Elective - Gender issues in Education (II year)

Unit III

Theories on gender and education

Gender Socialization theory

Gender socialization Henslin (1999) contends that "an important part of socialization is the learning of culturally defined gender roles". Gender socialization refers to the learning of behavior and attitudes considered appropriate for a given sex. Boys learn to be boys, and girls learn to be girls. This "learning" happens by way of many different agents of socialization. The family is certainly important in reinforcing gender roles, but so are one's friends, school, work, and the mass media. Gender roles are reinforced through "countless subtle and not so subtle ways," said Henslin.

Gender socialisation is a more focused form of socialisation, it is how children of different sexes are socialised into their gender roles and taught what it means to be male or female. The classical example of gender socialisation is the experiment done with a baby that was introduced as a male to half of the study subjects and as a female to the other half. The results are interesting and quite disturbing at the same time. When the participants thought they were playing with a baby boy, "he" was offered toys, such as a hammer or rattle, while if the participants thought they were playing with a baby girl, "she" was offered a doll. The participants also touched the baby differently. It was found that baby boys are often bounced, thus stimulating the whole body, whereas girls are touched more gentler and less vigorously.

Gender socialisation begins at the moment we are born, from the simple question "is it a boy or a girl?". We learn our gender roles by agencies of socialisation, which are the "teachers" of the society. The main agencies in our society are the family, peer groups, schools and media. In respect with gender socialisation, each of the agencies could reinforce the gender stereotypes.

Gender differences result from socialization process, especially during our childhood and adolescence. For instance, before we are 3 years old, there are fascinating differences between how boys and girls interact (DeAngelis, 1989). Boys attempt to dominate, to control, to find out "Am I better than you?" They do this by little contests or by being aggressive, if necessary. They establish their status and then continue to try to use power to improve their position in the "pecking order”. In contrast, girls and women try to establish and improve their relationships, as if they were always asking "Do you like me?" Because boys and girls want to do different things, boys and girls start avoiding each other at 3 or 4. By age 6, girls so dislike the rough competitive play and domination by boys that they choose girls over boys as playmates 10 to 1. Little boys don't like "girl's games" either. Indeed, if asked, boys will express horror at the idea of suddenly becoming girls; girls aren't horrified of becoming a boy, they quickly recognize the advantages of being a boy. Boys constantly want to win at active, competitive activities and seem less interested in "winning friends." Several studies have also found that older boys will comply with a male peer's suggestion but will stubbornly not comply with the same suggestion from a female peer. This is especially true if other males are watching. Radical feminists have contended that our society teaches males to hate females. The Psychoanalysts believe little boys 3 to 6 undergo great turmoil as they must give up their identification with a close, nurturing mother and switch it to a father. In this process, boys may be unwittingly taught to dislike, even disdain female (mother's) characteristics in order to give them up; thus, the "hatred" of women's ways (and little girls) may be generated in little boys.

Gender difference theory

Difference theory has roots in the studies of John Gumperz, who examined the differences in cross-cultural communication. While difference theory deals with cross-gender communication, the male and female genders are often presented as being two separate cultures, hence the relevance of Gumperz's studies. Difference theory as postulated by Tannen is generally summarised into six categories, each of which pairs a contrasting use of language by males and females.

Status v. support

Tannen states that, for men, the world is a competitive place in which conversation and speech are used to build status, whereas for women the world is a network of connections, and that they use language to seek and offer support.

Advice v. understanding

Women seek comfort and sympathy for their problems, whilst men will seek a solution to the problem.

Information v. feelings

Tannen states that men's conversation is message-oriented, based upon communicating information. For women, conversation is much more important for building relationships and strengthening social links.

Orders v. proposals

Men will use direct imperatives ("close the door", "switch on the light") when speaking to others. Women encourage the use of superpolite forms, however ("let's", "would you mind if ...?").

