Girls who underachieve Flashcards
Which girls underachieve
W/c girls
archer et al- why do w/c girls underachieve
-conflict between w/c feminine identity and schools values
symbolic violence
Harm done to an individual by making their culture appear worthless
what 3 ways do w/c girls gain symbolic capital from their peers after receiving symbolic violence from teachers-archer et al
- Adopting a hyper heterosexual feminine identity
- Having boyfriends
- Being loud/ outspoken/assertive
Adopting a hyper heterosexual feminine identity- archer
W/c girls invest in their appearance through hairstyles, revealing clothes and makeup. This helps them achieve status from their peers
but as they’re breaking school rules, the school sees them as incapable of educational success- they receive symbolic violence from school
having boyfriends-archer
This creates symbolic capital for, peers
It distracts the w/c girls from their studies and lowers their aspirations as they become focused on having kids and then lose interest in unis and careers
being loud/ outspoken/assertive- archer
E.g. by questioning teachers authority, it leads to conflict as the teacher perceive the girls assertiveness as aggression
What dilemma do w/c girls face- archer
Either have to give up their respect they achieve from their peers for success in education or vice versa
Some girls cope with this by defining themselves as ‘good underneath’- this is when the girls believe that their good in order to feel a sense of worth after teachers constantly belittle them and think they’re bad
Who did evans study
21 high achieving 6th form w/c girls
why did the girls in evans study want to go to uni
To increase their earning power to help their families
They were perusing uni for their families benefits, not their own
what did evans say about their motivation from uni
She said it was a reflection of their w/c feminine identity- carings a crucial part of this identity.
E.g. they wanted to live at home whilst studying to remain close to their family to take care of them
why would living at home disadvantage the w/c girls- evans
It would limit the choice of uni and market value of their degree which therefore limits their future career opportunities
Evans says they were self excluded from the top unis just to live at home
why does evans say that w/c girls underachieve
Because of their w/c feminine identity
She says that even high achieving w/c girls are disadvantaged by their w/c feminine identity
