Gender Differences in Achievement

The relationship between gender and educational achievement has undergone a dramatic reversal over the past half-century. In the 1960s and 1970s, the main concern was the underachievement of girls. Today, girls outperform boys at every stage of education, from primary school through to university. The AQA specification requires you to understand and evaluate the external and internal factors that explain both the improvement in girls' achievement and the relative underachievement of boys. You must also consider how gender intersects with class and ethnicity.

Key Definition: The gender gap in education refers to the measurable difference in educational achievement between males and females. In the UK, this gap consistently favours females at GCSE, A-Level, and degree level.

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The Gender Gap: Statistics and Trends

Key statistical trends in the UK:

• At GCSE, girls outperform boys in almost every subject. In 2019, 72% of girls achieved grades 9-4 in English and Maths, compared to 63% of boys.
• At A-Level, girls are more likely to achieve top grades (A*/A) in most subjects, although boys still dominate in some STEM subjects.
• At university, women now make up the majority of undergraduates. In 2020, 57% of university entrants were female.
• The gender gap is widest among working-class pupils. Middle-class boys still outperform working-class girls, demonstrating the importance of the interaction between gender and class.

It is important to note that the gender gap is not uniform across all subjects. Boys still tend to perform better in some STEM subjects (physics, computer science), while girls dominate in English, humanities, and languages. However, the overall pattern is one of female advantage.

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External Factors Explaining Girls' Improvement

The Impact of Feminism

The feminist movement has had a profound impact on women's expectations and aspirations. Since the 1960s, feminism has challenged traditional gender roles and fought for equal opportunities in education and employment. The Equal Pay Act (1970), Sex Discrimination Act (1975), and subsequent legislation have helped to create a culture in which girls expect to pursue careers and achieve economic independence.

McRobbie (1994) compared girls' magazines from the 1970s (which emphasised romance, marriage, and domesticity) with those from the 1990s (which emphasised independence, careers, and assertiveness). This cultural shift has raised girls' aspirations and expectations, making academic success more important to them.

Changing Aspirations

Sue Sharpe (1994) conducted a landmark study comparing girls' priorities in the 1970s and 1990s. In the 1970s, girls' priorities were (in order): love, marriage, husbands, children, jobs, careers. By the 1990s, these had shifted dramatically to: careers, jobs, independence, being able to support yourself.

This shift reflects the broader social changes brought about by feminism, rising divorce rates, and the expansion of the female labour market. Girls now see education as essential for their future independence and financial security.

Francis (2001) confirmed this trend, finding that girls had high career aspirations and saw educational success as a means of achieving them. Boys' aspirations, by contrast, were less clearly linked to educational achievement — some boys aspired to careers in sport or entertainment that did not require formal qualifications.

Role Models

The increasing visibility of successful women in professional roles (medicine, law, business, politics) provides girls with positive role models. The growth of the female workforce — particularly in professional and managerial occupations — shows girls that academic success can translate into rewarding careers. Conversely, the decline of traditional male manual labour (mining, manufacturing, dock work) has removed many of the occupational destinations that previously gave working-class boys a sense of purpose and identity without requiring qualifications.

Changes in Family Structure

Increases in divorce rates, cohabitation, and lone-parent families (90% of which are headed by women) mean that many women are now the primary breadwinners. This demonstrates to girls that they need to be able to support themselves financially. It may also increase girls' motivation to achieve educationally, as they see qualifications as essential for economic independence.

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External Factors Explaining Boys' Underachievement

The Decline of Traditional Male Employment

The decline of manufacturing, mining, and other traditional male industries has created a "crisis of masculinity" for working-class boys. These industries previously provided well-paid jobs for men without qualifications. Their disappearance means that traditional working-class masculine identities — based on physical strength, manual labour, and being the family breadwinner — are no longer viable. Some boys respond to this identity crisis by disengaging from education.

Mitsos and Browne (1998) argued that the decline of male manual jobs has led to a loss of motivation among working-class boys, who no longer see the point of working hard at school because the jobs their fathers and grandfathers did no longer exist.

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Internal Factors

Feminisation of Education

Mitsos and Browne (1998) argued that the education system has become increasingly "feminised" — structured in ways that favour the learning styles and strengths of girls. They pointed to several features of the modern education system that may disadvantage boys:

• The dominance of coursework and continuous assessment (which rewards organisation, sustained effort, and attention to detail — strengths more commonly associated with girls) over terminal examinations (which reward risk-taking and last-minute cramming — stereotypically male traits).
• The declining proportion of male teachers, particularly in primary schools, which means boys lack male role models in education.
• The emphasis on reading, verbal communication, and collaborative learning — all areas where girls tend to have an advantage.