How can sociologists explain the improvement in the educational performance of girls?

It is widely argued that sexual urge influences attain manpowert. Sociologists save noniced a difference in the level of achievement in boys and girls under 16. Studies show boys do non perform as well as girls in standard subjects in school, girls argon outright overtaking boys at a higher(prenominal)-level standard. Sociologists noniced this when they saw A level results and GCSE results, except Post-16 girls turn tail to drop out of science and technology despite doing best than boys at GCSE. Boys early literacy skills are markedly lower than girls.Although sociologists agree that thither is a definite sex activity gap between manlys and female under sixteen, it is not just a simple case of boys doing badly, girls doing well. The relationship between sex and achievement is much more(prenominal) complex problems have arose within the theater of the gender gap, it is not the same in exclusively subjects boys perform just about better in GCSE maths than girls. It can not be utilize to all levels of education, particularly university where the dropout rate is higher amongst girls social class and gender affect it.A variety of occasions have been suggested for the difference between male and females in relation to achievement. Sociologists have attempted to explain firstly why females out perform males in most subjects under the age of sixteen and twinklingly why females are less likely to enter higher education (post 16 education) despite the fact that female school leavers tend to be better qualified than male ones. It has been suggested that females out perform males because of the following facts, educational policies to overhaul girls over the ago twenty years has seen attempts to remedy the academic performance of girls.Course tap favours girls course work in many subjects has helped to meliorate the academic standards of many girls. Girls have higher career aspirations in that respect is at once a greater range of role models in society than in in front years. In the 1970s Sue Sharpe wrote a book called hardly like a girl in which she writes that most women then treasured to get married and have children. They did not see the point in staying on at school. There were very few jobs for women in the earlier years only region jobs, nursing, teaching etc. til now in todays society womens attitudes towards education have changed.More girls now want to expect college and university. There are a wider range of careers for women these days fire fighters, business, name etc. The idea of marriage has become less popular. As there are more job opportunities for girls these days, they need qualifications therefore they need to work harder. There are poorer employment prospects for men in regard to the changes in the traditional male manual work. Male overconfidence in their confess abilities causes unrealistic high expectations. Anti-school culture makes boys vulnerable to acting out the men behaving badl y role, which in turn places little emphasis on education.Boys are more likely to not do their homework and go out with their friends, than girls. Boys ascend it more difficult to stay in and do their work as they might be worried that their friends will think that they are not cool. Girls tend to be more mature. Male literacy problems- it is a fact that boys interpret and write less than girls. Boys are more interested in their calculating machine games where as girls are more likely to read books. This will help them with their school work. Labelling- teachers are more likely to label boys negatively and do a self-fulfilling prophecy of educational failure.Teachers more likely to think boys are more disruptive than girls therefore do not give them as much help. Therefore they are more likely to fail the subject. as well as the parental expectations of their children differ, boys are expected to be tougher and more boisterous, girls tend to be quieter and neater. They are enco uraged to play several(predicate) games and are given different toys therefore this creates the basis for differences in interests and attitudes. Curriculum differences there are cardinal levels the ordinary and the mystical curriculum.Although schools have to offer girls and boys equal access to all courses, we can see that differences emerge. In the past girls were less likely to accept science or computer courses, (it has to be noted that this may not always be the case, especially in more modern times) they were more likely to understand home economics, modern languages, social studies and secretarial courses, it is quite normal for male subjects of CDT to be on the timetable at the same time as the domestic science and the office skills subjects, therefore the official curriculum varies by gender.However these days girls cannot drop out of science and maths. They also take more subjects that boys would take and they have to so GCSE coursework. This helps girls because th ey are better organised. The hidden curriculum this is the way that certain ideas and values of the teachers, otherwise pupils and the wider society circulate through the school. This is not part of the official school lessons. In the past some sociologists argued that as a result of attitudes shown by both parents and teachers girls run into to underachieve.By this they mean that sex stereotyping occurred in which teachers (and parents) knew what sorts of jobs girls do, and have been traditionally successful in, and they then gear girls to follow courses which lead to careers in these areas. It has been suggested that the main reason why girls perform differently in the educational system from boys is in general due to the way society and the media creates gender roles which stress how males and females ought to behave.Magazines and television advertisements impersonate male and females in different ways making us retrieve that we have to act like them. There are clear gende r roles expected of girls, e. g. to be feminine, to want to marry and to have children and to follow only a relatively narrow range of occupations in nursing and office work, etc. These views are strengthened by the media, which also portray women as sex symbols, nurses or housewives. Sociologists also found that girls were rarely portrayed as the central character and rarely showed initiative.Boys were far more often shown as the central character and tended to engage in more exciting activities. However girls today want independence, they do not want to be second class citizens. Leisure When girls have time they like to gossip and have a chat. Therefore girls communicate better. This means that girls have better discourse and educational skills than boys. In conclusion it is clear that girls are doing better unless it is not the whole story because achievement affected by other factors cannot be ignored. These other factors are class and ethnicity.