Conflict v. compromise

Tannen asserts that most women avoid conflict in language at all costs, and instead attempt to resolve disagreements without any direct confrontation, to maintain positive connection and rapport. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to use confrontation as a way of resolving differences and thereby negotiating status

Independence v. intimacy

Difference theory asserts that in general men favour independence, while women are more likely to seek intimacy. Tannen demonstrates this with the example of a husband making a decision without consulting his wife. She theorises that he does so because he doesn't want to feel a loss of independence that would come from saying, "Let me consult this with my wife first." Women, on the other hand, like to demonstrate that they have to consult with their partner, as this is seen to be proof of the intimacy of the relationship. Tannen asserts that women, seeing the world as a network of connections and relationships, view intimacy as key to achieving consensus and avoiding the appearance of superiority, whereas men, who are more likely to view the world in terms of status, see independence as being key to establishing their status. Tannen also clarifies that while both men and women seek independence and intimacy, men are more likely to be focused on the former, while women are more likely to focus on the latter.

Structural theory

Structural functionalists posit that gender roles arise from the need to establish a division of labor that will help maintain the smooth running of the family and contribute to the stability of society. In this view, girls and boys are taught different approaches to life. Boys are taught instrumentality—that is, to be goal oriented, to focus on tasks, and to be concerned for the relationship of the family to outside societal structures. Girls, on the other hand, are taught to be expressive—that is, to express their emotions and to look for and react to the emotions of others.

Structural functionalists attempt to explain the nature of social order and the relationship between the various parts (structures) in society by examining the functionality of each to determine how it contributes to the stability of society as a whole. Although theorists using other perspectives argue that gender differentiation is bad for society in general and women in particular because it keeps women from reaching their potential and contributing fully to society, from the functionalist perspective, gender differentiation contributes to the stability of a society. Gender roles, in this view, arise from the need to establish a division of labor within the family. Because of their biological role in childbirth and breastfeeding, women in virtually every culture and society around the planet have the primary responsibility for child care. Similarly, men have traditionally had the responsibilities for hunting and waging war because of their relatively greater size and strength.

The basic viewpoint of structural functionalism is that everything in society has a purpose, job, or function. So, when a sociologist uses functionalism to look at the concept of gender, it is to determine how gender roles, or society's concept of how men and women are expected to act and how they should behave, shape society. Functionalists argue that gender roles were established very early on in human history, when men typically took care of responsibilities outside of the home, such as hunting, and women typically took care of the domestic responsibilities in or around the home. These roles were considered functional because women were often limited by the physical restraints of pregnancy and nursing and were unable to leave the home for long periods of time. As a result, these expectations were passed on to later generations and served as an effective system to keeping the basic unit of society - families -

This approach views society as a complex, but interconnected system, where each part works together as a functional whole. A metaphor for the structural-functional approach is the human body. You have arms, legs, a heart, a brain, and so on. Each individual body part has its own neurons and system for working, but each part has to work together for a fully-functioning structure, or system. What are the different structures, or systems, in society? You can probably think of the government, businesses, schools, and families. We need all of these systems to work together for a fully-functioning society.

Schooling of girls

Girls’ education is both an intrinsic right and a critical lever to reaching other development objectives. Providing girls with an education helps break the cycle of poverty: educated women are less likely to marry early and against their will; less likely to die in childbirth; more likely to have healthy babies; and are more likely to send their children to school. When all children have access to a quality education rooted in human rights and gender equality, it creates a ripple effect of opportunity that influences generations to come. 65 million girls around the world are not in school. Millions more are fighting just to stay there. Without education, girls are more likely to marry young, have children early, and spend their life in poverty. Yet, when girls are given the opportunity to receive an education, they are more likely to improve their own lives and those of their families, helping to break the cycle of poverty.

Women of present is much liberated than the past. The statue of woman has undergone a great change today. They are making sincere efforts to rise in all spheres of life. Women have proved to be more responsible and work with great dedication. No country can achieve development without educating her women. The education of women is as important as that of men. It can even be said that educating women is of greater importance. If we educate a woman, we educate a family. An educated woman can perform her duties with great efficiency. She can run her family in a better manner and can help her children in their studies also. Moreover, if a woman is educated she is treated with respect. She has not to lead a life of dependence on men, since she can earn her own living. Education fills her with confidence and she is able to win her due place in society.

