GENDER ISSUES IN EDUCATION

By Braden, Camden, Jennie, Kyle and Mark

INTRODUCTION

� Education is universally acknowledged to benefit individuals but how is education today encouraging gender roles as deemed acceptable by society. � The gender issues in education of the past continue to manifest in today’s society

Ø Girls, for example, continue to perform below males in strands of standardized testing

EDUCATION AND GENDER

� Boys statistically show weaker achievement in literacy compared to their female counterparts

� Boys are overrepresented in special education, in part because girls are under identified.

� As pre-service teachers, we study a lot of «details» - lesson planning, curriculum development, etc. – but issues impacting the classroom seem less developed.

� Gender issues specifically seem to have declined in focus compared to other educational issues, despite the fact that gender is a key factor in the creation of a persons social identity.

� Ideally, gender issues should be a more common practice in teacher education.

RELEVANCE FOR FUTURE EDUCATORS

THE PROBLEM WITH STUDYING GENDER

� Typically, when gender issues are studied the female perspective is the sole beneficiary.

� The feminist perspective advocates that «this is how it should be, for in every society women as a group relative to men are disadvantaged socially, culturally, politically and economically».

� Attitudes like this prevent issues like male weakness in literacy or females being under-identified to exist.

GENDER ISSUES

� Gender issues are not isolated to any one area of education.

� Academia, management issues, sexuality, physical growth and education and the changing demographic of the classroom are all affected by gender issues.

� How are we abiding by or allowing these findings to continue in a time of gender equality?

� Have we achieved gender quality at all?

WHAT IS GENDER EQUALITY?

� Gender Equality in education refers to equality of (and

ensuring the desired level of) Entitlements, Opportunities, Experiences and Outcomes in education for both boys and girls.

� Gender equality in education is critical for the elimination of other forms of gender inequalities.

� Gender equality in education is difficult to measure.

THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

� Are educational institutions conscious of the responsibility and do they have the necessary knowledge to make the processes gender responsive and the learning experiences empowering?

� These questions are especially relevant at secondary stage. Secondary education caters to an age group, which is critical for identity formation and for developing critical skill of decision-making. This is the stage that provides a link between childhood and adulthood.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

� How gender issues manifest in schools and classrooms and how far institutions question or maintain the status quo regarding existing gender-unequal practices, stereotypes and expectations.

TOOLS FOR MEASURING G.I.

� Case Studies (single sex as well as co-ed schools)

� Observation (classrooms, sports, teachers meetings, etc.) �  � Focus group discussion (FGD) (teachers, boys, girls –

separate as well as joint groups)

� In-depth interviews (teachers, principles, boys, girls, administrators)

RESULTS

� Schools in most cases reinforce the existing gender ideology, stereotypes, norms and expectations.

� Schools have the potential of playing a transformative role in changing the prevalent notions and unequal relations.

� It does not necessarily happen on its own, and requires specific and targeted interventions in most cases.

SUMMARY

�  Institutions need to provide an environment for students where they can question existing gender relations and notions of masculinities and being feminine.

� School should be a space where students have opportunities for questioning, debating, seeing new perspectives, forming new identities and relations without feeling threatened.

BRINGING IT BACK TO YOU…

� What needs to be done to make schools more gender-equal institutions that encourage both boys and girls to realise their full learning potential?

INEQUALITIES IN ACADEMIA AND THE CLASSROOM � Instances of gender bias are so subtle in the

classroom that teachers are often unaware they exist. Caught up in the many daily decisions regarding the curriculum and classroom management, teachers have little time to reflect on and analyze their interactions with girls and boys in their classrooms (Marshall and ReinHartz).

� Ask yourself the following questions:

� What do I say to individual students? � How do I reinforce and encourage girls as well as boys in

my classroom? � To Whom do I provide opportunities for experimental

learning and leadership? � To what degree do I spend time with or attend to the girls

and boys in my classroom?

�  Whether we are aware of it or not, many teachers show gender inequalities in the classroom. Society has perhaps instilled use with the belief that males are stronger in math and science, while females are usually strong in the social sciences and arts.

�  "Although boys and girls differ in their physical, emotional and intellectual development, there is no evidence that these are linked. Therefore, it is unlikely that education performance is explained by biological differences. If biology were the reason, girls would not have improved significantly in certain subjects, of which boys used to outperform girls traditionally, such as math and science, in the past two decades. Social and cultural factors are the major reasons leading to gender differences in academic performance. These factors include students' familiarity with the subject, changes of career aspiration, gendered perceptions of specific subject, presentational styles of boys and girls, and teachers' expectation. Unlike biology, the social and cultural factors are changeable by modifying the context of education." (Gallagher, 2001)

� According to research by Columbia University: � Teachers ask males more abstract questions and

females more factual questions � Are less likely to elaborate on points made by female

students � Males are more likely to blurt out responses or speak

over-top of people. � Females tend to answer questions is a more passive

way. Ex: “I suppose….Maybe this would happen….” Do you think this research is valid? Have you seen cases of gender inequality in the classroom?

� Despite the historical trend of a male dominated academic trend, in recent years there have been trends showing that females are now surpassing males in academic performance.

