Gender norms have a disproportionately negative impact on girls, particularly on their sense of identity, aspirations, and expectations. So, it’s important for schools to be the first place where efforts to eradicate clichés and the behaviors they encourage can be implemented. There have been campaigns that stress the importance of including positive female role models in the classroom as a starting point.
In what ways can we work to eliminate harmful gender norms in the classroom?
Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963, during the height of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. At the tender age of 26, the Seagull – her flight call sign aboard Vostok 6 — created history and became a symbol of gender equality with her historic voyage. After being in space for 70 hours and 50 minutes, she completed 48 orbits of the Earth. Absolutely nothing extra or unnecessary. No one should ever tell you something is impossible.
Despite the fact that it has been 56 years since the Tereshkova achievement, the average person’s mental image of an astronaut, architect, engineer, or pilot is still almost certainly a male. Because that is the standard representation, the response is rather automatic. Moreover, empirical data back up such interpretation. For instance, only 3% of the world’s airline pilots are female. It’s possible that we need to determine what’s causing this before we can fix it.
In what ways can one be negatively affected by adhering to a gender stereotype?
A gender stereotype is “is a generalised view or preconception about attributes, or characteristics that are or ought to be possessed by women and men or the roles that are or should be performed by men and women” as defined by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Therefore, a damaging gender stereotype is one that prevents women and men from achieving their full potential in terms of character development, career advancement, and life choices and ambitions.
Girls everywhere, no matter how developed a country may be, are urged by society at large, from parents to educators, to internalize harmful gender stereotypes. The World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University Global Early Adolescent Study found this to be one of their primary findings. And while this may seem little to others, it has far-reaching effects on girls’ self-esteem and employment opportunities beginning at a young age.
Science published an article in 2017 titled “Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children’s interests,” which claims that by age six, girls already feel inferior to boys in terms of intelligence. According to Miriam Gonzalez, the creator of Inspiring Girls in Spain, “Neither boys nor girls are born sexist, there is something that we as a society do to them to make them reach that point,” As a result, the topic has a vast social and cultural context, one that traditionally stereotypes sex roles and assigns certain roles to men and women. UNESCO has issued a warning about the lack of female researchers in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO THE ANSWER.
In the same way that schools are where prejudice and bigotry are bred, schools are also where they can be overcome. For this reason, government backing is essential, as UNESCO notes in its Global Education Monitoring Report. Apprenticeship programs, tutorials, networks, and scholarships should be considered to promote and support the incorporation of women in STEM disciplines, and curricula, textbooks, and teacher training programs should be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that gender stereotypes are not perpetuated.
Teachers play a key role in ensuring that all children receive a safe, inclusive learning environment where they are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their gender. Advice for educators from Lina Gálvez, head of the Master’s Degree in Gender and Equality at Pablo de Olavide University in Seville and a specialist in gender equality research:
It’s important to be cognizant of sexism. Put into question the normality of certain stereotypes that are actually social constructs but which we tend to take for granted.
- Confront the topic of equality without any qualms. Avoid being swayed by outside opinions or pressure when tackling equality problems.
- Work together to ensure that everyone has access to a quality education. The greater the participation in such training, the greater the success.
- Use your imagination. Encourage them to stick to their choices even if they don’t fit the mold society has set for them.
In what ways can we work to eliminate harmful gender norms in the classroom?
PREVENTING DISCRIMATION THROUGH POSITIVE FEMININE ROLE MODELS
Can we really get rid of these preconceived notions? That’s what the UK-based nonprofit Inspiring Girls claims. They’re also active in nine other countries. Its goal is to show young women that there is a wide range of careers available to them, and that being a woman does not in any way limit what they can achieve in life or in the workplace.
I don’t understand how they pull it off. by hosting panels of successful women who can serve as role models for young women. Women who are interested in giving back to their communities by sharing their professional experiences with young people contribute their time and energy to visit local schools and talk to students about their work and the challenges they’ve faced along the way. The objective is to highlight women who can serve as examples and role models for the women of the future.
