Gender - Identity, Class and Girls' Achievement - Symbolic Capital (+ Hyper-heterosexual Feminine Identities, Boyfriends, Being 'loud')

Question 1

How has social class differences affected girls’ achievement?

Answer 1

While girls on average now achieve more highly than in the past, this does not mean that they are successful.

Question 2

What is an example of the impacts of social class differences in girls’ achievement?

Answer 2

For example, in 2013, only 40.6% of girls from poorer families (eligible for free school meals) achieved five A*-C GCSEs. Whereas, 67.5% of those not in free school meals did so.

Question 3

What does Archer say is the reason for these differences?

Answer 3

Archer et al (2010) says that the one reason for these differences is the conflict between working class girls’ feminine identities and the values and ethos of the school.

She uses the concept of ‘symbolic capital’ to understand this conflict.

Question 4

What perspective is Archer?

Answer 4

Archer is a feminist.

Question 5

What is symbolic capital?

Answer 5

Symbolic capital refers to the status, recognition and sense of worth that we are able to obtain from others.

Question 6

What did Archer find in her study of working class girls and symbolic capital?

Answer 6

Archer found that by performing their working-class feminine identities, the girls gained symbolic capital from their peers.

Question 7

What did this symbolic capital result in? (AO3)

Answer 7

However, this brought them to conflict with school, preventing them from aquiring educational capital and economic capital.

Question 8

What 3 strategies did Archer find that girls followed for creating a valued sense of self?

Answer 8

Girls adopted a hyper-heterosexual feminine identity, having a boyfriend and being ‘loud’ to create a valued sense of self.

Question 9

Did having a boyfriend benefit girls in Archer’s study?

Answer 9

While hvaing a boyfriend brought symbolic capital, it got in the way of schoolwork and lowered girls’ academic aspirations.

Question 10

What did girls loose interest in while having a boyfriend?

Answer 10

Girls lost interest in going to university, studying ‘masculine’ subjects such as science and gaining a professional career.

Question 11

What did girls gain an interest in doing while they had a boyfriend?

Answer 11

Instead, girls aspired to ‘settle down’, have children and work locally in working class feminine jobs such as childcare.

Question 12

What did one girl in Archer’s study have to do as she got pregnant?

Answer 12

One girl in Archer’s study had to drop out of school after becoming pregnant.

Question 13

What did being ‘loud’ allow for girls to be?

Answer 13

Their ‘loud’ feminine identity often led them to be outspoken, independant and assertive.

Question 14

What did the girl question in education due to being ‘loud’?

Answer 14

They questioned teacher’s authority.

Question 15

What did their identity lead them to fail to in terms of identity?

Answer 15

Their identity failed to conform to the school’s stereotype of the ideal female pupil identity as passive and submissive to authority.

Question 16

How did teacher’s react to their identity?

Answer 16

Their identity brought them conflict with teachers and they labelled them as aggressive rather than assertive due to their behaviour.

Question 17

How did girls develop their hyper-heterosexual feminine identities?

Answer 17

Girls would invest lots of time, effort and money in constructing their ‘desirable’ and ‘glamorous’ indentity.

Question 18

How did one girl in Archer’s study use her money?

Answer 18

One girl spent all of the £40 a week she made from baby sitting on her appearance.

Question 19

How did hyper-heterosexual feminine identities present themselves? (clothing etc)

Answer 19

They constructed identities that combined black urban American styles with unisex sportswear and ‘sexy’ clothes, makeup and hairstyles.

Question 20

How did the girls’ performance of the feminine identity bring them status and what did it avoid from happening?

Answer 20

It brought them status from their female peer groups and this avoided them from being ridiculed or called a ‘tramp’ for wearing the wrong brand.

Question 21

What was the disadvantage of their identity and what happened in school? (AO3)

Answer 21

However, it brought them into conflict with the school. They were often punished for having the wrong appearance. (Too much jewellery, wrong clothing, wrong makeup etc).

Question 22

How did teacher’s view their appearance?

Answer 22

Teacher’s saw the girls’ preoccupation with appearance as a distraction from engaging with education.

Question 23

What did the teacher’s views lead to within schools and what did they see them as?

Answer 23

This led to the school ‘othering’ the girls. They defined them as ‘not one of us’, incapable of educational success, and worthy of less respect.

Question 24

What does Bourdieu call this treatment?

Answer 24

Bourdieu describes this process as symbolic violence.

Question 25

What does Archer say the ideal female pupil identity is? (from the school’s perspective)

Answer 25

Archer, from the school’s point of view, describes the ‘ideal female pupil’ identity is a de-sexualised and middle class identity that excluded many working class girls.