Gender - Sexual & Gender Identities

Question 1

Double standards

Answer 1

Double standards at sexual morality - Boys brag , Girls judged for sexual experiences or exploits ->DS seen as a social control that reinforces gender inequality.
-Male sexual promiscuity (multiple partners) is ‘success’ but female promiscuity ‘negative’

Question 2

Verbal abuse

Answer 2

Conell (S) boys use verbal abuse to put girls down if they behave/dress in certain ways
Paetcher (S) name calling shapes gender identity & maintains male power. Negative labels police sexual identities.

Question 3

The male gaze

Answer 3

Mac an Ghaill (S) refers to visual controlling as ‘Male Gaze’ - way males look at girls as sexual objects and making judgments about appearance —-> Dominant heterosexual masculinity is reinforced and femininity devalued.
- One of the ways to prove masculinity -> boys who don’t run risk of being labelled gay.

Question 4

Male peer groups

Answer 4

Male peer groups use verbal abuse to reinforce masculinity
Epstein (S) show boys not keen on being labelled as homosexual -> WC boys dismissive of other WC boys who aspire to MC careers.

Question 5

Female peer groups: Policing identity

Answer 5

Archer - WC girls gained symbolic capital from female peers through feminine identities -> if they refuse -> labelled and unpopular.
Ringrose (S) Girls face tension between two identities
-idealised feminine identity (showing loyalty to female peer group, non-competitive)
-sexualised identity (involve competing for boys in dating culture)

Question 6

Female peer groups: policing identities (Continued)

Answer 6

• Shaming is thus a social control device by which school girls police regulate and discipline each other identities
• Boffin identity sometimes meant by being excluded by other girls

Question 7

Teachers and discipline

Answer 7

Teachers play part in reinforcing dominant definitions of gender identity.

• Mac an ghaill (S) found teachers often told off boys for behaving similar to girls * Teachers ignored boys verbal abuse of girls and blamed girls for attracting it.
• Male teacher attitudes subtly reinforce traditional gender identities-> male teachers found being protective of female colleagues-> reinforces idea that women cannot cope alone