Identity,class & girls achievment Flashcards
Symbolic capital
Archer (2010) found that by performing their W/C, feminine identities, the girls gained symbolic capital from their peers.
However, this put them in conflict with the school, preventing them from gaining qualifications and good jobs!
Hyper-heterosexual feminine identities:
Many of the girls invested a great deal of time and money in constructing a ‘desirable’ and ‘glamorous’ identity. EG: one girl spent £40 on her appearance!
This gained respect from fellow peers, but not from the school. They would be punished for too much jewellery, make-up and so on and this led them to be treated as ‘others’ by the school.
Boyfriends
Having a boyfriend gained symbolic capital but got in the way of school work and lowered aspirations.
They lost interest in going to university and on studying subjects like science, instead favouring to ‘settle down’.
Being ‘loud’
Some W/C girls adopted ‘loud’ feminine identities that led them to be outspoken, independent and assertive. EG: questioning teachers authority.
This came in conflict to the ‘ideal’ female pupil identity as ‘passive’ and brought conflict with teachers!
Successful working class girls
Some W/C girls do go on to HE, however even they can be disadvantaged by their gender and class identities.
Evans (2009) shows this in her study of 21 W/C 6th form girls.
She found the girls wanted to go to university to increase their earning power, but this was often to support their families.
Successful working class girls Cont…
This reflected their W/C feminine identities. Skeggs (1997) notes that ‘caring’ is a crucial part of this identity.
Living at home was an economic necessity. But living at home would reduce their choice of universities and the value of their degree.
A preference for ‘staying local’ is a key part of W/C ‘habitus’
