Gender equality is an important societal goal we should be striving for in all areas of life. Gender equality in education is especially important, as education is foundational for how the next generation of society will function. Equality in education means empowering all students and providing equal opportunities to them without considering their gender. Gender inequality in the United States is rampant. Even if there have been positive changes and progress made since 1990, there is still a major gender gap between men and women on educational, social, economic, and political grounds.
How Are Gender Equality and Gender Equity Different?
Gender equality means equal and uniform investment of resources for women, men, and other genders. Whereas gender equity means fairness in terms of access to equal opportunities provided by different resources of need. Thus, we can see gender equity as a process to achieve gender equality in society. At the educational and school level, equity means confronting biases and stereotypes, promoting fairness in the quality of education for all students. This will lead to gender equality for society as a whole and not restrict or limit student’s potential. When there is gender equality, all students are free to pursue their education without fear of discrimination or harassment because of their gender.
What Contributes to Gender Bias in A Classroom?
Gender inequality is a profound injustice. It keeps millions of women around the world in poverty. Despite the fact that women are one-half of the world’s population, they are often denied equal access to health, education, political participation, and economic participation. Teachers have enormous power to promote gender equality/equity by modeling positive behavior in the classroom.
Teachers often lose sight of the fact that if they have forty students in the classroom, they are working with forty individuals. And each of those forty is unique and special with their talents and learning needs. They each have the potential to be happy, successful individuals if permitted and helped to be so. However, instead of seeing diverse individuals, many teachers simply see the gender gap. And when teachers think of children only in terms of their gender, they start to make all sorts of assumptions about what they like, are good at, and should end up doing when they leave school.
Even more concerning is that gender bias is so deeply rooted within us that we don’t recognize it. Sometimes, teachers unintentionally end up promoting gender bias. For example, when in the classroom, teachers assign tasks along stereotypical gender lines. An example would be when a teacher asks for “strong boys” to move desks and tells girls to sweep the floor.
Teachers often ask questions in a way that makes an unnecessary distinction between the genders. Research also shows that boys generally receive more questions than girls. Calling on boys to answer questions more often can create a surge of gender inequality.
Teachers also encourage students to believe that certain emotions belong to a particular gender and are unacceptable for the other gender. For example, beliefs like, “boys don’t cry” or “loud laughter are unladylike.” This thinking can instill gender biases in young minds.
How to Promote Gender Equality and Gender Equity in Education?
The educational system portrays a clear image of gender inequality in the United States, although many advancements have been made. The Gender Inequality Index results showed that in 2017, the USA scored 19%, ranking 13th in gender inequality overall among the survey of 173 countries. The rate is higher in politics and education.
Teachers are role models for their students as they watch, observe, and learn from them. Thus, teachers can teach both genders that their adult life will include work, parenting, and housework regardless of their genders or identities. Teachers must share positive stories with their students.
Teachers should not restrict roles and abilities to any one gender. And their expectations must be equal. Girls can be in STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Boys and girls both can succeed in math, science, language, art, and sports. Teachers can actively integrate groups by making sure there is no discrimination of gender, and boys and girls sit at one table during group activities.
Some students need time to think about the answer to a verbal question. So, allowing all the students a few seconds to think quietly before asking for answers will instill intentionality into students. By doing this, teachers will be promoting long-term benefiting gender equity.
Some states have made constitutional amendments to promote gender equity. This is an important first step. The federal government has also taken action to promote equity. Title IX has been used to protect students from sexual harassment and gender inequality in education. The students or staff in US institutes can file a Title IX complaint against any sort of gender prejudice.
Being aware of our own gender bias and amending our behavior isn’t easy. It requires us to embark on a process of reflection and continuous change. Teachers and elders must never forget how much students and teens learn from them. By modeling gender equity, teachers and students altogether can change the future of society into one that is fairer, more fulfilling, and more prosperous for everyone because, after all, we are creatures of emotions before any gender differences.
UNESCO Strategy for Gender Equality, image from Wiki Commons
p.s. Related posts:
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