Gendered identities and work placement: why don't boys care?

Abstract

Students' post‐compulsory pathways and occupational aspirations in the UK have been shown to differ considerably according to gender, social class and ethnicity. School‐based work experience provides many pupils with their first significant encounters with the world of work, and is positioned as providing diverse experiences in this regard. Yet gender‐stereotypical patterns manifesting in pupils' occupational aspirations have been found to be replicated in pupil take‐up of work experience placements. This paper draws on a study of gender issues in work experience placement in England commissioned by the Equal Opportunities Commission to show how work experience exacerbates, rather than challenges, pupils' gender stereotypical trajectories. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has been shown to be a particularly gendered and classed occupational field, and is one that is currently experiencing staff shortages. Hence we focus on the area of ECEC as a case, analysing pupils' talk about their ECEC placements and about ECEC as a gendered area of work. In this way we reveal the discursive practices by which pupils construct occupations as gendered, providing explanation for the perpetuation of gender stereotypical patterns in pupils' uptake of work experience placements and occupational aspirations.

Notes

1. The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is an independent statutory body, funded by the Government but independent of it. Set up under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the EOC's remit is to enforce, promote and monitor the provisions of that Act and the Equal Pay Act. The former Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person on grounds of sex in the context of education, employment and training and the provision of goods, facilities and services. It also outlaws marriage discrimination in the context of employment. The EOC provides advice on people's rights, information to both employers and employees, runs high profile campaigns, researches and publishes statistics about men and women in GB today and takes on landmark legal cases under the Sex Discrimination Act and Equal Pay Act.

2. Well over 90% of pupils undertake these placements, typically in Year 10 (age 14–15) (Trident, 2004).

3. NEBPN is the umbrella organization and national voice for 126 Education Business Partnerships working in the 11 regions in the United Kingdom.