Girls' Performances of Gender and Science Across School, Museum, and Family Contexts

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 40
  In Roundtable Session: Gender, STEM, and Counterstories In Education

Abstract

Female under-representation in some areas of science, such as physical sciences, is an ongoing concern. This paper examines how girls’ performances of gender and the possibilities for their engagement with science were differentially enabled or constrained across different contexts (notably, school science, and family versus school visits to a science museum). Data presented are drawn from a year-long UK study of five girls (aged 11-13), involving interviews, discussion groups and ethnographic observations. Analysis, using Judith Butler’s theoretical lens of gender performativity and Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical lens of the field, highlights the vital role that social contexts play in supporting, or preventing, girls’ engagement with science.

Author

• Spela Godec, UCL Institute of Education