Gender-competent Experience of Education and Learning for Girls and Women

Introduction

As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” (UN General Assembly. Article 1)

Gender inequalities between women and men are embedded throughout society and can be defined as unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. As a typical feature of school culture, gender stereotypes are reinforced through everyday actions, the education system is no exception. As such, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, has committed globally to, “ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all” by the year 2030 (UNESCO, 2015). Moreover, efforts to dissolve gender inequalities within Scottish Education is evident; the National Advisory Council on Woman and Girls (NACWG) was created in 2018 alongside other policies which aim to promote and support a gender-competent experience of education and learning for all girls and women (Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning, 2020).

The education system itself can be an essential tool for combating gender stereotypes, changing mindsets, challenging traditions, and bringing about social and cultural changes, especially for girls and women (Gender Equality Council, 2015).

However, gender stereotypes are deep-rooted in the education system through tradition, cultural norms, and through the influence of teachers, parents and peers. For instance, language such as “throw like a girl” or “man up”, associate negative characteristics with being female and can unintentionally reinforce gender stereotyping. When it comes to subject choice, a recent survey found that the majority of pupils (77% female and 81% male) thought that STEM subjects were most likely to lead to higher-paid jobs, but only 33% of female pupils would consider themselves to be best at a STEM subject compared to 60% of surveyed male pupils (Department of Education, 2019). As a step towards removing these disparities, many schools in Scotland are making efforts to educate about issues of diversity. For example, the ‘Improving Gender Balance Scotland’ project in partnership with Skills Development Scotland, aims to empower young girls and support them to challenge traditional career choices. Yet gendered stereotyping continues to go largely unnoticed or unchallenged. In 2017, UK Feminista’s sexism in schools survey found that 78% of secondary school students were unsure or not aware of the existence of any policies and practices in their school related to preventing sexism.

This essay will analyze the normalization and unconscious bias of gender stereotypes, with a focus on the roles and expectations of women in education, and the impact of these issues on pupils, teachers and the curriculum.

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The Pupil

Gender stereotypes can have an adverse effect on all genders, as young people find themselves regularly exposed to messages about how different sexes should look, behave and play. These socially accepted and often unconscious norms start to form in infancy when parents, media and society have constructed sets of rules and expectations.

Leading into education, already children have a preconceived idea of how to behave and what is expected of them. For Example, Girl-Guiding Scotland’s 2020 attitudes survey found, 50% of 7–10-year-old girls said women are judged more on what they look like than what they can do” and “42% of girls think that gendered toys make it harder for girls and boys to recognize what they’re good at and what they enjoy”, therefore limiting their developing skills, interests and confidence. This early recognition of gender stereotyping is clearly having an impact on girls considering their own futures, as 41% think there are still certain subjects or careers that people expect them to do because they’re a girl. (Girl-Guiding Scotland. 2020). For instance, girls commonly have lower confidence in their maths ability because of the stereotype that girls fail at maths (Cvencek, Meltzoff and Greenwald, 2011). The society also perceives girls as ‘inherently not tech savvy’ which may discourage girls to pursue education and occupations in certain fields and being offered different opportunities (Inset Cite) subject segregation is linked to negative gender stereotypes in the classroom, with few girls perusing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects. As the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that girls and boys show no significant difference in attainment in these areas however girls are less self-confident than boys in maths, science and problem-solving skills. This results in women representing only 22% of the STEM workforce (Stem Women, 2019) due to unnecessary pressures and restrictions on emotional and social growth. Additionally, there are also challenges when it comes to other subjects in the curriculum, such as Physical Education. For example, one student quoted in the Feminista Sexism survey in 2017: “At my secondary school, girls were not allowed to play rugby or other stereotypically male sports like football. Instead, we had to do dance and gymnastics which are sports the boys never had to do”. (UK Feminista, 2017) ….WHY IMPORTANT

It is evident that gender stereotypes act as a barrier for girls to access the right to quality education with over half (56%) of girls and young women aged 11 to 21 agreeing that schools could be doing more to tackle gender stereotypes (Girl-Guiding Scotland. 2020). Deeply harmful gender stereotypes on girls are one of the root causes for fuelling prejudice, discrimination, abuse, and violence that can lead to violations of a wide array of human rights (OHCHR - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2017).

Thus, students may comprehend that gender stereotypes affect other people but they do not realize when they face discrimination themselves. It is important, then, that teachers ensure that their students become aware of the systemic influences of gender stereotypes in society. (Dawn, 2015)

In order to change these patterns, it is necessary to completely rethink the process of socialization and initial education and much more attention to be paid to teaching equal values.

The Teacher

Teachers are fundamental in challenging harmful gender stereotypes in classroom cultures through their philosophy and verbal and non-verbal communication (Gosselin, 2007). The reasons behind a teacher’s practice must come from a place of equity and challenge their own preconceptions on gender and education in order to create a positive and safe school environment. They should consider the “multidimensionality of identity whereby masculinities and femininities are seen as being shaped by such factors as social class, religion, sexuality, age, and ethnicity” (Cushman, 2010, p.1213). Therefore become mindful of the subtleties in gender stereotypes, their personal biases and consider what teaching methods best reduce the likelihood of perpetrating gender norms (Dawn, 2015). It is therefore important that global teacher training, includes consistent opportunities for student teachers to take part in courses based on gender equity and the inequities in education and society so that “they can provide a bias-free learning environment” (Erden, 2009, p.411) According to Feminista UK, only 20% of secondary school teachers have received training in recognizing and tackling sexism and gender stereotyping as part of their initial teacher education. The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) introduced the Gender Responsive Pedagogy (GRP) model that aims to ensure that teachers acquire the knowledge, skill and attitudes to respond to the learning needs of girls and boys by using gender-aware classroom processes and practices. For example, the integration of GRP in teacher training colleges in Malawi, Africa, shifted attitudes and practices of trained teachers to become more gender sensitive. Results also showed that girls participated more actively, had improved confidence and their school attainment increased (FAWE, 2015). The education system should continue to introduce of projects such as ‘Improving Gender Balance Scotland’ which embeds further awareness of STEM careers in learning and teaching and encourages parental engagement, making them aware of the messaging they should be reinforced in the home (Education Scotland 2019) but also benefits teachers and allows them to reassess their practice. Unconscious bias can manifest itself in teacher and learner interactions on a daily basis and since teachers’ decisions and behaviors potentially influence learners' future academic and occupational status, it is imperative that these decisions are unbiased(Riley, 2014). For instance, teachers are more likely to praise girls for being well-behaved but boys in ideas and understanding (Lips, 2016, pg185) Teachers could also look at incorporating more mixed-gender work groups that “support the formation of dynamic gendered identified as well as promote successful cross-gender working relationships,” as it allows pupils to “explore other vocabulary, actions and support the co-construction of non-traditional gender roles” (Gosselin, 2007, p.42)