Discuss the view that females have little involvement in youth cultures. (30)

Sociological research into the development and nature of youth cultures has largely been focussed on male involvement in youth cultures. For example work on the skinheads focussed on aspects of working class masculinity. However, Feminists such as Heidensohn (1985) have argued that Sociology has until recently has been ‘Malestream’, and therefore females have been ignored. This suggests that females have been involved in youth cultures in many ways but that very little research has been done about them.

Structural perspectives like Functionalism and Marxism (particularly CCCS) have been criticised for being gender blind and for ignoring female involvement in youth cultures. For example they often portray sub-cultures such as Hippies, Mods and Rockers as being a male phenomena with girls tagging along but not responsible for the iconic images of the era. However a more detailed look shows that there were clearly female hippies and rockers and even skinheads. This implies that, because researchers were mainly male they focussed on other males and were perhaps unable to gain access to study female youth cultures.

Since the second wave of feminism in the 1960’s more women were being employed in universities and hence more female sociologists were emerging who were able to conduct research on female youth culture. For example McRobbie and Garber identified the ‘teeny bopper’ female culture which centred around romance, fashion and ‘bedroom’ activities carried out by girls. This was nicknamed ‘bedroom culture’ and was perhaps previously invisible to male sociologists who were unable to gain access to the very private context of a teenage girl’s bedroom. The work of Carol Smart (1976) can explain this culture through the extra parental control which is exercised over girls due to gender stereotypes. This suggests that girls’ involvement in youth cultures has perhaps been invisible to researchers but the involvement has nevertheless existed.

More recent research has also identified the emergence of visible female sub-cultures. For example Blackman (1995) studied what he called the New Wave girls who resisted male control and parental control and were non-conformist at school. Other all-female sub-cultures have also been identified in the last decade in the USA such as riot Grls and Sk8er girls linked with Avril Lavigne. These female sub-cultures may reflect changing gender roles across this era. However critiques of the feminist view also point out that most youth, males and females are ordinary and are not member of youth cultures. Furthermore this analysis ignores other dimensions such as ethnicity and class which may be more important in the development of sub-cultures.

Finally in looking at youth sub-cultures which have emerged since the 1980’s, many have been more gender neutral movements. For example Goths, Emos and house and rave. The rave culture of the 1990’s was largely connected to dance music and clubbing and was seen to cut across boundaries of gender, ethnicity and class. In the Emo culture girls and boys are equally involved and practice ‘sexual blurring’ breaking down the traditional stereotypes.

The Sisters of Mercy are a famous female Goth band of the 1980’s and clearly shows that women were involved in this sub-culture. However their neutral nature may suggest that gender is not the most important aspect of these cultures.

To conclude, it appears that research into youth sub-cultures up to the 1980s largely focussed on male involvement. This essay has shown that women may have been involved in those early youth cultures but were largely ignored by Sociologists. More recent research has found that girls are involved in sub-cultures of their own which were previously invisible, e.g bedroom culture and that more female only sub-cultures are emerging. Therefore females are just as likely to be involved in youth sub-cultures as males.