GENDER: SUBJECT CHOICE AND IDENTITY Flashcards
subject choice intro
- boys opt for maths physics
- girls opt for languages, soc etc
- gendered subject choices are more noticable post 16
- despite policies eg GIST and WISE the proportion of a level physic students who are girls has remained at around 20% for 20 years
what are the four points within gender subject choice
- GENDER ROLE SOCIALIZATION: learning behaviour expected of each gender in society. Gender identity is shaped by early socialisation
- GENDERED SUBJECT IMAGES
- GENDER IDENTITY AND PEER PRESSURE: may be applied if peers disapprove of their choice eg boys don’t tend to dance
- GENDERED CAREER OPPORTUNITIES: ideas surrounding this are formed which affect subject choice for example women jobs often resemble housewives jobs eg child care, nursing - this is a very narrow range
what point does norman make regarding gender role socialisation
from early ages girls and boys are dressed differently and encouraged to take part in different activities
RESULT: girls and boys develop different interests in reading leading to different subject choices eg boys = maths girls = language
what do Brown and Ross say about gender domains and which category does it fit into
GENDER ROLE SOCIALISATION:
- gender domains = tasks and activities boys and girls see as fitting into their gender domain
- shaped by early experiences and expectations of adults
example: fixing a car = boys gender domain
what does kelly say and what category of subject choice does it fit into
GENDERED SUBEJCT IMAGES;
science is seen as a masculine subject as:
1. science teachers tend to be men
2. examples in textbooks often draw on boys interests and not girls
3. in lessons boys monopolise the apparatus and dominate the lab
what does colley say and what category of subject choice does it fit under
GENDERED SUBJECT IMAGES:
computer science is seen as a masculine subject as:
1. it involves with working with machines which is part of the male gender domain
2. the way its taught is off putting to girls as it tends to be abstract with few group work opportunitys
explain in more detail about gender identity and peer pressure
EXAMPLE: sport is seen as a boys subject and girls who do it may be labelled as lesbians
in same sex schools the absence of peer pressure from the other gender may make them more liekly to choose traditional boy subjects
when are sexual and gender identities developed
at home but are reinforced at school
CONNEL:
school experience can reinforce ‘hegemonic masculinity’ in six ways
what are the six ways the school experience can reinforce hegemonic masculinity
- DOUBLE STANDARDS: one set of moral standards to one group but not to another
- VERBAL ABUSE
- MALE GAZE
- MALE PEER GROUPS: they use verbal abuse to reinforce their definitions of masculinity
- FEMALE PEER GROUPS
- TEACHERS AND DISCIPLINE
what does Lees say about double standards
- identifies double standards as sexual morality where boys can boast about their sexual exploits but girls and called slags
what do feminists argue about double standards
they are patriarchal ideologies which justifies the male power and devalues women
what does connell argue about verbal abuse
- its a rich vocab of abuse which reinforces dominant gender and sexual identities in school
- boys are labelled as gay for things as simple as being friends with girls
- bear no relation to pupils actual sexual behaviour
what does Mac An Ghail say about the male gaze
male gaze is the way male pupils and teachers look girls up and down seeing them as objects and making judgements
- its a form of surveillance where the dominant heterosexual masculinity is reinforced and feminity is devalued
what is an example of male peer grousp
boys in anti school subcultures labelling boys who want to do well at school as gay
what does archer say about female peer groups
- WC girls gain symbolic capital from female peers by preforming hyper heterosexual identities
- girls risk becoming unpopular if the don’t conform to these
