Feminist View of Education (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Revision Note

Feminist views of education

• Feminists take a critical view of the education system

• They argue that it helps to maintain the patriarchy

  • A social system in which men hold power and women are subordinated

• They believe that education, like wider society, is male-dominated and reinforces gender inequality through both the formal curriculum and the hidden curriculum

• While feminists acknowledge that there have been improvements in girls’ education, they argue that gender bias and stereotyping still exist within schools

Reasons for girls’ low attainment in the past

• Schools were historically patriarchal institutions, run by men and designed to prepare girls for traditional domestic roles

• In the 1950s and 60s, boys and girls studied different subjects:

  • Girls were encouraged to take cookery and needlework

  • Boys took woodwork and metalwork

• Textbooks and reading schemes often showed women in housewife or mother roles, reinforcing the idea that men belonged in the workplace and women in the home

• These cultural expectations limited girls’ aspirations and made academic or professional success seem less achievable

Improvements for girls

• The introduction of the National Curriculum (1988) meant that boys and girls now study the same subjects in publicly funded schools

• Feminist activism raised awareness of gender inequality, influencing education policy and teacher training

• Girls now outperform boys at most levels of education, but feminists argue that sexism has not disappeared — it has become more subtle, appearing in classroom interactions, subject choices, and leadership positions

Patriarchy and the hidden curriculum

• The hidden curriculum continues to transmit patriarchal values, reinforcing traditional gender roles

• This can be seen in:

  • teacher expectations — girls are often praised for being neat and well-behaved, while boys are rewarded for confidence and assertiveness

  • gendered subject choices — physics, engineering, and computing remain seen as “male” subjects, while languages and childcare are viewed as “female”

  • school organisation and leadership — although most teachers are women, men dominate senior positions (in 2023, 58.5% of secondary school headteachers were male, Department for Education)

• Sue Lees (1993) found a double standard: girls were criticised for being sexually active or flirtatious, while boys were praised for the same behaviour

• Schools therefore, reinforce male dominance and control girls’ behaviour through informal social control

Key thinker: Becky Francis (2001): the patriarchal nature of schools

• Becky Francis found that boys often dominate classroom space, receiving more attention from teachers than girls

  • Boys were typically louder and more assertive, leading to more teacher interaction (both positive and negative)

  • Outside the classroom, boys controlled playground space, particularly in sports areas, often marginalising girls

• Francis argued that this reflects patriarchal power relations, where males occupy more physical and symbolic space within education

Social control

• Schools exercise social control by policing girls’ behaviour, dress, and appearance

• Feminists argue that girls face stricter expectations than boys and are more likely to be judged or disciplined for breaching them

• Boys often enforce gender norms by ridiculing or marginalising girls who do not conform, reflecting patriarchal power both within and beyond the classroom

Criticisms of the feminist view of education

• Improvements in equality

  • Feminists may underestimate progress, as legal and policy changes (e.g. the National Curriculum and Equal Opportunities legislation) have improved access and outcomes for girls

  • Many schools now actively promote gender equality, and girls often achieve higher grades and progress to university in greater numbers than boys

• Overemphasis on gender

  • Some critics argue that feminists focus too much on gender and overlook how class and ethnicity also shape students’ experiences and achievement.

  • E.g., working-class or ethnic minority girls may face additional barriers beyond gender discrimination

• Marxist critique

  • Marxist feminists argue that education reproduces both patriarchy and capitalism, benefiting ruling-class men most of all

  • They believe true equality requires wider social and economic change, not just reform within schools