Gender in education: Pupils' sexual and gender identities

Question 1

Lees (DS)

Answer 1

Found a double standard:

• Boys boast about sexual exploits
• Girls are called ‘slags’ if they didn’t have steady boyfriends.

Question 2

Lees (VA)

Answer 2

Found that boys called girls ‘slags’ if they appeared to be sexually available and ‘drags’ if they didn’t.

Question 3

Paechter (VA)

Answer 3

• Sees name-calling as shaping in gender identity and maintain male power.
• Use of labels such as ‘gay’, ‘queer’ and ‘lezzie’ are ways in which pupils’ police sexual identity.

Question 4

Parker (VA)

Answer 4

• Boys were labelled gay simply for being friendly with girls or female teachers

Question 5

Mac an Ghaill (MG)

Answer 5

• Male Gaze: the way male pupils and teachers look girls up and down, seeing them as sexual objects and making judgements about their appearance.
• This is done to dominate heterosexual masculinity and devalue femininity.

Question 6

Mac an Ghaill (MPG)

Answer 6

• Peer groups reproduce a range of different class-based masculine gender identities.

Question 7

Epstein and Willis (MPG)

Answer 7

• Boys in anti-school subcultures accuse boys who pursue educational success as gay or effeminate.