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Why “Gender” disappeared from the gender gap: (re-)introducing gender identity theory to educational gender gap research

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Abstract

Educational gender gap research tries to explain the differential achievement of boys and girls at secondary school, which manifests in many western countries. Several explanatory frameworks are used for this purpose, such as masculinities theory. In this review article, the history of educational gender gap research in Anglo-Saxon literature and problems with the contemporary approach are discussed. It is argued that gender identity theory could prove valuable both in furthering educational gender gap research and mitigating several problems with masculinities theory. To this end, an overview of the history and recent developments in gender identity theory is given. The scarce research combining educational gender gap research with gender identity theory is reviewed. Possible contributions, assets and research questions from gender identity theory to educational gender gap research are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the project “Teaching in the bed of Procrustes”, financed by the Institute for Science and Technology (Project Number: SBO 110020), which made this research possible.

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  1. Department of Sociology, University of Ghent, Korte Meer 5, 9000 , Ghent, Belgium

    Wendelien Vantieghem, Hans Vermeersch & Mieke Van Houtte

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  1. Wendelien Vantieghem
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Vantieghem, W., Vermeersch, H. & Van Houtte, M. Why “Gender” disappeared from the gender gap: (re-)introducing gender identity theory to educational gender gap research. Soc Psychol Educ 17, 357–381 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-014-9248-8

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