gender - identity Flashcards
hyper heterosexual feminine identities.
many girls spent a lot of time, effort and money in constructing ‘desirable’ feminine identities - however they were often punished at school for the wrong clothes etc. teachers saw their appearance as a distraction from their education and labelled them as incapable of educational success.
what is symbolic capital?
refers to the status, recognition and sense of worth we can obtain from others.
what did Louis Archer find?
that by performing their working class female identities, the girls gained symbolic capital from their peers, but this prevents them from gaining educational and economic capital.
boyfriends
having a boyfriend brought symbolic capital, however it got in the way of school work and lowered girls aspirations including losing interest in going to university and studying ‘masculine’ subjects.
being ‘loud’
some working class girls adopted ‘loud’ identities that led them to be outspoken, independent and assertive e.g questioning teachers authority - this fails to conform to the schools stereotype of the ideal female identity.
successful working class girls
although some are likely to underachieve, some succeed and go on to higher education.
Sarah Evans studied 21 sixth form girls and found that girls wanted to go to university to increase their earning power to help their families.
cost and fear of debt are major issues for many WC girls in deciding which uni to apply to - living at home makes it more affordable however limits choice.
