Gender bias: when schools fail to fortify a neutral foundation.

Gender neutrality (or gender bias) is one of the most talked-about topics of our modern world, our society is in desperate need of shunning its pink-blue glasses. Yet, our community dreadfully lags behind when we look into practical efforts made in this direction. There is so much to do and so much more not to do before we reach the ultimate goal of seeing an unbiased platform offering everyone the same opportunity and support irrespective of their gender.

Clearly this socialization of gender is reinforced at school, “Because classrooms are microcosms of society, mirroring its strengths and ills alike, it follows that the normal socialization patterns of young children that often lead to distorted perceptions of gender roles are reflected in the classrooms.”

(Marshall, 1997)

Despite decades and decades of toiling, our education system is yet anywhere close to providing a gender-neutral environment. Schools being the building blocks of any child’s character will always play the most pivotal role in shaping young minds. No matter the efforts made outside, a biased school ambience will raise an inflexible generation.

The socialisation of gender and approval of bias

The socialization of gender within our schools assures that girls and boys are made aware that they are unequal and sadly, this inequality is constantly approved.

• Inoculating gender-role prejudices may start as soon as the child enters playschool. The girls’ corner is often full of dolls, story books, princesses, and kitchen sets, immersed in bright and colourful pinks while the boys’ blue corner has trucks, cars, action figures, bob-the-builder blocks, and guns.

• Without much conscious thought, the tutors and staff repeatedly reinforce the notions like good girls don’t shout, don’t raise their voices, dress neatly, and behave properly while boys need to be tough, devoid of emotions, excellent in maths and sports, et Cetra, et Cetra, et Cetra.

• Using inappropriate gender suffixes or gender-specific job titles (implying the gender of the person performing that job) can give an impression of gender-suitability for particular jobs. Keeping it unbiased, lets the child pull in her/his imagination and gives them the freedom to think beyond the ordinary.

• Ignoring an act of sexual harassment as ‘boys will be boys’, allows the degradation of girls’ self esteems and often makes them feel guilty for provoking such behaviours.
• Tolerating different behaviours by boys than by girls as expected norm perpetuates the acceptance of gender stereotypes.
• Labelling girls as tomboys for defying classical femineity and indulging in so-called approved-for-boys activities gives a clear message that she is unfit in her destined role.

Are we Gender-tracking

The stereotypes and expectations faced by students in day-to-day schooling can set them on a lifelong path of present notions and prejudices based on gender roles. Our schools have been subconsciously and effortlessly tracking students into their preset roles.

The subtle hints dropped throughout schooling can work dangerously well in the long term, driving children towards gender-appropriate roles and opportunities, despite the equal potential. Expectedly, it is the most substantial driving force behind the enormous gender gap seen in our adult professional lives, wherein boys flock to the military, sports, IT, and navy while girls are ushered towards arts, teaching, and being homemakers.

Despite the growing evidence that girls are becoming more academically successful than boys, the on-ground examination of the classroom shows that girls and boys continue to be socialized in ways that work against gender equity.

• At the age of 15, the lowest (please don’t read highest) achievers in mathematics and science are boys vs 40% for girls
• Despite better stats in their favour, even high achiever girls lack the confidence to achieve well when it comes to maths
• 4 times more boys than girls consider a career in maths irrespective of performance comparison tilting towards girls

Isn’t it all a by-product of our age-old attitude that automatically links boys with maths, however potent the other gender maybe?

The biased curriculum

Gender bias in education reaches beyond socialization patterns; embedded in textbooks, lessons, and teacher interactions with students. It seems to be a part of the hidden curriculum of lessons taught implicitly to students through the everyday functioning of their classroom.

Gender bias in textbooks appears in form of stereotypical male and female characters, thinking models, family roles, and career choices, which affect students’ gender consciousness, and ultimately affect students’ gender roles.

These references are mostly ‘invisible, as their roles in a book will never be noticed unless we actively search for them. The ratio of male-to-female references has been found to be disproportionately low (63% to 37% in most books).

Female portrayals: housewives who cook and wash clothes to satisfy their husbands and family or persons with naïve personalities (teacher/baker/nurse).

Male portrayals: bread earners, sportsmen, doctors, freedom-fighters, outgoing, fun-loving (driving new sports cars), or other powerful ones. They often make important decisions and have higher family positions.

Not only the textbooks but our enormously popular childhood storybooks are flawlessly unreasonable. The showcase of ‘the damsel in distress waiting to be rescued by the prince in shining armour’ has outlived its expiry.

Need of a makeover:

Our textbooks and storybooks need a fresh perspective and are in deep crisis needing a rewriting where men and women are not gender-casted. The role play should be so mixed and vast that no child should be able to typecast him/herself in any role. They should be free to choose where they fit.

Agreeably, there has been tremendous change in this direction with newer narrations being pragmatically neutral and forward in this direction. However, our schools need to make active efforts in their library and curriculum makeover in adopting a newer non-sexist narrative.

What do kids say?

I have 7 of my kids (mine and sisters) going to school aged 9 to 15. Last time when we were discussing gender bias in our society, all of them were of the same opinion that whenever their teachers try and quote an example, they always put mothers in home-maker roles and fathers in bread earners; mothers are portrayed as loving/ understanding/ weak or emotional while fathers are shown as brave/ smart/ practical/ outspoken creatures.

When such little minds understand this; why can’t our schools and teachers see the extensive damage they are doing albeit unknowingly?

This is something I think teachers should be actively looking for and trained for; being neutral. The toughest part is to accept our flaws, only then can a cure be sought. The management of schools should explicitly make sure that every teacher is trained and that his/her conduct is periodically and actively audited. It’s time that we take this problem head-on; making amendments where they are needed the most.

Lets rediscover and reinvent our schooling for a better and brighter future

Dr Poonam Darswal

You can read my blogs on other social issues here.