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Busting the myth of gender bias: views from men and women primary-school trainees and teachers.

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Busting the myth of gender bias: views from men and women primary-school trainees and teachers.

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This article argues that having a balanced gender workforce in primary schools is a positive move to showcase equity and justice. They also suggest that both men and women professionals need to

work more collaboratively to share their knowledge, understanding and skills so they can impact education of pupils.

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Mistry & Sood 2016 Busting the myth of gender bias views from men and women primary school trainees and teachers

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Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children’s interests.

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Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children’s interests.

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This article highlights that stereotypes of 'brilliance' are can influence the interests of, children as young as 6. Which only increases the need for gender equality to be embedded within the school curriculum.

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Bian, Leslie & Cimpian 2017 Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children’s interests

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Gender Perceptions of the Primary School 4th Graders Regarding" Children's Rights". 

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Gender Perceptions of the Primary School 4th Graders Regarding" Children's Rights". 

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This article highlights how steps should be taken to increase the awareness of families and society in general about gender equality.

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Aksoy & Sural (2019)  Gender Perceptions of the Primary School 4th Graders Regarding

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The heroes and the helpless: The development of benevolent sexism in children.

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The heroes and the helpless: The development of benevolent sexism in children.

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This article makes an important point by stating that if children learn that both girls and boys can be bold and that both boys and girls can be wonderful, steps toward greater gender equality can be taken.

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Gutierrez et al 2019 The heroes and the helpless

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A year to clean five schools of sexism – shouldn’t others do the same?

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A year to clean five schools of sexism – shouldn’t others do the same?

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Experiment gets teachers and primary pupils to look at life through ‘gender equality lens’

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A class of 10-year-olds are sitting on the carpet looking at their teacher with open mouths. Their faces say: outrage.

Their teacher, Rosemary O'Brien, has put up a statement on the board - a real one, by the Football Association in 1921. Football is "quite unsuitable for females", it says. Across the classroom, pupils are voicing their disagreement.

"That's completely untrue," says one boy assertively. A girl speaks up too: "Women should be allowed to play. Like men, they should have football clubs and be famous and do whatever they want," she says.

An experiment in this school over the past year has conspicuously transformed the way pupils and teachers think about males and females and their roles, as documented in a report to be published this week.

Children here at Torriano primary, and four other schools in Camden, north London, now have the confidence to speak out about gender inequality, the report - due for publication tomorrow - says. Friendships between boys and girls have improved, based on a sense that they have a lot in common. There has also been a clear reduction of stereotypical attitudes.

It is not only among pupils but staff, too. One teacher, Jack Holmes, noticed he was talking to girls in a softer tone than to boys. "I realised I didn't need to do that." He started to "hear" when girls were addressed as "my love" or "darling" by staff. "It now stands out to me. I don't think we do that any more." He says the programme has made him and other male staff more aware of how they came across to female colleagues. "You question your own stereotyping, your own role."

So what have teachers done to change? For the past year, these five schools have been participating in the pilot of a programme created and run by a non-profit organisation, Lifting Limits, which encouraged school staff to analyse every little thing they did in the classroom through a "gender equality" lens.

Girls being astronauts - but at the start of the year two-thirds of the pupils who wanted to work in science-related jobs were boys. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

An initial audit found many worrying signs. Some teachers were unconsciously conveying sexist messages by telling pupils: "man up", or saying: "hi guys", or "you look smart today, did your mummy get you dressed?" or "I need a big strong boy to help me move this".

Children showed similar sexism in their language ("you throw like a girl!") and wrote stories about dinosaurs that were nearly all male.

There were displays in school about "mankind" and exhibits of work exclusively celebrating famous men, as well as lessons about inventors, artists and explorers that were very male-dominated. Some of the books used to teach children to read were full of old-fashioned sexist stereotypes such as "the fireman put up the ladder for dad". In one library, astonishingly, a book about war was labelled "for boys".

At the start of the process, approximately two-thirds of the pupils who wanted to work in science-related jobs were boys, while at least 75% of those who wanted to work in nurturing roles - as a vet or a teacher - were girls. By the end of the year, equal numbers of male and female pupils wanted to be scientists. Substantially more girls felt they could be police officers and footballers, and the proportion of boys who said they could be teachers increased from 24% to 42%.

Early years pupils were about twice as likely to say a nurse, cleaner, builder and doctor are "for everyone". Nearly twice as many children in years 1 and 2 said dolls were "for everyone". When asked at the end of the pilot what was difficult about being female, 21% of children referred to aspects of gender inequality, compared with just 8% at the beginning.

