How have females in urban youth subcultures been portrayed? How might this involvement be researched?

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How have females in urban youth subcultures been portrayed? How might this involvement be researched?

The portrayal of females in the sociology of youth, and particularly in the field of subcultural studies, has been characterised by the marginal positions to which girls have been relegated. Initial research into the white, working class gang of lads can be criticised for its failure to seriously consider female participation in subcultural activity. [see Campbell A. 1984; McRobbie A. & Garber K. 1976; McRobbie A. 1991] The male bonding, between researcher and researched, identifiable in a number of studies, indicates the acceptance of the stereotypical representations of females which emerged in the research dialogue. The categorisation of girls into such roles as the girlfriend or the 'lay' by the 'lads' [Willis P. 1977, p43] is exacerbated by the absence of any analysis of these comments. The complacency towards the treatment of girls as '..invisible, peripheral or stereotyped..' [Brake M. 1980, p137] in the field of subcultural studies has led to the genre being defined as '..a celebration of masculinity..' [Brake M. 1980, p137]

The Subcultural Deficit

The portrayal of girls in subcultural literature reflects the inadequate approach initially utilised in