Identity - Gender Flashcards
What factors play into male gender identities?
Male peer groups
Teachers and discipline
The male gaze
Sexual double standards
Verbal abuse
What are male peer groups? How do they affect gender identity?
Groups of boys who influence each other. They use verbal abuse to reinforce their definitions of masculinity (to make sure people follow their idea of what it means to be male)
e.g. Willis’ boys created an anti-school subculture, or male peer group, and were rude towards any Working Class boys who tried hard at school
What does masculinity mean?
What it means to be male. The behaviours, values, and attitudes that boys and men ‘should’ fall into
What does femininity mean?
What it means to be female. The behaviours, values, and attitudes that girls and women ‘should’ fall into
How do teachers and discipline affect gender identity?
Teachers tell boys off for ‘behaving like a girl’, tease them for achieving low grades, and expect them to misbehave: ‘boys will be boys’. This influences the way those boys behave
How does the male gaze affect gender identity?
It acts as a form of surveillance (watching, monitoring) which reinforces dominant masculinity (ensures that male ideas about the world are seen as the most important) and devalues femininity (makes the behaviours which girls take part in feel like they are worth less or less important than boys’ behaviours)
What is a sexual double standard?
Where there is one set of rules/expectations for boys, and another for girls
e.g. A boy who has lots of sexual contact is seen as a ‘player’, while a girl who does it is seen as a ‘slut’
How does the sexual double standard affect identity?
It teaches boys that they are supposed to act a certain way, and teachers girls they are supposed to act a different way
What is the male gaze?
The way boys and men look at girls and women based purely on how attractive they are. This is what it means to turn someone into a sexual object - ignoring their personality/desires/feelings and only considering their looks
How does verbal abuse affect identity?
It can be used to make boys or girls feel bad about behaving in a way that’s ‘not right for their gender’, encouraging them not to behave like that in future. It can also be used by boys to belittle the contribution of girls, e.g. talking over them, repeating their ideas as your own, or laughing at their suggestions
What factors play into female gender identities?
Policing identity
Hyper-heterosexual feminine identities
Boyfriends
Being ‘loud’
How does policing identity affect girls’ gender identity?
Using shame to encourage girls to conform into social expectations of what girls should do e.g. being expected to dress or speak a certain way, and being made to feel unfeminine if they don’t
What are hyper-heterosexual identities?
People conforming to exaggerated versions of sexual behaviours, such as dressing in a certain way or spending lots of time trying to flirt with the opposite gender
Identity - sense of self
Heterosexual - ‘straight’. Male attracted to female, female attracted to male
Hyper - extra, more, extreme
How do boyfriends affect gender identity and education?
Girls gain symbolic capital by having a boyfriend as it makes them seem popular and desirable. This can mean they become more interested in their boyfriends than their education, negatively impacting their grades
How does being ‘loud’ affect gender identity and education?
Being ‘loud’ can help Working Class girls gain symbolic capital, but reduces their educational success as they no longer fit into the idea of the ‘ideal pupil’
