A Girl's Education

Schooling and the Formation of Gender, Identities and Future Visions

This book argues that educators and the general public have become complacent about girls’ education as a consequence of the more recent fuss about problems for boys. After an analysis of persistent  disquiet about girls’ lifestyles, it uses theories of gender and education to demonstrate that girls are being produced in contradictory ways in current schooling. Many girls develop a  sense of themselves through close connection with friendship groups but schooling processes typically require them to adopt the position of competitors in the end-of-school rankings and to act out their individualized positions in imagining themselves into the future. Ultimately the work offers insight and understanding leading to a less divisive educational pathway for girls.