Schooling and Gender Identity

Question 1

Sociologist

Answer 1

Betty Francis

Question 2

Gendered Verbal Behaviour

Answer 2

Boys dominate talk in mixed sex classrooms, drown out girls + ridicule contributions
Boys gain more of teacher time + attention (discipline), girls focused on learning
Boys verbally abusive to enforce masculinity- contempt for female things, abusive terms for female body parts and women
Reinforces male identity + patriarchy

Question 3

Gendered Physical Behaviour

Answer 3

Boys + girls sit in separate groups
Girls may resist schooling through passive means, chatting etc, boys more likely to get into confrontations with teacher
Girls as ‘invisible’ in classroom
Boys take up more physical space- exercise of patriarchal power and control from some boys, conscious or unconscious

Question 4

Gendered Pursuits

Answer 4

Girls’ classroom talk + activity focus on appearance + construction of femininity
Boys focus on constructing masculinity through boasting about alleged sexual conquests- double standard
Boys + girls construct different, but related gender identities

Question 5

Gendered Classroom Behaviour and Power

Answer 5

Mixed sex classroom- girls help support boys, cleaning up, helping with hw, girls defer to boys in interactions
Girls may be silenced, ridiculed, physically or sexually abused, harassed by boys-often assertive girls who challenge masculinity
Girls face ridicule from other girls if they don’t conform to feminine expectations
Reinforces patriarchal power of boys + stereotypes of masculinity and femininity

Question 6

The Role of Teachers

Answer 6

Teachers contribute to creating + perpetuating gender stereotypes
Have different expectations of pupils according to gender- girls expected to be conformist, quiet, obedient compared to boys
Girls who don’t conform to ‘appropriate’ gender behaviours penalised more heavily than boys- ‘boys will be boys’