external factors

• external factors

  • impact of feminism
  • changes in the family
  • changes in women's employment
  • changing ambitions
• mcrobbie

  studied girls magazines

  1970s - emphasised importance of getting married

  now - contain images of assertive, independent women
• changes in the family

  increased family diversity

  e.g increase in divorce rate, cohabitation, lone parent families

  leads to changes in girls attitudes

  e.g more women take on role of breadwinner in lone parent families - creates more female role models
• changes in women's employment

  • many laws at work promoting equal opportunity
  • e.g 1970 equal pay act, 1975 sex discrimination act
  • more women being able to break the glass ceiling
• changing ambitions


  Sharpe - interview girls in the 70s and the 90s

  showed major shift in girls ambitions

  70s - low aspirations, housewife

  90s- career focused, independent
• reay


  wc girls continue to have gender stereotypical aspirations due to lack of opportunities

  their limited aspirations reflect limited job opportunities