The feminization of school hypothesis called into question among junior and high school students
Catherine Verniers1, Delphine Martinot1, Benoît Dompnier2
1Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive, UMR CNRS 6024, Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Background:
The feminization of school hypothesis suggests that boys underachieve in school compared to girls because school rewards feminine characteristics that are at odds with boys' masculine features.
Aims:
The feminization of school hypothesis lacks empirical evidence. The aim of this study was to test this hypothesis by examining the extent to which school demands are actually associated with female more than male students.
Sample And Method:
A large sample of 1,954 students (1,115 girls and 839 boys) from grades seven, nine, 10, and 12 took part in the study. The participants were asked to rate the extent to which various characteristics valued in the school setting were exhibited by girls or boys who succeed in school.
Results:
Three sets of characteristics related to school success emerged from the analyses: compliance, assertiveness, and effort/intelligence. Compliance and effort/intelligence were associated with the girls more than with the boys, while assertiveness was associated with the boys more than with the girls.
Conclusion:
The feminization of school hypothesis received weak support. This study discusses the limits of this hypothesis to explain boys' underachievement in comparison with girls.
Related Concept Videos
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
Signs of Puberty
Factors Influencing Attraction II: Physical Attraction
Psychosexual Stages of Personality: Phallic
The Y Chromosome Determines Maleness
Evolution
Around 300 million years ago, the two sex chromosomes diverged from two identical autosomal chromosomes. Over time, the Y chromosome has lost most of its genes, shrinking in size....


