Becoming a woman: the construction of female subjectivities and its relationship with school

In this article we analyse the construction processes of female subjectivities by studying the self-descriptions that various young women give about their own image, their satisfactions and dissatisfactions and their project for life. A conclusion is drawn that the construction of these female identities cannot be separated from the discursive practices in which they are immersed, by virtue of being from an underprivileged social class, belonging to a minority ethnic-cultural group, or to a disabled group. We can fully appreciate that the hegemonic model of femininity is both accepted and questioned by the girls in a non-linear way. On the other hand, schools, as reference institutions for the youngest generations, must check to see what extent their teaching practices nurture these processes or not. This work forms part of a more extensive ongoing research project started a number of years ago by two Spanish universities (Cantabria and Seville).