identity, class and girls achievement Flashcards
what does archer state about working class girls and symbolic capital?
By performing their working class feminine identities girls gained symbolic capital from their peers. However this brought them into conflict with school preventing them from acquiring educational capital and economic capital.
What were the strategies created by the girls for a valued self worth?
Adopting a hyper- heterosexual feminine identity, having a boyfriend and being ‘loud’.
What is the hyper- hetrosexual-feimine identity?
When girls invested a considerable time, effort and money constructing ‘ desirable’ and ‘glamorous’ hyper- heterosexual feminine identities.
How did this affect their education
They would bring them into conflict with the school. They were often punished for having the incorrect uniform and too much homework or jewellery. Teachers saw this as a distraction to their education.
What did this lead to ?
The school alienating the girls and viewing them and not one of us therefore incapable of educational success.
Boyfriends?
Having a boyfriend brought symbolic capital, lower girls aspirations and reduced the time they would spend on homework . This meant girls avoided going to university and decided to settle down and occupy ‘ feminine’ jobs such as childcare.
Being loud?
Caused many wc girls to be outspoken, independent and assertive and questioning teacher authority.
What two dilemmas are working class girls faced with ?
- either gaining symbolic capital from their peers
-or gaining educational capital.
What did evans find about working class girls in higher education?
Girls want to go university to increase their earning power not for themselves but to help their families.
some girls wished to stay home in order to contribute to their families.
