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Boys fall into gender gap before they start school
29 Jul 2009Boys fall far behind girls in their educational development even before they start primary school, according to government research.
Researchers found the widest gulf in achievement between the sexes is in writing, while girls also show more advanced use of imagination in their art work, story telling and play.
However, another report, by the Women and Work Commission, found that girls are still being stereotyped in the careers they should pursue — which is reinforcing the gender pay gap.
The findings by the Department for Children, Schools and Families raised fresh questions over whether state education is doing enough to narrow the gap in results between boys and girls.
It is the first time such detailed figures rating the achievements of five-year-olds against the Government's key “early learning” targets have been compiled.
The results were based on a sample of 230,000 children in England at the end of the “foundation stage” of their education last year. They showed:
Girls were 20 percentage points ahead of boys in the ability to write for a variety of purposes.
Girls were 16 percentage points ahead of boys in their ability to hold a pencil properly and “form recognisable letters”.
Among girls, 71 per cent achieved the target for using their imagination in art, design, music, play and stories — while only 52 per cent of boys did so.
Boys were slightly ahead of girls in addition and subtraction, and in the practical skills of building, but the differences were “relatively small”.
Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said girls tended to be “born with an advantage” over boys when it comes to verbal skills. “Policy makers need to be aware that the gap opens up in the years before formal schooling and they have to think how best to intervene,” he said.
“It could well mean that a lot of young males are not getting as much out of their lives as they could because we haven't found the ways to enable them to develop fluency.”
A spokesman for the Department for Children said the Government was “making progress” on narrowing the gender gap in young children's achievement.
“But we know that we need to do more. The results from last year showed an improvement in boys' achievement across all areas of learning and that in some they are improving at a faster rate than girls.”
But the Women and Work Commission criticised the Government for failing to do more to change the culture in the education system to encourage girls to opt for non-traditional jobs — and called on it to do more to promote quality flexible and part-time work for women.
Chairwoman Baroness Prosser said: “The Government is committed to tackling inequalities in the workplace. But ministers must match commitment with fundamental change that will make a real difference — starting in our schools.”
Reader views (4)
This is the reversal. Boys given aggressive treatment to make them tough. Boys not given kind social verbal interaction for fear of coddling. Boys not given love respect unless display achievement.
Now in information age the aggressive neglectful treatment given boys is creating higher average stress that impedes learning and motivation to; also creates higher activity in working class; boys fall behind in writing due to higher muscle tension from high average stress. Nice Middle/Upper class boys do not have this problem. Girls are reaping windfall of many information age skills. Much protection girls receive from infancy create lower average stress ease of nature and lower muscle tension that makes handwriting more rewarding. Kind stabilizing verbal interaction increase their social verbal academic skills along with a feeling of love and support. Since girls given love respect simply for being girls, they have assurance of good treatment in society through adulthood. This protection allows for much more freedom of expression to vent gain further support and more care. This is why girls mature faster than boys. These differences have been socially created.
More instability allows valve of aggression on Males to increase but the valve of protection is still in place for girls. Boys must generate feelings of self-worth. Boys not succeeding in classroom do not receive essentials of self-worth; so they must generate self-worth through other means, sport, games.
- Ann Duckworth, Jacksonville, USA, 29/10/2009 00:21
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You can bet your life that if the figures were reversed then that horrible little woman Harriet Harm-men would be introducing laws to change things yet I bet you do not hear a squeak out of her as its the male suffering.
- Duncan Walker, Ex Peckham now Thailand, 28/10/2009 23:21
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When men start to take voluntary breaks of for 6 months to a year perhaps as many as four or five times in the space of ten years, tell me why they would expect to have the same "average" pay. If women choose to have on "average" less demanding lower paid jobs, then why is it a surprise to these idiots that their "average" earnings are lower. Somebody should give them a course in basic arithmetic as to what average actually means. If somebody does the same job for the same amount of time then they should be paid the same. Any less time / years worked should equal less pay.
- Jon, london, 28/10/2009 23:21
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Yes, let's improve the performance of boys in school so they can do as badly as girls in the workplace. Socialise the life out of them. That will give the girls a level playing field so they can compete.
- Bloke, London, 28/10/2009 23:21
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