Gender identities

Relationships and processes within schools:

Is school reinforcing traditional gender identities?

Is reinforcing:

Teachers influencing subject choice:

Teachers can reinforce gendered subject images onto students.

Kelly – Science in particular is being presented as a patriarchal domain. This is because it is primarily taught by male teachers and focuses on male interests.

Thus, this may deter girls from studying sciences, influencing their subject choices which could limit their opportunities.

Evaluation -

In 2020 gendered subject choices started to shift as more girls took sciences than boys (except for physics) and additionally outperformed them, perhaps due to the effects of policies such as GIST and WISE.

Although, GIST and WISE may not have played the biggest role in this shift as sciences are now taught by more female teachers, therefore role models in schools are changing which may have encouraged girls to see science as part of their gender domain, influencing their choice to study it in school.

However, schools are still being controlled by more men than women as 63% of secondary head teachers are male. Additionally, despite the progress of girls in science physics is still heavily male-dominated as in 2019 77% of physics A level students were male, this challenges the effectiveness of policies such as GIST and WISE which aim to make all sciences a more gender-neutral domain, implying that there may be another factor influencing girls' subject choice beyond education.

Though, it should be considered that as GIST and WISE are government policies, they are likely to have been shaped by wider external factors such as feminism.

Is reinforcing

Peer pressure influencing subject choice:

Schools may reinforce traditional gender identities through peer pressure. This is because students can influence what subjects other students take.

Dewar – Friendship groups can police what subjects students take through peer pressure, controlling and limiting their subject choices.

Therefore, students may feel pressured to not take particular subjects, especially if they are out of their traditional gender domain, to avoid being negatively labelled by others.

Evaluation -

However, the "This Girl Can" campaign emphasised the idea that women can succeed in sports, one way girls can do this is by choosing PE. The women in the campaign may act as role models for girls in schools, potentially influencing them to break stereotypes.

Thus, perhaps external factors are contributing to traditional gender identities being challenged within schools.

Although, despite the progress of the campaign, A level PE is still male-dominated, thus it can still be considered part of the masculine domain. This implies that the campaign hasn't been that influential. Perhaps this is due to it being external and only having an indirect impact on identities within education. Additionally, the campaign may have been influenced by wider external factors could be at play such as feminism.

Isn't reinforcing:

Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum:

The removal of gender stereotypes from school learning materials has helped to reduce traditional gender identities being reinforced.

Weiner – Teachers and resources in education have started to challenge stereotypes which may have helped to raise girls' aspirations, resulting in them having higher levels of motivation as traditional gender identities are no longer being as strongly reinforced in schools.

Pearson – A recent example of this is Pearson launching guidelines to tackle gender bias and stereotypes within school textbooks and exams

Sewell – Though, stereotypes still remain externally in the media, arguing that these approaches have only tackled female stereotypes. Thus, perhaps male stereotypes aren't being challenged in the same way.

This may be due to the wider external impacts of feminism which gave women agency, encouraging them to break stereotypes, suggesting that it is not entirely an internal factor.

Evaluation -

However, gender stereotypes for both male and female students are still an issue globally and culturally as they aren't being challenged in the same way in certain parts of the world.

Isn't reinforcing:

The impact of feminism:

The impact of the feminist movement has challenged traditional stereotypes regarding gender roles, raising girls 'ambitions.

McRobbie – Noticed a shift in girls' magazines from traditional femininity to more empowerment and independence.

Changes such as this, encouraged by feminism, may have changed girls' priorities, resulting in traditional gender identities being challenged.

Evaluation -

However, these girls' magazines often contain images of Western women. This may result in girls from ethnic minority groups feeling excluded as they struggle to identify with these women. Thus, this could potentially negatively impact the gender identity of ethnic minority girls as they begin to feel marginalised due to traditional gender identities not being challenged for them in the same way that they have been for other students.

Though, as it is external, feminism may have only had an indirect impact on girls' identities in school, suggesting it is not a main factor and there are perhaps internal factors at play.

Isn't reinforcing:

Impact of policies

GIST and WISE – Tried to make science a more gender-neutral domain by encouraging girls in school to study science subjects.

This resulted in more girls studying sciences than boys in 2020 (except for physics) and additionally outperforming them.

Boaler – Programmes such as these are a key reason for girls' achievement as they removed key barriers.

Evaluation:

However, despite the progress of girls in science, physics is still heavily male-dominated as in 2019 77% of physics A level students were male. This challenges the effectiveness of policies such as GIST and WISE.

Although the girls still outperformed the boys, this suggests there is another factor influencing girls' achievement beyond education, perhaps differences in primary socialisation.

Evaluation:

Francis and Skelton - Girls are being raised with formal learning-type skills, resulting in them being more prepared for education overall.

Therefore, perhaps there are external factors at play such as differences in primary socialisation, contributing to gender differences in achievement. However, it should be considered that as GIST and WISE are government policies, they are likely to have been shaped by wider external factors such as feminism.

For instance, the comprehensive school system was introduced to overcome the class divide of the tripartite system.

Functionalists (Parsons) - argue that comprehensives promote social integration by bringing pupils of different social classes together. Therefore, perhaps educational policies have helped to reduce inequalities in education