Today, government has become aware that female education is as important as that of men. Women education has given a number of opportunities. Today, more and more

woman is taking up jobs. The time has come when they are working for their enlistment.

They are now making sincere efforts to rise themselves in all spheres of life. The Indian

constitution has also granted full equality to women with men. A women of present is much

liberated than a women of past. Many male bastions have been broken by women who are

now pilots, scientists, engineers, astronauts and so on. Besides holding various vital posts in

offices, women are even today known for their gentleness, pleasing manners and docility.

The statue of woman has undergone a great change today. Earlier women were confined to

the houses only, but now they do work shoulder to shoulder with men in every sphere of

human activity.`Today, women have proved to be more responsible and work with great dedication. They do more work than men though they have a physical weakness which is god given. Today, they are raising their voice for reservation of seats not only in colleges and offices,

but also in the parliament.

6 barriers to girls’ education

The cost of education – Though education should be free, there are a lot of costs associated with sending children to school. The cost of uniforms, textbooks or bus fare can be too much to bear for a family living in poverty. Too often, parents choose to keep their girls at home and send the boys to school instead.
Distance to school – In many parts of the developing world, the nearest primary school to a particular community might be a 4 or 5 hour long walk away. On top of that, girls may face dangers or violence on the long way to school, so many parents opt to keep their daughters at home and out of harm’s way.
Violence at school – Once arriving to school, girls may face various forms of violence at the hands of teachers, peers and other people in the school environment. If parents find out school isn’t safe for their daughters, they may remove them from school.
Gender norms – Typically, girls are asked to fetch the water, take care of their younger siblings and to help their mothers cook and clean. Due to this, girls may not have the opportunity to attend school because their contributions to the household are valued more than their personal education.
Poverty – In many parts of the developing world, children’s health is a big concern, especially if they’re facing poverty. If there’s not enough food or sufficient clean water to keep girls nourished and healthy, they may not be well enough to attend school.
Early marriage and pregnancy – When girls are forced to marry young, they are often pulled out of school at a very critical age in their development. The transition from primary to secondary education is key for girls to gain the life skills they need to escape the cycle of poverty. Yet, this is often the same time that many girls leave school due to early marriages or pregnancy. Girls who become pregnant are often discouraged from attending school because of the stigma surrounding them.

Co-Education

Co-education is a system where both the genders (male and female) participate in a same learning centre or an educational institution. In this process, both the genders would benefit equally in learning or attaining knowledge from the institution and each other. This method of education even though is becoming common all over the world, there are still few parts of the country who feel sometimes segregation is for the betterment of the learning process. However, there are same amount of group who feels, segregation of the genders causes trouble to the learning process and makes it more complicated.

Advantage

Co-educational schools better reflect the diversity of our society;

They better prepare students to succeed in post-Secondary education and to eventually enter the workforce;

Students at independent co-educational schools feel comfortable about who they are and have a healthy and positive attitude and self-image;

Most students in co-educational schools indicate,"it is easy for students at my school to find a group that they fit in with";

Students in co-educational schools are more likely to feel safe in their school environment;

Research shows students in co-educational schools grow to be confident expressing their views in the presence of members of the opposite sex;

Collaboration between the sexes in the classroom helps develop confidence in students and they excel at university and beyond as leaders;

Girls at single-sex schools are no more likely than those at co-educational schools to participate in class discussion;

Girls' perceptions of their abilities in maths and science are nearly identical, whether they attend single-sex or co-educational schools;

Working together in the classroom and on homework assignments provides boys and girls the opportunity to learn from each other intellectually, as well as socially;

Teachers in co-educational schools recognise that some gender differences in learning do exist and are skilled in catering for diverse learning needs in the classroom;

In a co-educational learning environment, students are exposed to both male and female role models in staff and senior students;

For both girls and boys, co-education provides a more realistic way of training young people to take their places naturally in the wider community of men and women: it helps to break down the misconceptions of each sex about the other and provides an excellent foundation for the development of realistic, meaningful and lasting relationships in later life.

