Sociology · Year 13 · Education · Summer Term

Differential Educational Achievement: Gender

Examine the changing patterns of educational achievement between genders and the sociological explanations for these trends, including subject choice.

TL;DR:This topic challenges students to sociologically investigate a major success story of the British education system, the improvement of girls' achievement, while also critically examining the resulting 'panic' about boys.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• AQA A-Level Sociology: Education with Theory and Methods

About This Topic

This topic delves into one of the most significant trends in British education over the last half-century: the dramatic reversal of the gender gap in achievement. Initially, the focus of sociology was on girls' underachievement. However, since the late 1980s, girls have consistently begun to outperform boys at every level of the education system, from Key Stage tests to A-Levels and university entry. This unit requires students to engage with the complex sociological debate surrounding this 'genderquake', examining the interplay of factors both external and internal to the school environment.

Students will explore external factors such as the impact of feminism on societal attitudes and female aspirations, significant changes in the family structure, and shifts in the labour market towards a service-based economy requiring different skill sets. Internally, the focus shifts to equal opportunities policies within schools (like GIST and WISE), the increase in female role models in senior teaching positions, the introduction of GCSEs and coursework, and the impact of teacher expectations and classroom interactions. The topic also necessitates a critical examination of the subsequent 'moral panic' about boys' underachievement, exploring explanations such as the decline of traditional male jobs leading to a 'crisis of masculinity', the prevalence of 'laddish' anti-school subcultures, and the feminisation of schooling. Students must be able to synthesise these arguments and evaluate their relative importance, considering how gender intersects with social class and ethnicity to create a more nuanced picture of differential achievement.

Key Questions

1. Analyse the reasons for the improvement in girls' educational achievement over the last 40 years.
2. Explain why boys may be underachieving in the contemporary education system.
3. Evaluate the impact of gender socialisation on subject choice and career paths.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the changing patterns of educational achievement between genders since the 1980s.
• Explain a range of internal and external sociological explanations for these trends.
• Analyse the reasons for continued gender differences in subject choice.
• Evaluate the view that there is a 'moral panic' about boys' underachievement.
• Apply feminist and other sociological perspectives to gender and education.

Key Vocabulary

Genderquake	A term coined by Wilkinson to describe the profound changes in the attitudes, aspirations and ambitions of young women.
Crisis of Masculinity	A concept that suggests traditional masculine identity is under threat due to the decline of heavy industry and manufacturing jobs, impacting boys' motivation in education.
Hegemonic Masculinity	The dominant, powerful form of masculinity in society that values toughness and competitiveness, which can lead to the formation of anti-school 'laddish' subcultures.
Gender Domains	Tasks and activities that children see as being stereotypically male or female, which can influence their confidence and interest in different school subjects.
Moral Panic	An exaggerated and often sensationalised public concern about a particular group or issue, such as the media-driven anxiety over boys 'failing' in education.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

All girls now do better than all boys in school.

What to Teach Instead

This is a generalisation. While on average girls outperform boys, social class is a more significant factor. For instance, middle-class boys still achieve higher results than working-class girls, and the gender gap is widest amongst pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Common Misconception

Boys are failing because schools have become 'too feminine'.

What to Teach Instead

The idea of a 'feminised' curriculum is a debated sociological viewpoint, not a fact. While some argue the emphasis on coursework and verbal skills may favour girls, there is limited evidence that the presence of female teachers negatively impacts boys' learning. This view can also ignore other factors like 'laddish' subcultures and changes in the economy.

Common Misconception

Feminism has solved all the problems for girls in education.

What to Teach Instead

While feminism has had a huge impact on raising girls' aspirations and challenging stereotypes, inequalities persist. This is evident in gendered subject choices, experiences of sexual harassment in schools, and the fact that men still dominate the highest-paid professions despite women's educational success.

Active Learning Ideas

Human Barometer

Internal vs. External Factors Debate

Divide the class into two teams, one arguing that internal (in-school) factors are most significant for girls' improvement, and the other arguing for external (societal) factors. Students research and prepare arguments, then engage in a structured debate, followed by a concluding vote.

45 min·Whole Class

Human Barometer

Living Graph of Educational Policy

Create a large timeline across a classroom wall from the 1970s to the present. In small groups, students research key social and educational policies (e.g., Equal Pay Act 1970, Education Reform Act 1988) and place them on the timeline, explaining their potential impact on gender and achievement.

30 min·Small Groups

Human Barometer

Analyse Subject Choice Data

Provide students with recent national statistics on A-Level or university subject choices broken down by gender. In pairs, students identify the most heavily gendered subjects and use sociological concepts (e.g., gender domains, socialisation) to explain the patterns they observe.

25 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Understanding the causes of the gender pay gap in the UK workforce.
• Analysing media debates about single-sex versus co-educational schooling.
• Critically evaluating news headlines that claim the education system is 'failing boys'.
• Examining why some professions like nursing and engineering remain heavily dominated by one gender.
• Reflecting on how personal A-Level and university subject choices may have been shaped by societal gender expectations.

Assessment Ideas

Peer Assessment

An A-Level style essay question, such as: 'Applying material from Item A, analyse two reasons for gender differences in subject choice.' (10 marks).

Quick Check

Students complete a concept map linking key concepts (e.g., 'crisis of masculinity') to either internal or external factors, and to either girls' achievement or boys' underachievement.

Quick Check

Students use a 'confidence continuum' to rate their understanding of each explanation for the gender gap, identifying areas for revision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do boys and girls still tend to choose different subjects?

This is due to a combination of factors including early gender role socialisation in the family, gendered subject images (e.g., physics being seen as 'masculine'), peer pressure from friends, and perceptions of gender-appropriate careers which influence students' choices.

How important was the introduction of GCSEs and coursework?

Sociologists like Mitsos and Browne argue it was very important. They suggest girls are often socialised to be more organised, conscientious, and better at meeting deadlines, which gives them an advantage in coursework-based assessments. The recent move back towards terminal exams may have slightly reduced girls' lead.

Does the ethnicity of a pupil have an impact on the gender gap?

Yes, intersectionality is key. For example, while on average girls do better than boys, the gap can be different for various ethnic groups. In some groups, the gap is very large, while in others it is smaller, showing that we cannot look at gender in isolation from other social factors.