Social reproduction and sex in German primary schools

Periodical
Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education
Volume
47
Year
2016
Issue number
2
Page range
240-256
Relates to study/studies
TIMSS 2011

Social reproduction and sex in German primary schools

Abstract

To understand the relationship between social background and sex in schooling, we use Bourdieu’s theory of social reproduction and a feminist perspective of gender as practice. We pose two questions: (1) What is the relationship between economic and cultural capital and achievement for 4th-grade females versus males studying in Germany? (2) Is the relationship between school composition and student achievement different for 4th-grade females versus males? We report no differences between females and males in the relationships between social background and achievement (p > 0.05). However, the relationship between class-aggregated social background and achievement is halved in female-majority mathematics classrooms (β = -12.6, p < 0.05).