Health regulations stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented shift towards remote and online learning at the elementary level during the 2020 and 2021 school years. Given the exceptionality of this phenomenon, there is little previous research that explores virtual learning at the elementary level. With this in mind, we surveyed parents of elementary students about their experiences. Significant financial-based barriers notwithstanding, our research introduces novel and unexpected findings about the value of remote learning – most notably to address other forms of social inequality. Ultimately, we advocate for a more inclusive and equitable approach to post-pandemic elementary education.
Tomboy Tools is a company that markets tools and home‐repair techniques to women, using a home party sales model. This provides an interesting case to consider how traditional gendered domains can be transcended, and how they are reshaped to allow this to happen. Drawing on participant observation and interviews with consumers, salespeople, and executives of Tomboy Tools, this paper draws on Collins’ (2004) theory of interaction ritual chains to explore the microstructures and ritual dynamics of these home parties. Our analysis reveals how both new and more traditional feminine practices and scripts are idealized and reinforced within the collective effervescence that is generated through the shared ritual experience. We examine how women critically interpret the tensions and contradictions that arise in the symbolic representations that seem to support both female empowerment and traditional feminine stereotypes. This leads to varying meanings among the women with respect to the artifacts and sales rituals presented, for their implications on gender identity and politics.
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