To make it all happen, a senior teacher was appointed in each school as a "gender champion" to oversee the programme. As well as discussion cards and resources for assemblies and parent workshops, lesson plans were provided: in maths, children were asked to compare data about the number of female MPs, while in geography, they discussed who could be an explorer and why.

O'Brien says it has changed the way she teaches: "When we look at our curriculum, we now think: what female examples could we give?" New books were bought that subvert sexist stereotypes and the traditional male and female roles in fairy tales have been challenged in class discussions.

Cooking is for both boys and girls. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

Torriano's headteacher, Helen Bruckdorfer, says the pilot made her reflect on her own attitudes. "I'm thinking about putting in place a gender-blind recruitment practice," she says. "I'm also considering ways I can support staff to work flexibly."

The programme is being rolled out to 13 more schools this academic year and Caren Gestetner, the founder of Lifting Limits, hopes one day to offer it to every school in the country. They can get in touch via the website, liftinglimits.org.uk."We're particularly keen to work with networks of schools, local authorities and multi-academy trusts," she says. The only thing holding her back is funding. "We've got a bit of money from the National Lottery funding scheme. But to be sustainable, we need more."

Back at Torriano, Tina, who is 11 and wears a hijab, is talking about how much she loves playing football. "I really want to be prime minister one day, so I can speak about how we can all be equal."

Her friend Parsa, 11, is growing his hair long for charity. "Outside of school, people have made unkind remarks. But I brush it off because of what I've learned at school. Although I might look like a girl to them, I know there's no reason why I shouldn't have long hair." He wants to be an astrophysicist.

John, aged 10, wears make-up sometimes and wants to become a dancer. Over the past year, he has gained confidence to be himself, he says. "Gender shouldn't affect your life in any way. There shouldn't be any boundaries for women or men. We should be able to do what we want, as equals."

The transformation has been astonishing. "To hear children going: 'that's not fair' is fantastic," says O'Brien. Often, her young pupils cannot see why people of different sexes are treated differently. "It gives you hope."

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A year to clean five schools of sexism - shouldn't others do the same?

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A class of 10-year-olds are sitting on the carpet looking at their teacher with open mouths. Their faces say: outrage. Their teacher, Rosemary O'Brien, has put up a statement on the board - a real one, by the Football Association in 1921. Football is "quite unsuitable for females", it says.

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This Pilot programme implemented in schools that i found when researching my OP-Ed really shaped my view on sexism in schools and how crucial it is to tackle it now.

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Gendered inequalities - in childhood and beyond

Gender stereotypes can limit children's choices from an early age, as seen in the careers children hope for, the school subjects they identify with and the ways in which they behave towards one another in and out of school. Gender stereotypes steer girls and boys in different directions which are reflected in later life in career choices, pay, mental health and violent behaviours.

Aspirations, choices and careers

Children's attitudes towards jobs are influenced by what they see around them. In young children, gender stereotyping still influences girls towards career ideas centred around nurture, and boys towards transport and sport. Of course, ideas expressed aged 4 or so may not reflect where individual children will end up, but they create a gendered picture which is carried through into the overall composition of the workforce.

The tendency for boys to be attracted to technical and physical occupations, and girls to be attracted to caring and creative jobs, remains evident. These preferences (and later, choices) reflect the different life experiences according to gender to which children are still subject... many people are still having their ambition and potential capped by horizons that are narrowed by gender.
Professor Becky Francis, Director UCL Institute of Education, Drawing the Future

Aspirations and attitudes:

We start to see the influence of gendered stereotypes from a very young age, reflected in children's emerging aspirations and sense of 'self'.

Girls as young as six believe that brilliance is a male trait.

The gender divide is as strong at age 4 as it is at 14 when it comes to children's career choices.

'Masculine', 'brainy' and 'not nurturing' - and therefore at odds with conventional femininity
How Year 6 girls (aged 10-11) viewed science, as found by the ASPIRES study carried out by King's College London over 5 years

Achievement

The effect of stereotypes can also be seen in differing academic achievement in certain subjects, particularly writing and English in which, at a national level, girls consistently outperform boys . Ofsted have identified a 'non-macho' school culture as a key factor in schools achieving good standards in boys' writing. ( Yes he can: schools where boys write well, Ofsted 2003)

10 percentage point gap between girls outperforming boys in Y6 SATS exams in 2019

Girls outperformed boys by 15% at pass level in English Lit GSCE

'The 'gender gap in achievement' can be removed by challenging notions of gender itself'
Gender issues in schools, DCSF, 2009

Subject choices:

The gendered influences to which children are exposed can be seen reflected in stark differences in the subject choices they make towards the end of secondary school.