Disadvantages

· Chances of distractions could be more

· Unethical activities

· More involvement in personal feelings

· Unwanted arguments and issues can create unhealthy environment

· Reduces the options for schools or colleges for the genders

Gender issues in media

It is known that media have always had an enormous impact on the society. Media and communications are considered to be the key elements of modern life, while gender is “the core” of individuals’ identities .The media which contain many different images of men and women as well as many messages about men and women have a significant impact on the sense of identity. At the same time, the mass media influence the audiences. According to David Gauntlett, as we live in changing times, “what we learnt in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s about media and gender might not be so relevant today, because the media have changed, and people’s attitudes have changed”.

Advertising is one of the effective tools in media that affects the perceptions of gender roles. Today media can have negative effect on the perception of gender roles in the society because more and more people use media in stereotyping, while stereotyping can lead to prejudices and gender discrimination. This media “represents women as objects of sexual pleasure for the main character.

Many sources of information reveal the fundamental inequality in the frequency of appearance of men and women in mass media. For example, many TV programs portray more men than women, and more men are given the leading roles.

For example, in news media, there were 40% of women in 2001, but only 20% of women hold the positions of news directors. In newspaper industry, women made up no more than 40% of the reporters and only 30% hold the executive positions (Croteau & Hoynes 212). In addition, women are less represented in other forms of media. The research proved the fact that women are dramatically underrepresented in such job positions as film directors, executive producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors.

There are many issues around gender and the media – how women are portrayed in the mass media; how they are represented in films and television; how they are used in advertising; how they are perceived as an audience; how they use and relate to new media technologies; their presence in decision-making roles in the media industry.

We still find that women as subjects are marginal and misrepresented in media content; that gender stereotyping in TV, cinema and advertising is enduring; that media ownership is predominantly male; and that the proportion of women involved in top-level decision making in media organisations is extremely low. On the other hand, several studies indicate that an increased presence of women in decision-making roles in the media is likely to lead to more gender-sensitive media content and programming, presenting a more balanced picture of women’s and men’s lives and women’s contribution to society, which would have a positive impact on public policies, private attitudes and behaviour.

TV shows

On TV, marriage, parenthood, and domesticity have been shown as more important to women than men. From the mid-1940s to the 1960s, women (predominantly white, middle-class women) were portrayed mostly as housewives who had seemingly "perfect" lives: their houses were always impeccably clean, their children were always healthy, and they were always beautiful and organized. TV didn't portray the reality that by 1960 "40 per cent of women worked outside the home ... [and that] divorce rates spiked twice after World War II."According to a study from 1975 conducted by Jean McNeil, in 74 per cent of the cases studied women's interactions were "concerned with romance or family problems", whereas men's interactions were concerned with these matters in only 18 per cent of the cases. Furthermore, female characters often didn't have jobs, especially if they were wives and mothers, and were not the dominant characters or decision-makers. The boss is usually a man. Men are portrayed as more assertive or aggressive, adventurous, active, and victorious, whilst women are shown as passive, weak, ineffectual, victimized, supportive, and laughable.

Movies

From the 1950s to the 1980s, films in general "tended to give men all the primary clever and resourceful roles, which made them the lead character(s), whilst women usually got to be love interests and helpers."Even when women's roles were complex and remarkable, they were generally not the lead characters, did not make the central decisions, did not save their male counterparts, and were not the lead characters.Since the 1990s, however, male characters tended to be different from the masculine heroes of the 1980s action movies, and female roles have become tougher.

Sports media

Media representations of sports and athletes contribute to the construction of a dominant model of masculinity centered on strength and an ambivalent relationship to violence, encouraging boys and men to take risks and to be aggressive. Even if women's participation in professional, Olympic, intercollegiate, and interscholastic sports has increased, "media coverage of female athletes still lags behind that of men's" in quantity as well as quality. When talking or writing about female athletes, commentators and writers allude or refer to their "attractiveness, emotionality, femininity, and heterosexuality", while male athletes are depicted as "powerful, independent, dominating, and valued", which shows that the media tend to represent female athletes as women first and athletes second, while men are talked about solely in regards to their athleticism.

