This month the UK newspapers have been awash with stories about the (supposedly) ever-decreasing ‘gender gap’. Indeed, several key reports relating to equalities issues have been released in the past month, all of which have been discussed at great length in the British media. Of greatest international significance, perhaps, have been the reports surrounding the progress made against the millennium development goals (a set of goals which were proposed by world leaders back in the year 2000 and were revisited last month as these leaders returned to New York for the UN summit, Singer 2010). Although a number of scholars have pointed to the fact that the success of achieving these goals has largely been attributable to moving the goalposts, the positive news reported last week was that gender parity in education was being achieved and in ways which had substantial effects upon the ability to reach other goals (e.g. infant mortality rates). Continue reading “Boys, Boys, Boys!”
Made in Dagenham: Made for Feminist Discussion in Schools?
This month has seen the release of the hotly debated film Made in Dagenham. This is a film which recalls the events surrounding the 1968 strike by the women sewing machinists at the Ford plant in Dagenham, London. The film was produced by Stephen Wooley and Elizabeth Karlsen in conjunction with BBC films and was directed by Nigel Cole (also known for his direction of the popular film ‘Calendar Girls’). At a recent London Feminist Network screening of the film, the film’s producers Wooley and Karlsen claim that the original idea for the film was first developed over four years ago. However, they explain that the film was unsuccessful in gaining funding at this time because there appeared to be very little interest in feminism or on issues relating to equal pay. Continue reading “Made in Dagenham: Made for Feminist Discussion in Schools?”
Gender Differences in Education and Youth Transitions 1985-2005
The Scottish School Leavers’ Surveys (SSLS) were a rich source of information about the experiences of young people between the ages 16 and 23., and provided longitudinal data on their secondary schooling, and their transitions through further and higher education, training, employment etc. Funded by the Scottish government from the 1970s to 2005, the SSLS is now discontinued Continue reading “Gender Differences in Education and Youth Transitions 1985-2005”
Gender Hysteria: 2010 Examination Results
Once more, the annual hysteria around exam results is upon us in the UK, and as journalist Lucy Tobin puts it the gender debate that has been simmering for the last few years is set to ignite. Continue reading “Gender Hysteria: 2010 Examination Results”