Gender Studies Week Five

1) It is a thought that many people hold that there should be no gender bias in education and equality should be promoted. This notion is correct, but in what ways can equality be promoted in educational institutions?

Gender equality is a phenomenon that should exist at all levels in the society, and it should always be promoted. At the educational level, I think that in schools and other institutes equal opportunities should be available for both boys and girls and they should be treated equally, on the basis of their skills, abilities and talents. It is seen that many people hold the notion that boys are more suitable for courses like science and engineering, whereas girls for arts and humanities. This should not take place and equal opportunities should be made available for both boys and girls, with a free will to opt for the course that they want. Together with this, gender stereotyping should be avoided and efforts should be made to promote equality. This should not take place at the educational level only, but at all levels and so males and females with equal qualifications should also get the same employment opportunities.

2) This reading is about the boys and girls in kindergarten and gives a description of their behaviour. It also talks about the changes in the teacher’s attitude with the attitudes of the children. The question that comes to mind is how the kindergarten environment shapes the attitudes of the boys and the girls when they grow up?

I think that the kindergarten is a very important phase in a child’s life, be it boys or girls. I think that this is the first level of child’s life after primary socialization that helps to build his/her character when he/she grows up. This is why I think that at this level the training of the child should be in such a way that gender biasness should be avoided and there should be equality between the sexes. I think that it is at this level that the child can be made to understand that boys and girls are equal, by formulating an environment for them that can help them understand exactly that gender biased should not exist. This could perhaps be done in a way that both the boys and girls should be allowed to play with each other and take part in each other’s activities and there should not be separation or inequality between them based on their sexes.

3) This reading mainly talks about socialization in school. What role do other institutions like media, religion play in creating gender biasness and gender stereotypes and what is their influence?

I think that apart from the school and educational institutions, other institutions like media also play a role in promoting gender stereotypes. It is commonly seen how the images of men being masculine and strong are portrayed in the media and how women are seen as being dependent on men. This is also put into the minds of the children from the beginning, where books show a prince (strong) rescuing a princess (weak). This is then further shown in movies and television programmes also. This is why I think that the media also plays a crucial role on promoting gender biasness.