ABSTRACT
For some decades educational researchers and policymakers in the western world have been worrying about boys performing worse at school than girls. Some explanations for this gender difference focus on youngsters’ gender identity formation and striving for popularity and social status, requiring boys and girls to behave according to their gender and prevailing gender norms. As working hard for school and displaying engagement and effort is considered feminine behaviour, it is resisted by boys. At the same time, more recently, studies point to the worsening mental health of girls, documenting increasing feelings of burnout in adolescent girls. Moreover, when looking at study choices, girls are opting less for STEM courses and are consequently less found in programmes leading to more lucrative and prestigious jobs, while boys are not inclined to opt for “soft” courses leading to care or education professions. In this chapter, I explore the role of gender stereotypes and pressure for gender conformity as an explanation for these three phenomena: the underperformance of boys, burnout in girls and gendered study choices. Considering the association between social class and adherence to traditional gender roles and felt pressure for gender conformity, it will be examined how these processes connect with social inequality in education.
