Gender imbalance has characterized the social institutions including the education system over time. However, as the global quest for social progress intensifies, nations are experiencing changes in the proportion of male and female attaining educational achievements and choosing careers. This report will interpret data on changes in educational attainment according to gender over time and outline what the information reveal about the perception of subjects in relation to gender and career expectations.
Changes in Educational Attainment According to Gender over Time
The data on the Percentage of students completing school with 5 or more subjects achieving A* and C grades at GCSE Level between the year 1962 and 2006 indicates that female students have been performing significantly better than male from the year 1984 (the Education Union, 2004). It is evident that while the female in societies struggles against discrimination and the glass ceiling effect, facts on educational attainment in the past 20 years indicate female as better performers. The changes in the educational attainment can be attributed to the development of a favourable environment that accorded female students access to education as well as a gender-balanced learning system. The campaigns by Women’s Liberation Movement which advocated for further, compulsory and higher education for women and girls in the 1970s led to the better educational attainment for female (Hughes & Kennedy, 2017). The development of the Women’s Liberation Movement coincides with the outperformance of female students against the male from the period after 1980 to 2006 as revealed in the data. The exemplary performance from female students against the male is bound to continue into the future in that, the percentage of girls who outperformed boys in schools increased from three percent in the year 1988 to nine percent by the year 1997 (The Education Union, 2004).
The educational attainment based on gender is also characterised by a significant difference in the career choice preferred by male and female. The date indicates the proportion of female students undertaking careers in hair and beauty, care and childcare and animal, retail and arts are higher compared to boys (Chapman et al., 2015). On the other hand, male students are inclined towards careers in construction, engineering, manufacturing, land-based industries, administration and business, catering, ICT and sports, leisure and tourism. The career choice is connected with the changes in educational attainment. It is evident that the career s focused by the female students has become popular in the recent past thus coinciding with the increased educational attainment of women. The careers in the engineering, industries, and manufacturing where male dominance is profound are traditional sectors which have been in existence since the industrial revolution. It is apparent that the development of careers in hair and beauty, animal care and care and childcare over the past few years has provided women with avenues where they can exercise passion and career progress. The expansion of the educational systems to accommodate arts and care as opposed to the concentration on sciences and industrial skills for engineering, construction and motor careers is favouring the female inclusion in education.
The date from the interview with Ruth Gordon who was the first female structural engineer in the state of California, United States reveal the struggle by female in an educational system that favoured masculine careers in the 1950s. The revelations from Ruth Gordon justify the outperformance of male students against the female in the period before 1980 (May & Rodgers, 2014). Academic attainment is directly influenced by the ability of the education system to support the careers that are preferred by any given gender group. The data from Education Union (2004) can be interpreted to mean that the higher proportion of female students completing school with better grades against boys does not imply poor performance from boys but the increase in the number of subjects that are deemed to be feminine. An individual is able to attain higher educational performance in subjects and careers that are chosen based on passion.
Perception of Subjects in Relation to Gender and Career Expectations
The date on the percentage of students completing school with given grades over time, vocational subjects and the interview with Ruth Gordon reveal that gender perception and identity influence career expectations and the educational attainment. The society assigns gender-based careers which determine the access to employment. Ruth Gordon had to go door-to-door in search of employment despite attaining good grades and being the only female graduate from her class in structural engineering. It is evident that the United States society perceived women as poor in engineering subjects and thus expected female not to pursue careers in engineering. The data from the 2004 pupil’s choice of vocational subjects indicate that female preference for construction and engineering and motor are below 10 percent. Little change has been experienced regarding gender and career expectations. The male is still dominating the engineering and scientific careers while female is inclined towards nursing care and the beauty of the contemporary society. While the educational attainment of women has significantly increased against the male over time, the gender identification and assignment of subjects and careers remain unchanged and the society is yet to embrace and accommodate gender diversity in career choice, employment, and progression.
References
Chapman, S., Holborn, M., Moore, S. and Aiken, D., 2015, Sociology AQA A-level, Year 1, London: Collins, 2015
Hughes, M., & Kennedy, M. (2017). New futures: changing women's education.London ; New York : Routledge, 2017
May, A. M., and Rodgers, Y. M., 2014, ‘Gender and Graduate Education in the United States: Women’s Advancement in STEM Fields’ in, Dhar, D. (ed.), Education and Gender, London: Bloomsburry, pp67-94
The Education Union, 2004, Gender in Education 3-19, [pdf], London, Available at https://www.atl.org.uk/Images/Gender%20in%20education%203-19.pdf. [Accessed 23 Nov 2017]
