Identity, Class and Girls' Achievement

Question 1

Give statistics showing class differences in girls’ achievement

Answer 1

In 2013, 40.6% of girls eligible for free school meals achieved five A*-C GCSEs while 67.5% of those not on FSM did so

Question 2

How does symbolic capital affect girls’ achievement?

Answer 2

• Louise Archer et al. (2010) found conflict between WC girls’ feminine identities and the ethos of the school
• Archer found through their WC feminine identity they gained symbolic capital through peers. But this brough conflict with school preventing them gaining educational and economic capital.
• She then identifies strategies that girls followed to create a valued sense of self (hyper-heterosexual feminine identity, boyfriends and being ‘loud’)

Question 3

How does hyper-heterosexual feminine identities affect achievement?

Answer 3

• Girls investing time, effort and money in making their ‘desirable’ identity which brought status from female peer groups and avoided them being ridiculed
• However it brough conflict with schools e.g. punished for wrong clothing and teachers seeing them as preoccupied with appearance and not engaging in education
• Led to schools ‘othering’ girls, defining them as incapable of educational success and less worthy of respect, creating symbolic violence (denying someone’s symbolic capital)
• According to Archer, the school’s ideal female pupil is de-sexualised and middle class

Question 4

How do boyfriends affect achievement?

Answer 4

Though they brought symbolic capital, they get in the way of schoolwork and lowered girls’ aspirations. Included losing interest in university, studying ‘masculine subject’ or gaining a professional career. Instead they wanted children, to work locally and ‘settle down’

Question 5

How does being ‘loud’ affect achievement

Answer 5

This leads them to being outspoken and assertive, e.g. challenging teacher authority. Failure to conform to the ideal passive and submissive female pupil creates conflict with teachers, who see their behaviour as aggressive, not assertive.

Question 6

What is the working class girls’ dilemma?

Answer 6

• They can either gain symbolic capital from peers or gain education capital by conforming to middle-class notions
• Some girls cope by defining themselves as ‘good underneath’ despite teachers views on them. This reflects girls’ struggle to achieve self-worth within the education system that devalues their WC identities
• Archer argues this conflict leads to girls’ investment in their identity is a cause of underachievement

Question 7

Give evidence for ‘successful’ working class girls

Answer 7

• Sarah Evans (2010) found girls wanted to go to university but only to help their family. Girls’ motivations reflected their WC feminine identities. Skeggs (1997) notes ‘caring’ is a crucial part of the identity.
• Economic necessity was a reason for living at home as cost and fear of debt were issues when deciding universities. While living at home made it possible, it also limited choice and market value of degree. However it this was a positive choice for their WC habitus, preference for local community