![Sample our Education journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5932/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Education.jpg"})
Abstract
Changes in participation and achievement patterns mark a turning point for girls in schooling and place female empowerment squarely in the public domain. Using data from a longitudinal study of girls, this paper looks at female empowerment by exploring the relationship between the production of female subjectivity and the processes operating in social spaces. Findings relating to aspirations for girls’ future careers are placed within a context of decile school ratings, and from those findings insights are offered about how the rhetoric of ‘girl power’ is lived and spoken into existence in relation to categories of social class. By examining how schooling, family and classed processes weave through hopes and dreams, the intent is to contribute towards a line of discussion about the shaping of female subjectivities.
Acknowledgement
The author wishes to acknowledge that this project was funded through a Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fast Start contract. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society.
Notes
1. Decile ranking (from 1 to 10) in New Zealand schools is assessed from Census data and from school ethnicity data. A low decile ranking is an indicator that the school community is formed from low socio‐economic communities. High‐decile schools have the highest proportion of students from high socio‐economic communities.