The Economic Gender Gap

Paper Summary:

The paper reveals the statistics that show how girls have consistently academically outperformed boys in school. The paper then explores why, despite this apparent advantage of girls over boys in primary and secondary schools, women still lag in terms of economic growth. The paper explains the factors that still impede women's career success over men and highlights how having children is one of the major factors that limit women from excelling in their careers. The paper asserts that the academic goals of women should be attained, in spite of their families.

Outline:
Introduction
Women and the Economy
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"It has been found through numerous studies and reports that girls have consistently academically performed better than boys in school. At primary school, girls have been shown to supersede boys in overall academic performance. During the 1960s, boys aged 16 years outperformed girls by 5%. By 1987, however, only about 80 boys for every 100 girls had achieved five GCSE high-grade passes (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2003). In 2005-2006, 62% of girls in their senior year of compulsory education obtained at least 5 GCSE grades A to C, in contrast to only 52% of the boys receiving the same grades (National Statistics, 2006). This academic gender gap manifests early among students. More alarmingly, the widening gender gap in terms of academic performance increases with age. From Key Stage (KS) 1 to KS 4, girls have been shown to outperform boys in at least 3 subjects. AT KS 3, boys did better in math and science, while girls did better in English."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Administrator. (16 January 2007). Sub-theme five: global feminist strategies, challenges and common approaches. [Online.] Retrieved 6 April 2008 from the Web site: http://feministdialogues.isiswomen.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=116
• Anderson, N., Lankshear, C., Timms, C., and Courtney, L. (2006). "'Because it's boring, irrelevant and I don't like computers': why high school girls avoid professionally-oriented ICT subjects." Computers & Education, doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2006.12.003.
• Davies, J. (2005). "'We know what we're talking about, don't we?': an examination of girls' classroom-based learning allegiances." Linguistics and Education, 15: 199-216.
• Frederickson, N., and Petrides, K. V. (2004). "Ethnic, gender, and socio-economic group differences in academic performance and secondary school selection: a longitudinal analysis." Learning and Individual Differences, doi: 10.1016/u.lindif.2005.09.001
• Government Equalities Office. (Jan 2008). Gender pay gap. [Online.] Retrieved 5 April 2008 from the Web site: http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/women_work/index.htm

More papers on The Economic Gender Gap:

• Essay # 73213 : "The Gender Gap and the Digital Divide"
• Research Paper # 102437 : "Gender Gaps in Canada"
• Research Proposal # 7025 : "Gender and Salary"

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