and females within the educational system. I will give an account of these referencing various studies and reports. I will use evidence to support both boys underachievement at GCSE level as well as young women’s underachievement at further and higher education level. I will use further evidence to explain the reasons why this happens. Since the early 1970’s two of the central concerns of feminists and sociologists of education have been the underachievement of girls and the role played by the education system which was caused by gender inequalities in society. Research has revealed how girls in the past where often disadvantaged in schools and education due to the official and hidden curricula and by attitudes of the teachers and pupils. It has been found that the boys in the past received more of the teachers time, interest and attention as it was commonly thought that the males of society would be the bread winners and therefore the girls would not need or use education at the same level as the boys. This is because it was a known fact in the 1970’s that the males would look after the whole family which would include the wife and children and so therefore the women would not be required to work. However since this time evidence now shows that girls are outperforming boys at GCSE level. This shows those major changes in attitudes and teaching methods has occurred since the 1970’s. Results now show that girls statistically perform better in later stages of secondary school as the GCSE achievements of the girls are well above those of the boys. A statistical bulletin collected
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