Volume 1
Issue 1
16 March 1998
Gender
Inequalities in Education
The
Gender Gap in the Computing Field
Whitmore
High School: A Case Study of Computer Usage
Computer
Projects for Mother and Daughter
Expanding
Your Horizons in Math and Science
Computers
and Technology: Differences In Gender
Gender
Bias In Educational Software
Educational
Software For Girls
- Purple Moon: Thanks but No Thanks for Rockett's New School
- Girl Tech - Not Girl Friendly Enough
- Her Interactive
- Broderbund - Classroom Software Done Right
Computers
In the Classroom: What is the Effect on the Gender
Gap?
WHY ARE GENDER ISSUES IMPORTANT IN EDUCATION?
Equity for girls means equity for everyone. By following gender equity guidelines to improve education, it is improved for boys as well as for girls. The goal of better serving girls does not entail neglecting or suppressing boys. By putting boys and girls on an equal plane, the relatively increased valuing of girls will also benefit boys by informing them of the strengths, capabilities and contributions of girls and women. This, in turn, may help decrease the pressure many boys feel to conform to the traditional roles, behaviors and ways of thinking. Eventually, the stereotypes may be counteracted and eliminated, so education may begin to be more gender balanced.
Focusing on girls' educational achievements and career aspirations allows society to ensure women economic security, a better quality of life, and more career choices. As a result, the need for social welfare will decrease, since most families in poverty are headed by women with inadequate education. Thus, targeting more equitable educational techniques will not only improve the lives of individual women, but will also advance the community as a whole as having that many more worthwhile contributors.
WHAT'S BEEN DONE
In 1972 the US Department of Education passed Title IX, a set of amendments aimed at reforming gender inequality in schools. The amendment stated that "no person in the US shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal aid." This amendment was applied heavily to education as official legislation to ensure equality for girls and boys in schools. The most well-known result, and thus also the misconceived sole purpose, of Title IX was the encouragement and support of many girls' sports teams in public schools, though the amendment did improve upon gender disparities in other areas as well. However, twenty-five years later, few problems have been solved. The Report Card on Gender Equity released by the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education in June 1997 states that "too many girls and women still confront 'No Trespassing' signs throughout educational institutions. Women remain underrepresented in critical areas such as math and science..." citing statistics of the unchanged presence of male-sport favoritism as well as discrimination in the workplace. "We owe it to our daughters to improve our performance on Title IX by removing these obstacles." In 1995, Unicef launched a worldwide campaign to promote education for girls. Like Title IX, this campaign has yet to significantly affect the status quo. Although these initiative demonstrate some awareness of the disparity of gender in the classroom, the current state of education still does not approach gender equality.
Story: Girls: Just Look Beautiful
GENDER-BIASED TEACHING STYLE
The school system itself plays a significant role in creating and maintaining gender differences. For example, textbooks often represent the gender bias present in society's view of the technical fields. Teaching style also perpetuates the gender difference. A study conducted by the American Association of University Women revealed that teachers tend to focus more attention on boys, directing more encouragement to them, while girls are often overlooked in class. In light of these results, teachers are apparently unaware of their biased actions. Traditional teacher training tends to cater to boys' interests and behaviors as a means of keeping classroom order. Boys generally act out their frustrations in a manner often disruptive to the classroom. In contrast, girls predominantly repress their frustrations by withdrawing. Teachers' methods of controlling boys included making them contribute often. Thus, teachers have inadvertently favored boys to girls in the traditional classroom setting.
As a result of cultural bias, adults' expectations vary with respect to boys and girls. Even teachers often see a difference in potential between boys and girls, especially in technical areas. In problem situations where students appear stumped, adults tend to rescue girls by giving them either easy clues or by blatantly revealing the answer. With boys, however, the general practice is to force them to figure it out themselves. Research shows that this kind of "help" undermines girls' confidence in their abilities. Because of different self-esteem levels, boys and girls come to very different conclusions about themselves, even when the data on which they base their decisions are the same. Studies have demonstrated that boys accept success and take credit for their accomplishments more readily than girls. The combination of the facts that girls are given less chance to independently solve problems, and that girls are harsher in judging their own achievements, has serious effects on the self-confidence of girls. Thus, any differences in achievement may be rooted in these culturally different expectations.
Story: Teacher of the Year?
GENDER-ROLES THAT GIRLS ARE PREPARED FOR BY SCHOOL
While increasingly many women pursue higher education and careers, society still raises its girls with the option not to work for a living. However, current demographic statistics point out that nine times as many women as men are single parents, thus forcing more women than before to make a living. Because women have not been directed on career paths from the start, they often must settle for lower lever jobs. Thus, women continue to be funneled into traditionally female occupations. In order to keep up with recent technological trends, girls must be introduced at a young age to scientific and engineering fields, else they may enter too late, leaving them only to be trained for more clerical and secretarial aspects of the new technology, for example data entry and low-level programming. If this is the case, women will remain at the low end of the service-oriented pay scale. The traditional roles of men and women dictate the focus of that which boys and girls learn in school. Thus, if girls continue to be bypassed when considering technical work, women will never have a stronghold in the technical fields and the traditional views will never be changed. In order to rectify the cycle, these stereotypical roles must be reevaluated, and girls must be encouraged to pursue more technical careers.
Story: Hammers Are For Boys and Needles Are For Girls
