Gender and Education

Gender has long been considered one of the most important explanations for differential educational achievement, and many researchers have studied the reasons and consequences of the affects of gender on pupils and teachers in schools.

* Althusser (1971) and Bowles and Gintis (1976), writing from a Marxist background concluded that school prepares young people to fit into predefined work roles both defined and necessary for Capitalist economy.

* Class is also an important factor to look at when considering gender divisions.  Middle class boys are likely to have the most choice and the best resources available to them.  Pratt et al (1984)

* A 'gender code' encompasses the behaviours, attitudes and emotional responses that are judged appropriate for either sex.  Pupils are involved in interpreting the gender code of the school, as well as bring their own which is derived from their home backgrounds and the attitudes of their parents.

Sheila Riddell studied two secondary schools: Millbridge and Greenhill and found many exciting things about gender!!  The following observations are taken from her book:

* Girls are perceived to be more mature than boys in terms of both physical and mental maturity.  The supposed immaturity of boys is often used as an excuse for their poor academic performances. (Millbridge)

* The opposite is applied to the girls, who are, according to Mr Ginger, a Maths teacher and Deputy Head at Millbridge: "naturally hard working".  The female pupils agreed with this view, and felt that they could therefore get away with more misdemeanors than the boys could.  For example, Susan Piper observed that in order to avoid trouble over not handing her maths homework in, all she had to do was "put on [her] sweet and innocent look" (pg 158)

* Teachers reinforced the stereotypes.  For example, the majority of the male and some female teachers all 'subscribed to an ideology of femininity' that saw all women as potential mothers, and thus marginalized them as merely workers.  Despite paying 'lip service' to the equality idea, most felt that there was an unequal balance of power in the system that affected them and their female pupils.

*Subject choice at both Greenhill and Millbridge was to some extent affected by the stereotypical ideas of traditional male and female subjects.  The table below shows the percentages of pupils opting for different subjects at Greenhill in 1985......

 Clearly there are some subjects that are still male/female dominated.  No boys at all took secretarial studies, and likewise there were no girls in the technical graphics class. 

* The introduction of the sex Discrimination Act in the 1960s was supposed to encourage equality in education.  However, by the 1980s, it was clear that girls were still being encouraged into 'traditional' careers through the education system.  Thus researchers concluded that despite legal requirements and the removal of formal discrimination, there were still hidden messages that girls and boys were receiving about gender-appropriate study.

* Initiatives to get girls into science include; GATE (Girls And Technology Education) and GIST (Girls Into Science and Technology).  There have also been some attempts to encourage boys into modern languages and domestic sciences.        

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