She began her career as part of the Schooling and Society team at the Open University focusing specifically on social class issues, and she has continued to be interested in the role of education in relation to social inequalities and the promotion of social equality.
Since the 1980s she has developed theories of gender codes and schooling focusing on, for example, the history of co-education, the curriculum, family and schooling, youth cultures and identities.
She was commissioned by the Equal Opportunities Commission to assess the national impact of Conservative educational reforms on equal opportunities in schools.
Gray, M. James and J. Rudduck) reviewing research on gender and educational performance.
In 2000 she held the George A Miller Visiting Professorship of the University of Illinois, USA, and in 2005 she was Visiting Professor at the Institute of Education, Stockholm University (2005) She is now interested in global citizenship education issues around girls' education in developing countries and is currently on the Steering Group for the Beyond Access: gender, education and development project and was on International Steering Group for UNESCO Education for All: Gender Monitoring Project.