Cited by 308Career Development and DiversityScience Education and PerceptionsGender, Sexuality, and Education

‘Not girly, not sexy, not glamorous’: primary school girls’ and parents’ constructions of science aspirations

Archer, Louise, DeWitt, Jennifer, Osborne, Jonathan, Dillon, Justin, Willis, Beatrice, Wong, Billy·2013·Pedagogy, Culture & Society

Abstract

Internationally, there is widespread concern about the need to increase participation in the sciences (particularly the physical sciences), especially among girls/women. This paper draws on data from a five-year, longitudinal study of 10–14-year-old children’s science aspirations and career choice to explore the reasons why, even from a young age, many girls may see science aspirations as ‘not for me’. We discuss data from phase one – a survey of over 9000 primary school children (aged 10/11) and interviews with 92 children and 78 parents, focusing in particular on those girls who did not hold science aspirations. Using a feminist poststructuralist analytic lens, we argue that science aspirations are largely ‘unthinkable’ for these girls because they do not fit with either their constructions of desirable/intelligible femininity nor with their sense of themselves as learners/students. We argue that an underpinning construction of science careers as ‘clever’/‘brainy’, ‘not nurturing’ and ‘geeky’ sits in opposition to the girls’ self-identifications as ‘normal’, ‘girly’, ‘caring’ and ‘active’. Moreover, we suggest that this lack of fit is exacerbated by social inequalities, which render science aspirations potentially less thinkable for working-class girls in particular. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential implications for increasing women’s greater participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1080/14681366.2012.748676

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Authors
Archer, L., DeWitt, J., Osborne, J., Dillon, J., Willis, B., & Wong, B.
Affiliations
  • King's College London (GB)
  • Stanford University (US)
Corresponding author
Archer, Louise
Venue
Pedagogy, Culture & Society
Published
2013-02-18
Volume
21
Issue
1
Pages
171-194
ISSN
  • 0965-9757 (ISSN-L)
  • 1468-1366
  • 1747-5104
OpenAlex
W2098468909
Cited by
308
References
86
Citations by year
2026: 22 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 4
FWCI
33.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Pedagogy Culture and Society (publishedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion)
Funders
Economic and Social Research Council (ES/F025475/1, ES/H00145X/1)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Career Development and Diversity
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Science Education and Perceptions
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender, Sexuality, and Education
Keywords
science aspirations, primary school girls, femininity, gender stereotypes, scientific careers, parental attitudes, working-class girls, social inequality, STEM participation, career choice, feminist poststructuralism, gender and science

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