Gender and Class Based Cultural Capital

Class and gender-based cultural capital is an impacting factor on many students. They not only influence the outcomes of classes, but they also influence the overall outcome of a student’s educational experience. In my experience, gander based cultural capital was not a negative thing but for the most part, very equal opportunities. Class based cultural capital on the other hand is a little more of a sensitive subject. The difference in class was very abrupt in some situations regarding our educational experiences.

Part of the school experience is to be able to participate in social expectations of looking and acting a certain way. Class separates students in this way by having a different norm set out for them. Not only is class generally a reflection of familial income but it is also a reflection of social status. Someone from a higher class can have different expectations of what they should be wearing compared to someone of a lower class that does not have the same social mobility as the other students. As talked about in the article “‘Tuck in That Shirt’ Race, Class, Gender and Discipline in an Urban School” uniforms can create a more equal playing field for students in these positions, who are separated by not only their social status but also the beliefs that come with those statuses. Having a set uniform is believed to take away from some of the social pressures that students face. From my own experience, I come from schools that did not enforce a uniform but had dress codes. The base of my school population was probably middle class without much deviation from that. Of course, that is not to say there were not more upper class students in my school but they mostly attended the neighboring high school. There was a considerable class difference in the two high schools, despite only being separated by a street. The funding that went into the other high school was quite considerable compared to our own, because of the parents. The school had quite a few high profile students, children of doctors and lawyers, who had the ability to have more of a social program. While our school barely had enough funding to meet the general French immersion criteria, there’s had enough to go above and beyond and offer many extra classes in French, as well as courses in the realm of things like journalism.

Gender-based cultural capital is a little harder to identify, compared to class cultural capital. The emphasis on the typical male-female stereotypes seems to be the best place to start. One aspect to consider may have been the vast array of sports teams offered for the male students at my school and the seemingly unlimited practice time or funding they received. Much of the school spirit rested on our men’s hockey team when statistically, our women’s team was far better. That isn’t to say there weren’t lots of options for women’s sports, but it seemed as though the school put more emphasis on having the men’s sports be in the spotlight. Though the school had some issues that were gender related, the school maintained a fairly good balance. All of my courses were fairly balanced as far as male-female student ratio goes and at our student elections, we were allotted both a male and female president. The school had dress codes for both sexes and had a heavy hand in a group called the gay straight alliance. The school was a supportive place to all genders, not just the traditional male and female.

Work Cited

Morris, Edward W. (2005) "“Tuck in That Shirt!” Race, Class, Gender, and Discipline in an Urban School." Sociological Perspectives 48.1. 25-48.