Gender: Subject Choice

Subject choice at GCSE and stats

National curriculum reduced choice. Boys tend to opt for maths, physics, DT and geography. Girls tend to opt for MFL, art, humanities and social science

2018 - 90% boys did engineering and 70% girls did social sciences

DFE 2019 - many subjects show gender stereotypical biases

Subject choice at A-Level

subjects ranked highest in 2021 was psychology for girls and maths for boys

General reason why this may be the case (choices)

• traditional views on gender norms

• boys masculinity - the threat of what is being seen as feminine jobs and girls being discouraed by parents

• may not be aware of what is out there

• role models

• view from peers = boys only tried hairdressing when man was teaching them in 2008 video about pupils

Gender role socialisation

Norman = from early age boys and girls dress differently and taken into different activities. Girls are made to be more passive and boys more active all before school.

Canalisation, manipulation and verbal appellation (va is where called certain labels like ‘sweet girl’ or ‘brave boy’

Elwood says that boys read more info books whereas girls read stories. Comments of GENDER DOMAINS which causes a sort of territory over them reinforcing gender norms. Boys often excel in their domains

AO3 gender socialisation

Disney films challenge passive views and increase in books like Paper Bag Princess and I’m a girl helps to challenge stereotypes and the appearances of the way we define gender.

helps with primary socialisation

Gendered subject images

Kelly = science is seen to be a boys subject as science teachers are likely to be male and textbooks show boys experiences

Colley = computer science is seen as a masculine subject eg working with machines and way lessons are formatted meet boy domain

AO3 Gendered subject images

Leonard = girls in girls schools took more male domains so more about the way the school promotes it

Gender identity and peer pressure

going outside gender domain attracts negative responses from peers

Paechter = pupils see sport as male => girls likely to opt out

Dewar = in on US college found that girls were called Lesbian/Butch

AO3 Gender identity and peer pressure

This Girl Can campaign = no right way to be active - encouraged all the join

Fitness and sport role models = more common due to social media and inc profile of female sport => becomes more neutral and represented

Gendered career opportunities

women opt to nursing etc as feel its for their domain and representation

AO3 gendered career opp

consider social class along with gender - opt for careers as suitable for sc possibilities