pupils gender and sexual identites

Question 1

overview

Answer 1

Sociologists argue that pupils’ experiences at school reinforce their gender and sexual identities. Connell argues that these experiences reinforce the hegemonic masculinity

Question 2

what is hegemonic masculinity

Answer 2

The dominance of heterosexual males and the subordination of female and gay identities

Question 3

factors influencing pupils gender and sexual identities

Answer 3

Verbal Abuse
Male Peer Groups
Teacher and Discipline
Male Gaze
Double Standards

Question 4

sociologist behind verbal abuse

Answer 4

connell
Paechter

Question 5

verbal abuse

Answer 5

What Connell calls a ‘rich vocabulary of abuse’ is one of the ways in which dominant gender and sexual identities are reinforced. For example, boys in laddish subcultures use name-calling to put girls down if they dress or behave in certain ways i.e. ‘slag’ if they were sexually available or ‘drags’ if they weren’t. Similarly, Paechter argues that name-calling helps pupils police each other sexual identities and therefore reinforces gender norms.

Question 6

sociologist behind male peer groups

Answer 6

Epstein
Willis

Question 7

Male Peer Groups

Answer 7

Male peer groups use verbal abuse to reinforce masculinity. For example, studies by Epstein and Willis show that boys in anti-school subcultures often accuse boys who want to do well at school of being gay or effeminate. Often this centres on social class ideas of masculinity, Mac an Ghaill’s study of Parnell school found that WC boys who wanted to appear macho were dismissive of other WC boys who worked hard, and the MC boys wanted to appear like English gentlemen who worked hard.

Question 8

sociologist behind teacher and discipline

Answer 8

Haywood
Mac an Ghaill
Askwe and Ross

Question 9

Teachers and discipline

Answer 9

Teachers play a part in reinforcing dominant definitions of gender identity. Haywood and Mac an Ghaill found that male teachers tell boys off when they step out of the gender norm i.e. behaving like girls and teasing them when they do as well as girls. Teachers have also been found to ignore boys’ verbal abuse of girls and blame the girls for attracting it. Teachers also reinforce the idea that women cannot cope alone. This is backed up by Askew and Ross who found out that male teachers often have a protective attitude towards female colleagues, coming into their classes to ‘rescue’ them from disruptive pupils.

Question 10

sociologist behind male gaze

Answer 10

Mac an Ghaill

Question 11

male gaze

Answer 11

Pupils also control each other’s identity usually. This refers in particular to male pupils and teachers looking girls up and down, seeing them as sexual objects and making judgements on their appearance. Mac an Ghaill sees the male gaze as a type of surveillance, through which dominant heterosexual masculinity is reinforced and femininity is devalued - hegemonic masculinity. It is also seen as a way for boys to reinforce their masculinity to their friends and is backed up with telling stories of sexual conquests, boys who don’t do this are often labelled as gay

Question 12

double standards

Answer 12

A double standard exists when we apply one set of moral standards to one group but a different set to another. In the case of gender identity, Lees identifies a double standard of sexual morality in which boys are often allowed to boast about their sexual conquests whereas girls are negatively labelled if they do this. Sexual promiscuity is given status and approved of amongst male peers. Feminists argue that is simply another example of patriarchal dominance that justified male power over women and devalues women. It is argued that double standards amongst pupils is a way of controlling gender identities