ABSTRACT
This chapter explores various feminist responses to the tendency of schooling to reproduce existing sexual divisions of labour, both within the school and without. It provides an overview of mainstream - or ‘malestream’ - accounts of the relationship between schooling and the economy and considers a variety of feminist alternatives. The chapter explains mainstream theories concerning the relationship between schooling and the economy, highlights its treatment of the role of schooling in reproducing gendered divisions of labour. It is concerned with the implications of the four main education feminisms - liberal feminism, socialist feminism, radical feminism and post-structuralist feminism - for an understanding of this relationship. The chapter outlines the main features of the ‘malestream’ explanations and the central criticisms which have been levelled at them with respect to the gender question. It also outlines the key mainstream perspectives on the school-work interface.
