Gender(ed) and intersectional barriers in political participation in the classroom; a qualitative exploration of students’ perceptions

Social learning processes in the classroom are thought to produce and reproduce inequality. While gendered categories are understood never to be about ‘just’ gender, on its own (Butler, 1990), the concept of intersectionality includes several factors/categories under which students’ participation in political discussions is seen to be lower. The social constructed concept of ‘gender’ is not reducible and cannot stand as a separate ‘category’ or in isolation from other forms of inequality and social stratification. Intersecting oppressions cannot be reduced to one fundamental type within a matrix of domination in which they are socially organised (Hill Collins, 2000:18; Bassel & Emejulu, 2017).  Instead, gender is always understood, and reproduced ‘in concert with race and class, to emphasise gender as a negotiated category constructed and contested everyday by actors inside the classroom’ (Ray, 2021:91).   In order to investigate the impact of certain factors on students' engagement in political discourses in the classroom, the G-EPIC research project conducted classroom observations and focus group interviews with year 9 students (aged 13-15) in three European Union member countries (Czechia, Denmark, and Belgium) and the United Kingdom. The focus on gender, under the concept of ‘intersectionality’ here assists in describing intersecting (either visible or hidden) factors that influence and drive power relations in the classroom. The concept of intersectionality, as applied here, serves to elucidate the intricate interplay of various, either overt or covert, factors that contribute to the establishment and perpetuation of power dynamics within the educational environment. By taking into account the multifaceted nature of these dynamics, it becomes possible to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the ways in which they are influenced and sustained. This, in turn, allows for the development of more effective strategies for addressing and redressing the imbalances that exist within the classroom. Therefore, the research questions (RQs) are: i. What is the effect of power dynamics formed and shaped by gender, ii. How does this interplay with the intersection of other characteristics of students (such as race, SES, SEN) on the emergence of barriers in young girls political self-efficacy, in the setting of year 9 classroom?