Girlhood and Growing up

'Girl' is a rather slippery term variously defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as 'female child' or 'young woman'. ¹ What it means to be a 'child' or 'woman' is, however, difficult to establish and dependent on the variables selected. Moreover, the variables are often ambiguous and contradictory in what they say about status and their relevance is frequently cross-cut by social differences such as those of class or 'race'. For the purposes of this chapter girls will be defined as females aged up to 18 years of age, although the discussion will focus specifically on girls aged between 5 and 18. Girls in the twentieth century occupied a particular space as girls, but were also in the process of becoming other, that is growing up into women. Girlhood, therefore, embraced a number of transitions. These included the transition from full-time schooling to full-time paid work, which had implications for girls' consumer power and status, and the socially constructed and sanctioned entrance of girls into heterosexual relationships as a prelude to marriage and motherhood. This chapter focuses on the schooling of girls and their transition from full-time education into paid work.