Louise Archer (Education)

Gender Differences in Education: Gender Identities

How is gender formed in schools:

• peer groups in school (male peer groups reinforce ideas of hegemonic masculinity by rejecting those that do not conform, female groups reinforce hyper-heterosexuality, girls can form 'boffin identities' - Francis (2000), boys can reject 'macho' culture and adopt 'geek' identities - Ward (2015)).
• teacher-pupil interactions (Archer (2010) - teacher's peceptions of pupils fall into three categories: ideal, pathologized and demonised).
• accepatnce or rejection of individual's external identity (Archer (2007) - formation of Nike identities as a form of symbolic capital: status awarded for wearing branded sportswear, clashes with school habitus…