Impact of Feminism on Women's Education and Employment
The feminist movement has had a profound impact on women's education and employment opportunities since the 1970s. This social movement, which strives for equal rights for women in all areas of life, has challenged traditional stereotypes and led to significant legal and societal changes.
Definition: Feminism is a social movement that advocates for equal rights and opportunities for women in all aspects of society.
The feminist movement has successfully improved women's rights and opportunities through various legal changes. While full equality between the sexes has not yet been achieved, feminism has raised women's self-esteem and expectations.
Example: McRobbie's study of girls' magazines showed a shift from emphasizing marriage in the 1970s to portraying assertive, independent women in more recent years.
Changes in women's employment since the 1970s have been substantial:
- The 1970 Equal Pay Act made it illegal to pay women less than men for work of equal value.
- The 1975 Sex Discrimination Act outlawed discrimination at work.
- The pay gap has halved from 30% to 15% since 1975.
- The proportion of women in employment rose from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013.
Highlight: Some women are now breaking through the "glass ceiling," an invisible barrier that previously kept them out of high-level professional and managerial jobs.
These changes have encouraged girls to envision their future in terms of paid work rather than as housewives. The greater career opportunities, better pay, and successful role models provide strong incentives for girls to gain qualifications.
Family changes have also played a role in shaping girls' educational achievement:
- Increased divorce rates
- Rise in cohabitation and decrease in first marriages
- Growth in lone-parent families, often headed by women
- Smaller family sizes
These changes have created new adult role models of financially independent women for girls. The need for women to take on breadwinner roles in lone-parent families has emphasized the importance of good qualifications and well-paid jobs.
Quote: "In order to achieve this independence, girls need well-paid jobs and therefore good qualifications."
Girls' ambitions have undergone a significant shift:
Sue Sharpe's research comparing girls' attitudes in the 1970s and 1990s revealed a major change in how girls view their future. In 1974, girls had low aspirations, believed educational success was unfeminine, and prioritized marriage and children over careers. By the 1990s, their priorities had reversed, with careers taking top priority.
Vocabulary: Individualism refers to the social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective control.
Beck and Beck-Gernsheim link this change to the rise of individualism, where independence is valued more strongly than in the past. This shift has led to increased educational achievement as girls now recognize the importance of a good education for their future success and independence.
The impact of feminism on modern education is evident in the changing aspirations and achievements of girls. The feminist perspective on education emphasizes the importance of equal opportunities and challenges traditional gender roles. These changes have contributed to gender differences in educational achievement, with girls often outperforming boys in many areas of academic study.