Unit IV

Gender issues and Curriculum

Gender-based education and curriculum ( primary, secondary and higher education)

It is important to deal with the concern that even though India has a clear policy on undifferentiated curricula for both sexes, biases and stereotypes creep through the learning materials as well as through those who handle them. One should spell out the concerns that are to be addressed by the teachers and administrators for eliminating sex biases in an endeavour to promote gender equality and positive self-concept through curriculum and life skills approach. It should be brought home to every one through curriculum that biological sex and social gender are separable concepts from a development point of view. A common curriculum for topics that directly affect students‟ life including gender, sexuality, human rights, and life skills education which uses participatory teaching approaches should be included from the primary school level itself. Such a curriculum which is region specific and cultural specific should empower both girls and boys with unique tools for making informed decisions across several areas of living such as career and vocational choices, marriage, health, nutrition safety and leadership

Some suggestions for gender-sensitive curriculum transactions may be given.

· effective pictures and illustrations should shown to the children that a woman is not merely a mother, but she can be a teacher, a doctor, a professor, an engineer, etc. It should be included in the textbook and reading materials.

· depicting men and women in shared roles.

· one can display the talent of women.

· one can counter, prejudicial references in textbooks, if noticed.

Boys and girls sit in the same classroom, read the same textbooks, listen to the same teachers, but they receive very different educations. There is no doubt that modern time dictates that we spend more time in school institutions possibly than any other place. In some instances learning institutions have replaced homes as first contacts of socialisation. Girls and boys today are receiving separate and unequal educations due to the gender socialisation that takes place in our schools and due to the sexist hidden curriculum students are faced with every day. Unless teachers and curriculum developers are made aware of the gender-role socialisation and the biased messages they are unintentionally imparting to students every day, and until teachers are provided with the methods and resources necessary to eliminate gender-bias in their classrooms, girls will continue to receive an inequitable education. Beyond teachers and their fortuitous gender biases in classroom, curriculum developers also need to be aware of the gender bias imbedded in many educational materials and texts and need to take steps to combat such biases.
When considering how teaching and the curriculum can be made gender- equitable, the following areas need attention.

· Curriculum Content: There is need to consider what girls from poor, and marginalized environments, are offered by their schooling, and to provide, for example, literacy learning in a way that enhances their confidence, so that they can begin to transform their lives.

· Learning Methods: Often, images in textbooks are simply ‘check-listed for their portrayal of gender images. Children do not necessarily have simplistic, preconditioned responses to images in textbooks, and need a more sophisticated understanding of and response to how children learn about gender textbooks.

· Methods of Evaluation and Assessment: Examinations tend to dominate assessment, but other methods should be used, such as continuous assessment. In addition, “girls could have more equal opportunities in school if teachers talk to them more and encourage them, for instance by giving them more prizes for participating in different classroom activities”. For teaching and the curricula to be gender equitable in schools, it is important to properly educate teachers on gender quality teaching through the courses and practical materials that are provided.

The curriculum, and ways of teaching and learning, can reproduce ideas and practices marked by gender inequality. Gender inequalities and wider social, political and economic inequalities, can influence the access that girls and boys have to different parts of the curriculum. Teachers’ awareness of, and approaches to gender issues in teaching and learning, are crucial if gender-equitable education is to be achieved. Curriculum content, the relationship between teachers and students, and teacher-education, require special attention and policy development if gender-equitable education is to be achieved. Government and other relevant stakeholders:

· Ensure that there are strong legal measures to outlaw sexual violence and harassment in schools, with clear procedures for dealing with abuse, winch are widely communicated.

· Ensure that training in gender equality is included in the teacher- education programme, both in preservice training and in-service school-based, college-based training or university-based training.

· Develop capacity and role of the inspectorate and gender units to support gender equality in the classroom at all levels of educational institution

Gender issues in textbooks

Textbooks are one of the most important tools used in educating students whether they are elementary school storybooks or university medical textbooks. It is therefore no surprise that these books are some of the most crucial information sources that a student has throughout their schooling. Many studies have been done examining the contents of these books to reveal the amount of sexism displayed in these educational tools. The results clearly show that gender inequality definitely runs rampant in textbooks some of the sexism subtle and some overt. To begin with, it is apparent that historical texts show a distorted view of women by portraying them unfairly and inaccurately and neglecting to mention important female figures, instead opting to describe their sometimes less influential male counterparts. Elementary and secondary school textbooks are also guilty of gender bias.

