Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Gender - Pupil Identities (gender + sexual) - Coggle Diagram
Gender - Pupil Identities (gender + sexual)
'Successful' working class girls
Evans
although working class girls in general are likely to underachieve, some do succeed + go onto HE but even they may be disadvantaged by their gender + class identities
found that girls wanted to go to uni to increase their earning power, not for themselves, but for their families
caring is a crucial part of working class feminine identity, reflected in girls wishes to remain at home + contribute to their family
cost + fear of debt was a major issue for many working class students in deciding which unis to apply to + while living at home made HE more affordable, it limited choice of uni + value of degree
preference for the local + familiar over the distant is a key feature of working class habitus
Archer
from the schools point of view, the ideal female pupil identity is a de-sexualised, middle class one
strategies girls followed for creating valued sense of self
being loud
brought conflict with teachers who interpreted their behaviour as aggressive
failed to conform to schools stereotype of the ideal female pupil identity as passive + submissive to authority
some working class developed loud feminine identities, often leading them to be outspoken, independent + assertive
boyfriends
girls would lose interest in going to uni, in studying stereotypically masculine subjects such as science or in gaining a professional career, instead aspiring to settle down, have children + work locally in stereotypically working class feminine jobs such as childcare
having a boyfriend brought symbolic capital but got in the way of schoolwork + lowered girls aspirations
hyper-heterosexual feminine identity
school othered girls, defining them as incapable of educational success + less worthy of respect
teachers saw girls preoccupation with appearance as a distraction that prevented engagement in education
bought girls into conflict with the school e.g. being punished for having wrong appearance including too much jewellery, the wrong clothing, makeup etc.
girls performance of this feminine identity brought status from their female peers groups + avoided ridicule or name calling
many of the girls invested considerable time, effort + money in constructing desirable + glamourous hyper-heterosexual feminine identities
found that by performing their working class feminine identities, girls gained symbolic capital from peers but this bought them into conflict with the school, preventing them from acquiring educational + economic capital
social class differences in girls achievement could be down to conflict between working class girls' feminine identity + values ethos of the school
Double Standards
Sue Lees
identifies a double standard of sexual morality in which boys boast about their own sexual exploits but call a girl a 'slag' if she doesn't have a steady boyfriend or if she dresses + speaks a certain way
sexual conquest is approved of + given status by male peers + ignored by male teachers but among girls, 'promiscuity'[ attracts negative labels
example of patriarchal ideology that justifies male power + devalues women
form of social control that reinforces gender inequality by keeping females subordinate to males
Verbal Abuse
Connell
a rich vocabulary of abuse is one of the ways dominant gender + sexual identities are reinforced
e.g. boys use name calling to put girls down if they behave or dress in a certain way
Paechter
name calling helps shape gender identity + maintain male power
use of negative labels are a way in which pupils police each other sexual identities
function is to simply reinforce gender norms + identities
Male Gaze
visual aspect to way pupils control each others identities
Mac an Ghaill
way male pupils + teachers look girls up + down, seeing them as sexual objects + making judgements about their appearance
form of surveillance through which dominant heterosexual masculinity is reinforced + femininity devalued
one of ways boys prove their masculinity to friends + often combined with constant telling of sexual conquests
boys who don't display their heterosexuality in this way run the risk of being labelled gay
Male Peer Groups
Epstein + Willis
boys in anti school subcultures often accuse boys who want to do well at school of being gay or effeminate
Martin + Mac an Ghaill
examined how peer groups reproduce range of different class based masculine gender identities
e.g. macho lads dismissive of other working class boys who worked hard + aspired to have middle class careers
middle class 'real Englishmen' projected an image of effortless achievement
Redman + Mac an Ghaill
found dominant definition of masculine identity changes from that of macho lads in lower school that that of real Englishmen in sixth form
represents shift away from working class definition based on toughness to middle class one based on intellectual ability
Female Peer Groups
Archer
working class girls gain symbolic capital from female peers by performing hyper-heterosexual feminine identity
female peers police this identity + girls risk making themselves unpopular + being called names if they fail to conform
Ringrose
found being popular crucial to girls identity
small scale study of 23-14 year old working class girls peer groups in south Wales school
as girls made transition from girls friendship culture into heterosexual dating culture, they faced tension between:
an idealised feminine identity of showing loyalty to female peer group, being non-competitive + getting along with everyone in friendship culture
a sexualised identity that involved competing for boys in a dating culture
Currie at al
while relationships with boys can confer symbolic capital, this is a high risk game because girls forced to perform balancing act between identities
girls who are too competitive + think themselves better than their peers risk slut shaming
girls who don't compete for boyfriends may face frigid shaming
Reay et al
girls who want to be successful may feel need to conform to schools notion of ideal feminine pupil identity
involved girls having to perform asexual identity, presenting themselves as lacking any interest in boyfriends or popular fashion
risk being given identity of boffin + excluded by other pupils
Teachers & Discipline
teachers play a part in reinforcing dominant definition of gender identity
Haywood + Mac an Ghaill
male teachers told girls off for 'behaving like girls' + teased them when they gained lower marks in tests than girls
teachers tended to ignore boys verbal abuse of girls + even blamed girls for attracting it
Askew + Ross
show how male teachers behaviour can subtly reinforce messages about gender
e.g. male teachers often have protective attitude towards female colleagues, coming into their classes to 'rescue' them by 'threatening' pupils who are being disruptive which reinforces idea women can't cope alone