Slippage and/or symbolism: gender, policy and educational governance in Scotland and Sweden

Abstract

This article provides an overview and analysis of the relationship between gender, educational policy, and governance in Scotland and Sweden and the two countries' response to European Union and global legislative and policy change. In Scotland, gender is mainly invisible in recent policies on inclusion, achievement beyond academic attainment, and the idealisation of the child. Gender is thus marginalised within a range of factors contributing to social in/ equality. In Sweden, in contrast, gender has higher visibility in policy and governance as both an indicator of democracy and a means of preserving social democratic consensus and prosperity. However, recently its privileged position has come under attack. We draw on social capital, gender, and policy theory to analyse the range of influences on gender and educational governance in the two countries including that of the social capital of organised feminism. IntroductionThis paper explores the effects of recent shifts in the relationship between gender and educational governance in Scotland and Sweden, both small countries on the periphery of Europe. We explore, in particular, the extent to which gender is used as symbolic and social capital in each country and the impact of recent shifts in forms of governance and educational policies and practices. We draw on the work of social capital theorists such as Bourdieu, Putnam and Coleman as well as researchers of gender (Stromquist and Walby) and educational governance (Lindblad, Ozga and Zambeta).

Gender power in elite schools: methodological insights from researcher reflexive accounts

“…Two researchers with a particular interest in gender and power in institutions (Forbes, Öhrn, and Weiner 2011;Forbes and Weiner 2012) approached the other researchers by email to invite them to respond in a reflexive statement on gender and power in the research process. Respondents were given an assurance that they would not be personally identified either directly or by implication in any report (respondent initials below are pseudonyms).…”

“…Policy and governance in Scotland take little account of the intersectional nature of equalities issues, thus producing a gender-blind though extensively gendered regime (Forbes, Öhrn, and Weiner 2011). In this paper, we argue that the Scottish schools we studied are indeed gendered, and that this had an impact also on research methodology and researcher positioning.…”

“…Scottish policy and governance furthermore has taken little account of the intersectional nature of aspects of in/equality such the interlocking effects of gender and social class, here in the schooling social elites (Forbes, Öhrn, and Weiner 2011).…”

“…1 Thus, educational equality and especially policy on gender disappears into the cracks or interstices between the two governing administrations (Forbes, Öhrn, and Weiner 2011).…”

Relations between Child Poverty and New Migrant Child Status, Academic Attainment and Social Participation: Insights Using Social Capital Theory

“…An expanded policy logic which cultivates inter-personal and cultural relations through higher levels of participative practices in schools and other children's institutions will lead to more equal childhoods. For this to be realized, however, it seems that social intersections and their effects must be recognised as relationships of power/knowledge that dis/advantage children [71]. Our examination makes it apparent that understanding the effects of policy configurations for relations amongst distinctive social fractions is imperative prior to any new interventions aimed at tackling 'poverty and academic attainment'.…”