In elementary and secondary school textbooks, sexism takes many forms. Boys predominate in stories for children. When girls are present in texts, they are almost always younger than the boys they are interacting with, which thus makes them foils for the boys’ greater experience and knowledge– a situation commonly referred to as the ‘ninny sister syndrome.’ Girls are shown to be far more passive than are boys and to engage in fewer activities. In fact, sometimes grown women are portrayed who rely on small boy. Studies reveal that reduction in the intensity of gender bias in text book would be considered as a useful indicator of gender equity in society, and in order to attain that, textbooks should present positive role models for both men and women which present men and women participating in a variety of roles and activities, including women in leadership and other positive roles with which they are not traditionally identified. Textbooks should portray fair sharing of domestic work among family members regardless of sex. Textbooks should depict realistic portrayal of life where women and men share the same responsibilities. Non sexist text book should depict professional and technical equity among men and women. Along with this it is imperative that while preparing gender sensitive material for school text books, inputs from gender experts and those who have struggled to bring women’s voices and worldview into the academic mainstream to be included.

Gender in classroom practices

· males receive more teacher questions than females.

· Minimal wait time for females’ answers

· More frequent follow-up questions with males

· Uneven ratio of student/teacher interactions of responses male to female = 7:3

· Males are also more likely to call out or act out, demanding and receiving teacher attention.

· Segregated seating patterns reinforce unequal teacher attention. About half of America’s

classrooms are characterized by gender segregated classrooms

· Boys are more likely to be called up to the front of the room to do demonstrations (for

example a science demonstration)

· Boys are more likely to be disciplined than girls, even when the misbehavior is identical

· Girls are more likely to be praised for the appearance and neatness of their work

· Females often stereotyped into clerical role because of neat notes

· Teachers are more likely to offer boys specific feedback on their work – including praise,

criticism and remediation

· Boys are more likely to receive attributions to effort and ability, teacher comments giving

them confidence that success and competence is simply a matter of applying themselves

· Girls are often told, "It’s okay, as long as you try." For example, a teacher may take the

litmus paper from a female student and "does" it for her, but talks a male student

through the correct us of litmus paper

· School textbooks and supplemental resource materials tend to be filled with male

protagonists and stories

· More positive feedback and remediation to males

· Males are allowed to speak over females

Tips on Avoiding Gender Bias in the Classroom

Many classroom teachers are unaware of gender bias in the classroom. Some suggestions for avoiding gender bias in a classroom:

Use inclusive language. "You guys" may be a popular way of addressing groups, but it's an example of gender bias.

Make sure expectations are the same for all of your students. Both genders can succeed at math, science, language arts and reading.

Use examples that are gender balanced. If there are none in your textbooks, do some research to find some.

Avoid stereotyping jobs for students such as having girls clean up and boys carry things.

Screen books, posters and other instructional materials for gender balance.

Try to put girls and boys in non-traditional situations, such as the placement of girls first

in this sentence. Isn't it normally boys, then girls?

Make the classroom atmosphere one where both girls and boys are encouraged,

questioned and reinforced.

Actively integrate groups by not allowing self-segregation.

Never use gender to group students.

Model gender balance by what you say and do.

Apply classroom rules fairly for both boys and girls.

Allow wait time of 3-5 seconds before calling on or responding to students

Role of Teacher in gender sensitisation

Gender Sensitization is one basic requirement for the normal development of an individual. Without being sensitive to the needs of a particular gender, an individual may not be able to understand the opposite gender. The need of gender sensitization has always been felt in the past and in the present scenario it has become more important. In a diverse country like India which has witnessed acute gender discrimination in the past gender sensitization is a need. It is very important to sensitize the younger generation so that they are more aware and sensitive towards the issue. In performing the above said function i.e. promoting gender sensitization among the youth, teachers and higher educational institution like colleges and universities can play a major role. Educational institutions and the teachers’ active in these institutions can prove to be decisive factors in promoting gender sensitization. It is an attempt to explore the need of gender sensitization and the role teachers and educational institution can play to remove gender inequality. It will also ponder over the importance of gender sensitization and self realization among the common folk.

