Marxists feminist NO2

They argue that education serves both capitalism and patriarchy and that working class women are double disadvantaged by the system

Beliefs of Marxists feminists

Education reproduces class and gender inequality

Schools prepare girls for-

• Low paid, low status jobs, caring jobs that support capitalism

• Obedient and passive roles in both the workplace and home

• Gendered expectations reflect capitalist and patriarchal views (girls as carers, boys as leaders)

Education acts as an ideological tool that trains girls to accept lower pay, less power and traditional gender roles especially for working class girls

How schools serve both capitalism and patriarchy

Capitalism- Working class girls socialised into low expectations, preparing them for low paid labour

Patriarchy- Girls taught to be submissive, caring and take on domestic roles

Skeggs- WC girls are socialised into caring roles (health and social care) which prepares them for low paid emotional labor

Criticisms-

• Too focused on class- Dosen’t fully account for progress made by some girls (middle-class girls thriving)

• Radical feminists- Argue patriarchy is a deeper issue than class and exists across all classes

• Liberal feminists- Says this view ignores real improvements through equal opportunity policies

• Postmodernists- Argue that class and gender identities and are now more fluid and not so easily reproduced

Evaluations-

Strengths-

• Highlights how capitalism and patriarchy intersect to disadvantage girls

• Emphasises the continued struggles of working class girls in education

• Explains why gender equality in results dosent always lead to equal outcomes in the workplace

Weaknesses-

• Ignores individual agency- Not all girls accept these roles

• Dosen’t explain the success of many girls in education today

• May overgeneralise the experiences of all girls- Difference feminists would argue that ethnicity, religion and sexuality matter to