Education

Feminism

Like Marxists, Feminists take a conflict view of society here the conflict exists between men and women. Feminists see society and its institutions as patriarchal, that is they are run by men for the benefit of men. Women are then exploited and oppressed by patriarchal systems. Feminism and Marxism mirror each other in many ways and they both propose that education legitimises the inequalities that exist in society.

The following clip depicts Malory School (Kent) in 1959. Malory was one of the new comprehensive schools introduced around this time. Whilst the clip was not intended as one which highlights the gender differences in education received, it is immediately apparent:


Points for discussion after watching the clip could include:

  • How does the Malory School contribute to gender role socialisation in 1959?

  • What subjects are seen as girls subjects and which as boys?

  • To what extent is the situation the same/different today? Students could then conduct a survey of option choices at GCSE to see if there are any subject preferences by sex.

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