Gender issues are prevailing in society in all areas of life. To minimize these gender

issues we need to start changing the mind-set of the younger generation of society as they are those who can bring about further change in society, with their innovative ideas, thoughts and practices. To do this we need good educated teachers who have a sound knowledge regarding gender issues. It has been observed that teachers reinforce gender roles also in the different expectations that they have for boys and girls in their classes. “Teachers play a very important part in the early upbringing of the child and their ideas and beliefs can change the thought patterns of young students. A teacher must therefore constantly be aware of the fact that his or her actions/attitude /behaviour/perspective/approach/manner outlook/ mind-set will help to shape a child’s gender role. He / she may use multiple strategies and interventions to ensure that students have equal opportunities to both create and obtain their goals. Studies have shown gender differences to have a direct relationship to preferential treatment, classroom dynamics and academic success. Teachers are required to be serious about the gender issue. For the teachers to bring about a change in the society they should be given pre hand knowledge over the issue. Teachers need not only gender sensitive curricula and textbooks but also gender equality education. Teachers can serve as role models for the students. Here are some role of teachers to combat gender bias

· Be fair in the classroom.

· Educators are encouraged to look carefully at displays in the classroom and examine them for bias.

· Splitting up boys and girls for activities and games is discouraged. In class discussion, teachers can prompt students in other ways than calling them by name, such as by pulling student names from a jar.

· Examine your curriculum and materials for examples of successful men and women; supplement if necessary.

· Awareness of pronouns is vital; when discussing occupations or presenting storylines or math problems to students, educators should make a conscious effort to use “he” and “she” equally.

· Select books carefully. Consider that what your children read can perpetuate bias, and encourage them to read books that include stereotype-busting storylines or include alternative lifestyle choices.

· Accept that cultural differences may impact children’s views on gender. Tactfully approach these situations by enforcing the idea that while differing cultural backgrounds must always be respected, discrimination is not acceptable at school.

· Encourage non-traditional choices. Girls must be allowed to take shop classes if they desire and boys should be encouraged to take home economics. As your children grow, offer them opportunities to explore all occupations equally, and resist the idea that a child’s gender may impact an ability to work in an area of interest.

· Expectations for boys and girls academic achievement should be equal. Girls may be unintentionally taught learned helplessness when difficult academics are downplayed or, worse, done by parents for them. Use detailed and precise language when providing feedback to girls.

· Research has shown that girls often think about the answer to a question for a few moments, while boys tend to answer immediately. Wait a few seconds after asking a question to give girls an equal chance to respond.

· Create a learning environment that includes both cooperative and competitive activities; research has shown that boys learn best competitively and girls learn best in cooperative study groups.

· Avoid traditional gender roles when assigning students chores. Teachers should encourage girls and boys to operate technology in the classroom, and parents can assign household chores equitably.

Provision of UNESCO in gender equality

Gender equality is a global priority for UNESCO and promote the right to education and support the achievement of the Education for All (EFA) and broader development goals.
Gender inequality in education takes many forms depending on the context. Though gender inequality affects girls and boys, women and men alike, girls and women are still more often disadvantaged. Gender-based discrimination in education is both a cause and a consequence of broader forms of gender inequality in society.
To break the cycle, UNESCO is committed to promote gender equality in and through education systems. The Organization also encourages mainstreaming gender equality issues in education at all levels (from early childhood to higher education), in all settings (from formal, non-formal and informal), and in all intervention areas (from planning infrastructure to training teachers).

