Abstract
This paper discusses fights involving physical aggression among young women who attend secondary school. It aims at comprehending the perception of its protagonists as well as that of their classmates and teachers. We intend to understand how girls construct gender identities in this situation, from interactions with each other and with others. The paper is based on data produced during a fieldwork carried out during the last years in different middle schools of Córdoba, Argentina. We made observations, interviews, discussion groups and workshops with students and teachers in three schools. We state that their participation in fights implies a way of becoming women that accentuates the distance and difference from the traditional stereotype of feminity. This expresses different levels of submission and forms part of the expectations prevailing in their close contexts.
Keywords:
Gender; Feminity; Identity; Violence; Secondary School Education