Gender & Educational Achievement (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Revision Note

Statistics on gender & educational achievement

• Official statistics show clear differences in educational achievement between boys and girls

  • Traditionally, boys outperformed girls at A Level, but by the early 2000s, girls were achieving better results at both GCSE and A Level

  • A Level results in 2014 suggested that the gender gap was beginning to narrow

  • Females in the UK are around 35% more likely than men to go to university

  • In 1990, 34,000 women graduated compared to 43,000 men

  • By 2000, the pattern reversed — 133,000 women graduated compared to 110,000 men

Explanations for the improvements in girls' achievements

External factors

The impact of feminism

• Feminism has challenged traditional gender roles that limited women to the roles of wives and mothers

• Feminism has raised girls’ aspirations and confidence, encouraging them to view education as a route to financial independence

• More working mothers provide role models for girls, showing that women can combine careers and family life

• Sue Sharpe (1994) found that girls’ priorities changed from the 1970s to the 1990s — from love and marriage to careers and independence

Changes in employment and career opportunities

• More jobs are now open to women in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as finance, law, and business, as well as teaching and healthcare

• Equal opportunities laws, like the Sex Discrimination Act (1975) and the Equality Act (2010), made it illegal to discriminate based on gender

• These changes motivated girls to work hard at school and gain the qualifications needed for professional careers

• The rise in female role models at work has inspired more girls to aim high

Changes in norms & values

• Social attitudes have changed — it is now acceptable for women to cohabit, delay marriage, or remain single

• Girls are encouraged to be independent and ambitious, seeing education as key to achieving this

• These cultural shifts have influenced how girls view success and their role in society

School factors

Positive role models in schools

• There has been a rise in the number of female teachers and headteachers, showing that women can achieve positions of authority

• Female staff provide inspirational role models, demonstrating that success through education is possible

Changes in law and equal opportunities in schools

• The National Curriculum (1988) gave girls and boys equal access to subjects, including science and maths, which were once considered ‘male’ subjects

• GIST (Girls into Science and Technology) and WISE (Women into Science and Engineering) encouraged girls to take up traditionally male subjects

• Schools have introduced equal opportunities policies, aiming to remove barriers for female students

Challenging gender stereotypes in the curriculum

• Since the 1980s, gender stereotypes in textbooks and teaching materials have been challenged and removed

• Weiner (1995) argues that teachers now challenge sexist attitudes and promote positive female images

• These changes have raised girls’ self-esteem and reduced subject bias

Gender differences in subject choice

• Boys and girls still tend to choose different subjects, particularly at the post-16 level

  • Boys are more likely to study physics, computing, and maths

  • Girls are more likely to study English, sociology, psychology, and health and social care (JCQ, 2024)

• Feminists argue that the education system remains patriarchal, steering girls toward ‘caring’ or ‘feminine’ careers

Reasons for gender differences in subject choice

School-based reasons

• Gender stereotyping in textbooks, such as the absence of female role models in science and maths textbooks, leads to girls believing they shouldn't study science

• Gendered language in school textbooks, such as 'he', 'him', and 'man' when referring to a person or people, can be seen as downgrading women and making them invisible

• Gendered curriculum is taught in schools, whereby women tend to be missing or in the background; for example, feminists believe women have been hidden from the history curriculum, which is focused on men

• Traditional gender roles are portrayed in school textbooks and reading schemes as they present women as mothers and housewives, and more interested in domestic matters than boys are

• Teacher stereotyping may influence girls' subject choice at GCSE and A Level

• Gender-based career guidance involves the tendency for girls to be directed towards the caring professions

• Peer group pressure to conform to gender norms, as boys or girls may not opt for a particular subject due to fear of ridicule or disapproval from their peers

Home-based reasons

• Gender socialisation within the home leads children to associate themselves with certain subject areas later on

• Boys and girls are socialised in different ways as parents channel their children's interests into toys, games and books that are perceived as gender-appropriate (canalisation)

  • For example, girls have more experience with care-related toys at home, such as babies and prams; this could encourage them to see child development or health and social care as a 'female' subject

Impact of single-sex schools and classrooms

• Single-sex schools often allow girls to perform better in ‘male’ subjects, such as science and maths

• Research suggests girls in single-sex settings are more confident and less influenced by gender stereotypes

• Single-sex classrooms in mixed schools have also been tried to reduce distractions and improve performance

Evaluation of gender differences in educational achievement

• Progress but not equality

  • Girls now outperform boys in most subjects, but gender inequalities still exist in career choices and pay

  • Female students are still more likely to choose lower-paid, ‘caring’ professions after education

• Liberal vs radical feminist views

  • Liberal feminists see progress as a result of policy change and equal opportunities, arguing that schools can continue improving equality

  • Radical feminists argue that patriarchy remains deeply rooted in schools — girls still experience sexism, harassment, and bias

• Role models and teacher bias

  • While there are more female teachers, men still dominate senior positions, suggesting the ‘glass ceiling’ still exists in education

  • Some male teachers reinforce gender stereotypes through classroom interactions, while others challenge them