In particular, UNESCO

· Promotes gender equality in national education laws, policies and plans

· Monitors progress and achievements, through the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated education data and the monitoring of normative instruments related to gender equality

· Helps countries develop their educational planning capacities, as well as train teachers, on gender-sensitive approaches

· Advocates for girls’ and women’s education though innovative partnerships such as the Global Partnership for Girls and Women’s Education, “Better Life, Better Future ”

· Seeks to expand girls’ and women’s access to learning opportunities, in both formal and non-formal education,through innovative approaches using Information, Communication and Technology (ICT)

· Supports the development of gender-sensitive curricula and textbooks free from discrimination

· Helps countries address gender-based violence in educational settings as obstacles to learning

· Collaborates with EFA partners for policy advocacy at global, regional and national levels in support of girls' and women’s education and gender equality, and in policy research to increase understanding on the various barriers to advancing gender equality and to expand and strengthen our expertise and knowledge base

Provision of UNICEF in gender equality

· UNICEF work to make that world a reality. It is committed to ensuring that all children – regardless of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background or circumstances – realize their right to a quality education. To that end, UNICEF supports innovative programmes and initiatives that focus on the world’s most excluded and vulnerable children, including girls, the disabled, ethnic minorities, the rural and urban poor, victims of conflict and natural disasters and children affected by HIV and AIDS.

· UNICEF helps governments, communities and parents gain the capacities and skills they need to fulfill their responsibility for children. These responsibility include ensuring the right of all children to free, compulsory quality education, in unstable situations. We focus on gender equality and work towards eliminating disparities of all kinds.

· UNICEF is committed to taking action where it is needed most, and our priorities reflect this core value. They include:

Early Childhood Development (ECD) and school readiness UNICEF supports countries to develop the capacities to improve children’s developmental readiness to start primary school on time, especially for marginalized children, and to complete a quality basic education. To that end, UNICEF promotes awareness raising and education for parents, community-based programmes for ECD, formal preschool programmes that use national standards for school readiness, and an innovative approach that enables older children already in school to provide support to younger children to help them develop necessary competencies and be ready to start school.

Equal access to education and universal primary school education: To reduce the number of children who are out of school around the world, UNICEF tailors programmes to respond to the needs of specific countries. One such programme is the School Fee Abolition Initiative, which enables countries that have taken pioneering steps to eliminate fees and other costs to share their experiences and best practices with countries considering a similar move. The initiative also provides practical and financial support to these countries and targeted fee exemptions, subsidies and incentives for the poor

· While UNICEF continues to recognize gender as a critical dimension as it relates to access, participation and completion of quality education, there is also a focus on other areas of disparity within populations. Disadvantaged and marginalized children usually suffer from a range of socio-cultural and economic inequities that must be addressed in education, as in all other developmental areas. UNICEF’s education programming targets not only girls but also rural and urban poor, ethnic minorities and indigenous populations. UNICEF works to identify the bottlenecks that inhibit school participation and to understand the complex profiles of out-of-school children that reflect the multiple deprivations and disparities they face in relation to education.

Enhancing quality in primary and secondary education: UNICEF focuses on innovative ways to improve the quality of learning opportunities for all students. This not only ensures that more children enter school, but it also helps students stay there. The child-friendly schools model is at the centre of this area of focus, including an emphasis on safe, healthy, inclusive and gender-sensitive school environments, relevant curricula and child-centered teaching and learning practices. Addressing quality also means continuing to cultivate critical thinking and develop skills to adapt to changing environmental conditions and their impact on education.

· UNICEF promotes the child-friendly schooling model as a packaged, human rights-based, child-centered approach addressing all aspects of quality education. The model can be adapted to diverse needs and contexts across the world. Child-friendly schooling helps countries promote quality in education and sets standards for improvement in everything from school infrastructure to learning outcomes.

Education in emergencies and post-crisis transitions: All children have the right to an education, even in emergencies and post-crisis situations. In fact, schools take on an added significance in those contexts – whether they are natural or man-made disasters. Schools offer protection and help to restore a sense of normalcy for children, enabling them to overcome the emotional trauma they have suffered. In an emergency and its aftermath, UNICEF is committed to getting all children back to school or into school for the first time. Paradoxically, emergencies provide a window of opportunity for marginalized children to participate in education.

· Increasingly, UNICEF also supports initiatives to predict and prevent natural disasters and civil conflicts – and to be better prepared should they occur. In addition, UNICEF’s emerging work on peace building through education promotes the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to bring about behaviour change that will enable children, youth and adults to prevent conflict and violence, to resolve conflict peacefully and to create conditions conducive to peace

Self Instructional Material for I st & II nd Year Students