Gender Roles & Stereotypes
With all that teachers have to juggle in the classroom why worry about gender? Gender has a big impact on each young person who sits in your classroom. Students are unconsciously pushed and pulled into different gender categories being forced to ‘act like a girl’ or ‘act like a boy’. Without knowing it, teachers and the classroom environment may send these messages to students.
How does gender influence teens?
Find out what gender stereotypes are really saying. By supporting these gender stereotypes we are putting youth into categories that are harder to break out of the older they get. As children become teens they receive even more messages about gender. For example, girls are traditionally pointed toward subjects in school such as English or history while boys are encouraged to excel in math and science. Boys are often told to ‘man up’ and play sports while girls are often pushed to be caretakers and sensitive.
Take Action
Teachers can send healthy gender messages to their students. Here are some suggestions to help you get started.
DO:
- Make your classroom gender neutral. Have pictures of both girls and boys doing non-stereotypical activities.
- Have open discussion on gender stereotypes and work them into whatever subject you teach. Talk about gender stereotypes in the books they read or talk about male and female scientists.
- Encourage boys and girls equally to succeed. Show them that gender will not dictate who they become.
- Refrain from promoting unhealthy gender messages in and out of the classroom. For example, if you’re a coach don’t use gender terms in a derogatory manner to discipline male athletes, such as “You throw like a girl!” or “Don’t be such a sissy!”
- Examine your gender choices. Do you put all the girls in a group? Are boys given different projects then the girls? Do you call on more girls than boys?
- Encourage both girls and boys to explore what makes them happy whether that is sports, music, science or video games.
- Use language that is not gender restricted. Talk about professions in a non-gendered way. For example, use the term police officers instead of policemen and the term flight attendant instead of stewardess.
Most importantly educate yourself on gender. There are many layers to it and knowing some basic definitions will help you be better prepared.
Definitions to know when talking about GENDER:
Biological Sex refers to being categorized as either male or female based on our anatomical parts.
Gender is a psychosocial construct most people use to classify a person as male, female, both, or neither.
Gender Identity is a person's sense of their own gender. Since most people conform to societal gender norms, they have a Gender Identity congruent with their Biological Sex. However, Gender, like sexuality, is fluid and can change over time, in individuals and in society. For some people, Gender Identity, Biological Sex and how they outwardly communicate their gender to others do not correspond with each other.
Transgender is an umbrella term used to describe people who have gender identities, expressions or behaviors not traditionally associated with their Biological Sex. Transgender also can mean anyone who transcends the conventional definitions of 'man' and 'woman'.
Adapted from Gender Education & Advocacy, Inc. http://www.gender.org/resources/dge/gea01004.pdf
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory Strategies to reduce or eliminate gender inequities in science and math
http://community.pflag.org
PFlag: From Our House to the Schoolhouse offers tools for teachers and parents for creating safe schools and responding to harassment and bullying. PFlag stands for "Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays" and they offer a host of supportive resources in addition to the safe schools resources.
http://www.genderads.com
Gender Ads on gender and advertising, featuring over 2,500 different adds showing how gender stereotypes are used in advertising.
http://www.about-face.org/
About Face's mission is to equip girls and women with tools to understand and resist harmful media messages that affect self-esteem and body image.
http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/safe.html
The Safe Schools Coalition offers a wide variety of resources for teachers and parents about many of the topics addressed on this website, including an excellent list of books that address gender stereotyping at: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/RG-library_media.html.
http://www.tolerance.org
Mix It Up Program encourages students to “mix up” social boundaries in schools. The site offers teachers a plethora of classroom activities and teaching kits on respect and tolerance for all age groups.