�  "In fact, some experts say, mounting evidence suggests that boys are far less suited than girls to succeed in the academic environment. Those researchers point, for example, to boys' lower scores on the language arts sections of standardized tests, to their out-of-proportion placement in special education classes, and to the number of times boys are disciplined compared with girls." (Galley, 2002)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT…

� Are we the midst of an academic renaissance or is the inequality of gender in academia simply balancing out? What would hinder academic success by either gender?

MANAGEMENT

� Often times males and females have different social interactions with their peers. Traditionally, boys are more aggressive, physical, and confrontational, whereas girls are usually verbally aggressive, vindictive, and socially confrontational (Jennie, 2012). �  There is a great deal of controversy whether we as society have

selected for these diversities or if they have a biological origin.

�  Undoubtedly, the expressions of male and female behavior variations are a combination of social and biological differences.

�  As educators we are dealt with task of managing students. What are we to do?

ASK YOURSELF…

If you had to break up a physical altercation in an elementary school yard between two girls, would the repercussions differ than if it were two boys?

GENDER ISSUES

� This is a video clip demonstrating a gender issue that Mark will be taking a deeper look into.

� http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StziRu2t85Q&feature=related

WOMEN VS. PHYS. ED / SPORTS

� Women were often perceived as being too weak for sport, particularly endurance sports, such as marathons, weightlifting and cycling, and it was often argued in the past that sport was harmful to women’s health, particularly their reproductive health. In 1896, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics, stated: “No matter how toughened a sportswoman may be, her organism is not cut out to sustain certain shocks.”2 Such stereotypes fuelled gender-based discrimination in physical education and in recreational and competitive sport, sporting organizations and sport media.

COMMON VIEWS

� Sport is traditionally associated with «masculinity». In many societies, it is considered inappropriate for women to engage in sports, and women who do may be perceived as

� Caring for the sick and elderly, raising children, and other work in the home – «reproductive» activities still predominantly carried out by women and girls

� Women and men tend to engage in different types of physical activity and their attitudes towards sport may be very different. The competitive dimensions of many sports may for some be at the heart of the game, while for others, sports may simply be an opportunity to get together

EQUALITY VS. ACCEPTANCE

1.  Do we want to have equality or embrace the differences?

2.  Should Physical education classes continue to be separated into girls and guys?

VIDEO CLIP

�  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQMuArSLLew

1.  What’s the issue here? 2.  Who watches sports? 3.  Supply and demand?

GENDER ISSUES IN THE CLASSROOM:

Changing Demographics =

New Issues

CASE STUDY: 1

The Western Asian Cultures in our Classrooms and Gender Roles

Southern Ontario: Top immigrations source countries remain India (15%), Pakistan (10%), Turkey (8%) and Sudan 4%

GENDER DIVISION (÷)

�  Societal gendering begins at birth

�  Male births are celebrated / Female births are met with pain

�  Roles in society are determined by sex, therefore NOT changeable

�  Males are encouraged to be tough and outgoing in the classrooom… leading to classroom management issues to teachers

�  Females taught to be submissive, homebound and shy… nearly impossible to engage in classroom discussion.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

�  Encourage group work where each group member will be evaluated idividually and must contribute equally (=)

�  Less emphasis on independent study/tasks

�  Classroom managment

CASE STUDY: II THE NEAR & FAR EAST ASIAN CULTURES

REGION

努 力 学 习

�  Education has always been of paramount importance in Indo-Chinese life (ASIA) for males, and the way to succed in school is to memorize and repeat… anyone experience this type of learner??

�  Memorization rather the critical study – introduced by the French 1800’s

�  It is disrespectful for a male student to challenge a teacher

“PROFESSIONAL WIFE, WISE MOTHER”

�  The modern East-Asian gender role for women has reformed of late

�  …argueably leading the way for the rest of that culture

�  Higher percentage of females are pursuing post-graduate education, attaining corporate jobs in society and helping balance gender equalities

BUT

�  In the classroom Far East Asian students at the secondary and senior public school levels are still largley submissive, reserved and shy.

�  And now a special ½ Asian guest speaker:

SOLUTIONS

�  A bit of a conundrum for teachers… lets discuss!

�  But first, enjoy this special clip celebrating my last ever contribution to an academic presentation which somewhat (abstractly) represents the struggle of genders in the classroom.

�  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEanZ-Ex5Uw&feature=related

WHAT CAN WE DO

�  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uqLnMdmzy8

�  Gender roles may be misrepresenting the desires of today’s youth. How can we as educators ensure that this wont continue?

RESOURCES �  Taylor, D. L. (2004). “Not just boring stories”: Reconsidering the gender

gap for boys. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 48(4), 280-288.

�  USAIDS Office of Women in Development by the Equate Project. (2008). “Education from a Gender Equality Perspective”. Management Systems International, 1-13.

�  Weaver-Hightower, M. (2003). The “boy turn” in research on gender and education. Review of Educational Research, 73(4), 471-498.

�   Columbia University

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/tat/pdfs/gender.pdf

�  K-2 Punks

http://preschoolpunks.wordpress.com/2006/07/13/boys-wear-pink-and-girls-wear-blue-gender-in-the-classroom/

�  Gender Bias in Education

http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/genderbias.html

�  The Clearing House: Gender Issues in the Classroom

http://www.jstor.org/stable/30185879

�  Wikipedia

http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Gender_Inequities_in_the_Classroom