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Unlock This CourseFunctionalists see education as fair and useful. Marxists say it serves the ruling class. Feminists ask a different question: how does education affect women and girls? Their answer is that schools often perpetuate gender inequality. This means they keep it going from one generation to the next, usually without anyone meaning to.
Remember, patriarchy is a society run mainly by and for men. Feminists say schools are part of that wider society, so they tend to copy its unequal gender patterns.
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Feminists say the patriarchal culture of education can be seen in the everyday life of a school. The history, books and ideas taught often focus on men's achievements. Rules and routines may treat boys' behaviour as normal and girls' behaviour as something to be corrected.
Male power shows in who is in charge. In many countries, most classroom teachers in primary schools are women, but a larger share of head teachers and university professors are men. Pupils see who holds authority.
Gender hierarchy means men's work and interests are ranked higher. A school may put more money, time and status into boys' sports or into subjects seen as masculine, such as engineering. Subjects linked to care, such as childcare, may be given less status.
Remember, role models are people whose behaviour others copy. Feminists point out that when pupils mostly see men as scientists, leaders and head teachers, and women as carers and assistants, girls may learn to expect less from their own futures.
Access to education means being able to get into school and stay there. In some societies, families with little money choose to send sons to school before daughters. Girls may also be kept at home to look after younger children, to do housework or to marry early. Feminists say this limits girls' chances before they even begin.
A gendered curriculum is one that treats girls and boys differently, through what is taught and how it is offered. The hidden curriculum teaches gender too. Some schools have offered cooking to girls and woodwork to boys, and careers advice may point girls and boys towards different jobs.
This links to subject choice. Girls are often steered towards subjects such as languages, health and care. Boys are steered towards physics, technology and mathematics. Feminists say these choices follow stereotypes, not ability, and they lead to different jobs and different pay later on.
Teachers may expect girls to be tidy and quiet and boys to be loud and good at technical subjects. Pupils often live up to what is expected of them. Boys may get more attention in discussion while girls are praised for neatness.
Pupils copy their friends. A girl who loves football or a boy who loves dance may be teased by peers. Peer pressure pushes pupils back towards the gender roles that are expected of them.
Rules about uniform, hair, behaviour and how pupils sit or speak can control girls more tightly than boys. Girls may be judged for their clothes or told to behave like a lady, while boys are excused as being boys.
Put together, these things teach girls and boys what society expects of them. Feminists say that is how education helps pass gender inequality on.
A school runs a careers day. Most of the engineers and managers invited are men, and the nurses and teaching assistants are women. Girls are given leaflets on care work. A feminist would link this to role models (who the pupils see), teacher expectations (what the school expects girls to want) and gender hierarchy (the higher-status jobs are presented as male). Notice that three ideas can be used on one example.
Writing that feminists say girls are not as clever as boys. They say the system treats the genders differently, not that girls lack ability. Another mistake is to say all schools are the same everywhere. Say "in some societies" and "in many countries". Finally, do not only describe: always explain how the point keeps gender inequality going.
(a) Define the term gender hierarchy. [2 marks]
(b) Explain three ways in which, according to feminists, education perpetuates gender inequality. [6 marks]
(c) Explain one strength and one limitation of the feminist view of education. [4 marks]
(a) A gender hierarchy is a ranking in which men and masculine things are given higher status and importance (1) than women and feminine things (1).
(b) First, teacher expectations: teachers may expect girls to be quiet and neat and boys to be good at technical subjects, so pupils live up to these labels (1+1). Second, the gendered curriculum and subject choice: girls are steered towards care subjects and boys towards science and technology, which leads to different jobs and pay later (1+1). Third, access to education: in some societies families send sons to school before daughters, so girls have fewer chances to gain qualifications (1+1).
(c) One strength is that the feminist view shows hidden gender bias, such as stereotypes in textbooks, that other views miss (1+1). One limitation is that in many countries girls now outperform boys in exams, which suggests education does not simply hold girls back (1+1).
For part (c), write one sentence naming the strength or limitation and one sentence explaining it with a reason or example. Each of the two points needs its own explanation to earn both marks.