Liberal Feminist NO2

Feminists see education as a key site for both the reproduction of patriarchy and resistance to gender inequality.

Liberal feminists: Progress and equality

Liberal feminists are optimistic about education and they believe that progress has been made in reducing gender inequality and the schools can be agents of change

Key beliefs

Gender inequality is gradually being overcome through-

  • Changes in laws and policies (Equal pay act, Sex discrimination act)

  • Socialisation changes- Girls are encouraged to be ambitious

  • Education reforms- Policies encouraging girls into STEM

  • Education now promotes equal opportunities for boys and girls

Girls now outperform boys at every stage of education

Examples of improvement

GCSE and A-level results- Girls are consistently achieving higher grades then boys

University access- More girls now got to university then boys

Career aspirations- Girls have higher expectations and ambitions than in the past

Role models- More female teachers, heads and public figures inspire young girls

Policies that reflect liberal feminist ideas

WISE (Women into science and engineering)- Encourages girls into traditional male subjects

National curriculum- Gave boys and girls equal access to subjects like science and maths

Sharpe- Compared girls ambitions in 1970s (love and marriage) vs 1990s (Career and independence)

Evaluation

Strengths-

  • Explains how and why girls are succeeding in education today

  • Helped to bring around important policy changes and raised awareness of sexism in schools

  • Recognises that education can be a force of progress#

Criticism

Too optimistic- Underestimates ongoing problems (sexual harassment)

Radical feminists say patriarchy is still deeply embedded in the system

Marxists feminists argue that they ignore how class and capitalism shape girls experiences

Boys underachievement is now a growing issue that liberal feminists may overlook