After taking an interest in gender construction within our society, I have found an aspect of society which is as influential as the family. Education is a compulsory organisation that we could spend up to 18 years of our lives in, therefore the impact upon our socialisation is quite significant.
Gender segregation within school was abolished in the 1970s, and therefore schools were compulsory integrated in hope to produce a better standard of education. However, studies have analysed the success of both co-ed and single sex schools, and found that both genders perform better in a single sex environment, taught by the same gender. This seems very interesting to me, because society is not gendered, and we have been socialised and brought up with mixing the genders, so how can we benefit from being separate?
Education provides us with the evidence we need to prove that socialisation within the family does effect children’s attitudes towards gender. As we investigate children’s behaviours within the class room. An investigation into primary schools in London found that girls behaved in very varied positions in relation to traditional feminities. Yet, despite this, all the girls at various times acted in the ways which boisterous boys’ chose to. While peer group discourses constructed girls as harder working, more mature and more socially skilled, still the boys and a significant number of the girls adhered to the view that it is better being a boy. (Reay, Diane, ‘Spice Girls, Nice Girls, Girlies, and Tomboys: Gender discourses, girls cultures and feminism in the primary classroom’ ,Volume 13: Issue 2, July 2012, 153-166). For me this explains the creation of masculinity being the desirable sex, and one that girls are always belittled by.
We can also use exam results as our main indicator of gender differences within education. As University Chief’s highlight boys as “disadvantaged group” (Kirkup, James. ‘Boys being left behind as university gender gap widens’, The Telegraph, 31 January 2014). As apposed to girls that have become a lot stronger within education in the last 50 years. Which is shown by almost a third more girls that are applying for university places than boys. On average girls achievement is a lot higher than boys, throughout all levels of education, (demonstrated by the graph below). Sociologists pin point the socialisation of girls within the home as the most important point of their education achievement, as they are taught to be good listeners and well behaved, that benefits the classroom. This organisation seems to be the only part of our gendered society that benefits girls.
However, this may not be as beneficial to girls as we think. As “exam success is not so good at developing the equally important skills of experimentation, challenge and risk- taking.” (Benn, Melissa. ‘The education gender gap is bad for girls as well as boys’ The Guardian, 31 January 2014). Therefore, even when girls are over achieving in education, reports show that boys are not lacking in the knowledge that allows them to succeed in real life. Subjects such as Science and Maths (which are usually favoured by boys, rather than girls) are the subjects which demonstrate practical skills that pupils will need in later life. Skills such as thinking of your feet, or impulsive decision making, all that are present in boys when looking into their behaviours within the classroom. Getting Girls Into Science and Technology (GGIST) was firstly created in the 1980’s in order to shrink the gap in achievement between the sexes, and subsequently improve girls skills, which one could say has been successful, as girls now over achieve in the science subjects.
I appreciate that my natural feminist voice is subconsciously dominating my opinion throughout this blog post. However, I appose an argument in defense of the boys that are lacking in education achievement, due to the way they and everyone else in society have been socialised. In this short video scholar Christina Hoff talks about the negative affects education is having upon boys in America. The argument she proposes is very eye opening, as it shows the boys as helpless towards this gender gap, and it is society itself creating and manipulating boys to be as they are, i.e. boys are taught to play with guns, introducing them to be loud and violent. However, I do not appreciate her view that boys should be as equally educated as girls, in order for the girls to find relevant spouses. This defeats the girls reasons for achievement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpXhbdl1MKo
Future Lifestyles of many pupils are shown to be predetermined by society. As the socialisation that they have experienced, has preempted and specified a range of career paths that they can choose from. As by telling students they can do anything thy want is wrong, the evidence for this is asking yourself how many female car mechanics you come across, however, I am not saying they do not exist. Another effect upon lifestyle involvement between males and females is described by Angela Mcrobbie as the ‘Bedroom Culture’. This basically argues that girls are socialised to not engage in crime and deviant behaviour. As throughout education they spend time at other girls houses, either continuing education, or reading ‘socialising’ magazines, and participate in further feminine activities. Whereas, boys are more likely to be outside, therefore spending less time on their education and more time participating in possible deviant behaviour.
The socialisation that occurs within education sets up our journey into the next stages of our lives. Due to the stereotypes and predetermined behaviours set up by our involvement of the family, we are blind sighted into the belief ‘the world is our oyster’, when consequently our gender has already determined our future prospects. Even with the help of organisations such as GGIST, girls are still shown to be lacking the skills which boys poses, and are still shown to be at a disadvantage.
Useful Sites:-
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09540250120051178#.Uuvdm_3nlFI
http://iss.sagepub.com/content/21/2/289.full.pdf+html
http://www.tutor2u.net/sociology/education-differential-achievement.html
http://www.middleschool.net/negative-homeschooling.htm
Pippa Dean 