Being a Tomboy: an Ethnographic Research of Young Schoolgirls in Hong Kong

This dissertation, "Being a an Ethnographic Research of Young Schoolgirls in Hong Kong" by Ka-man, Tong, 唐嘉汶, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author.Abstract of thesis titled Being a An Ethnographic Research of Young Schoolgirls in Hong Kongsubmitted by Tong Ka Manfor the degree of Master of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong in September 2001Education is regarded as an equal and fair system for all in common belief. However, studies on education expose its mythological nature. Education is a system that is in favour of the privileged groups in society, often along race, class and gender lines. The chance of success in the system is not equal for all. While this claim is often acknowledged in existing literature, it is less clear how different students behave and react within the system. There are some pioneering studies introducing students' subculture in the past two decades, but few of them tackle the gender dimension; and when they do, most pertain to the boys' situations.The aim of this study is to reveal the gender aspect within the education system in Hong Kong. This leads to a focus on girls' identity and behaviour. Girls are experiencing stricter behavioural expectations and controls in schools. Schools carry out different forms of behavioural controls to construct the girls into the gender specific ideal of a 'good' girl, which perpetuate unequal gender relations. By understanding how girls experience, evaluate and react to these expectations and controls, we see a complex and hybrid picture of education as a gendering system. The schools' ideal and construction of a feminine 'good' girl cannot be achieved without the negotiations from the girls and other agents within and related to the education system.iApart from the question of education as a gendering system, the issue of compulsory heterosexuality is seldom tackled in education studies. Heterosexuality is regarded as the norm in schools and society without questions. People who detach themselves from this norm are experiencing even more controls and pressure within the education system. Having a 'deviant' identity of tomboy not only gives different experiences in daily life but also includes an on-going process of identity negotiation and reformation. This thesis gives the details of living as a tomboy for several girl students in a secondary school in Hong Kong. These self-proclaimed tomboys are experiencing different controls and pressure from fellow boy students and other 'normal' girls in the education system. They are regarded as people who need help and concern because of their 'problematic' sexual orientation. This 'problematic' tomboy identity receives the major attention from schools that leaves these girls' 'normal' aspirations and other issues in life unfulfilling and unimportant. The tomboys react to these pressures on them through a great deal of struggles and compromises. They drift in and out of different identities they have. They are actively searching and negotiating for a life of their own.ii 10.5353/th_b3015814Identity (Psychology)Teenage girls - China - Hong Kong - EducationSex differences in education - China - Hong KongSex role - China - Hong KongFeminism and education - China - Hong Kong