Education : Reay

• Reay

  Reay Studied third grade classrooms - four groups of girls. Using self-reported questionnaires, she asked the girls to rate other girls in the class.
• Reay

   The girls were rated according to four themes:

  • the 'nice' girls - used as a derogatory term (not tough like the boys)
  • the girlies - girls who flirted with the boys
  • the tomboys - played sports with the boys
  • the spice girls - had 'girl power and stood up for themselves; these were the girls who were thought highly of by the boys in the playground
• Reay

  Reay's research shows that each of the groups, the girls defined femininity in relation to boys' opinion or judgement of the girls.
• Reay

  This suggests that while the formal curriculum is changing the informal curriculum is still reinforcing traditional gender roles.