GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EDUCATION

Critical Review: Gender Differences in Education'



Critical Review: “Gender Differences in Education”

The article “Gender Differences in education: the under achievement of boys”, penned by Eirene Mitsos and Ken Browne is a classic depiction of gender dominance in our academic settings. The article has explained the underlying reasons why female gender has been dominant and more scoring than the boys. Prior to the 1980's, the main focus of concern in regard to gender and educational achievement was the underachievement of girls where they used to lag behind the boys in all academic activities. These girls could not compete in their grades and often did not obtain admission to universities. It was only after 1990's that they started to outshine the male gender and entered into higher education with full strength.

The main problem faced in the educational settings today is the under achievement of boys. Girls have been performing so well nowadays that some serious concerns have been raised about their dominance. Moreover, as teachers began spending more time with the girls; they are likely to do even better. There are certain reasons behind the academic achievements of girls. These have been suggested by the article as:

Feminism and women's right have reinforced the self esteem of women and encouraged them to strive for their legitimate rights. Owing to the work of sociologists, schools are now offering equal opportunities to enable girls achieve to their potentials. Also Educationists have been avoiding gender stereotyping in the classrooms.

There is now equal employment opportunities provided, as “male jobs” in unskilled and semi-skilled categories continue to decline.

Girls have been found to be better motivated at achieving highly in academics than boys.

With the passage of time, girls have become more concerned about their education and career; and are mature as compared to boys.

The ...