Careers:

These different interests and choices which have been fostered from birth, feed gender imbalances in workforces and institutions in many areas - imbalances which in turn continue to influence children's ideas of male and female roles.

Throughout the last decade, no more than 5% of those starting advanced apprenticeships were girls in any one year

Expectations, behaviours and social outcomes

The expectations set up by gender stereotypes are factors in a number of limiting and damaging social outcomes such as behaviour in and beyond school, mental health and sexual harassment.

Children are constantly sent messages from those around them, including slogans on T-shirts and every day expressions. Some are seemingly 'harmless banter', some are more obviously offensive, but they all have a cumulative impact that shape expectations and behaviours.

That's not very ladylike

Mental health:

Gender norms often inhibit boys and men from expressing their emotions other than through anger. Work to prevent and deal with the consequences of domestic violence and male suicide often struggles against the effects of gender norms which have been learnt young. A phrase increasingly used to refer to narrow ideas of male roles base on aggression, violence, suppression of emotions and objectification of women is 'toxic masculinity' - recognising the toxic effects these narrow ideas or stereotypes have on men and women.

'traditional gender stereotypes are still common and can be harmful to children's well-being.'
'Children whose friendship groups emphasise traditional gender stereotypes - such as boys being tough and girls dressing in a certain way - had lower subjective well-being.'
The Good Childhood Report, The Children's Society 2018)

Exclusion:

Sexual harassment and sexual violence

Whilst the MeToo movement has shone a light on the scale of sexual harassment in society, sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools remains a significant yet less visible issue which affects a large number of children and young people, particularly girls. Even in schools, sexual harassment is normalised, accepted by young people as part of daily life and accepted by teachers as 'just banter'.

There's no rules for like skirt lifting or anything. There's rules for swearing at each other but not for like touching or skirt lifting.
Female student, quoted in It's Just Everywhere: A study on sexism in schools - and how we tackle it

of primary school teachers witness gender stereotyping on at least a weekly basis

of secondary school teachers hear sexist language on at least a weekly basis

female students at mixed sex schools who have personally experienced some form of sexual harassment at school

primary school teachers have witnessed sexual harassment in school

Source: It's just everywhere report

women will suffer domestic violence in their lifetime

For all the papers and resources that are mentioned frequently throughout this website, please see our Sources and links page.

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Gendered inequalities - in childhood and beyond Gender stereotypes can limit children's choices from an early age, as seen in the careers children hope for, the school subjects they identify with and the ways in which they behave towards one another in and out of school.

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"It's just everywhere" is a study on sexism in schools and how we tackle it. This website is a great resource offering ideas on how to take urgent action to tackle sexism in schools.

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The results of UK Feminista and NEU's groundbreaking study are clear: schools, education bodies and Government must take urgent action to tackle sexism in schools. "It's just everywhere" is a study on sexism in schools and how we tackle it.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is highly prevalent in schools. It is also gendered, overwhelmingly involving boys targeting girls.

Sexist language

The use of misogynist language is commonplace in schools.

66% of female students and 37% of male students in mixed-sex sixth forms have experienced or witnessed the use of sexist language in school.

64% of teachers in mixed-sex secondary schools hear sexist language in school on at least a weekly basis. Over a quarter of teachers (29%) report that sexist language is a daily occurrence.

Sexist stereotypes and behaviour

Gender stereotyping is a typical feature of school culture, often reinforced through mundane, 'everyday' actions.

Reporting and responding to sexism

Sexism and sexual harassment in schools has been normalised and is rarely reported.

Action to tackle sexism

Schools are currently ill-prepared and illequipped to tackle sexism.

Less than a quarter (22%) of female students at mixed-sex schools think their school takes sexism seriously enough.

78% of secondary school students are unsure or not aware of the existence of any policies and practices in their school related to preventing sexism.

Over half (64%) of secondary school teachers are unsure or not aware of the existence of any policies and practices in their school related to preventing sexism.

Just one in five (20%) secondary school teachers has received training in recognising and tackling sexism as part of their Initial Teacher Education.

Only 22% of secondary school teachers have received Continuing Professional Development training in recognising and tackling sexism.

Barriers to tackling sexism identified by teachers include an overly heavy focus on academic subjects (identified by 69% of teachers), teacher workload being too high (identified by 68% of teachers), and the failure of school leadership to prioritise tackling sexism (identified by 62% of teachers).

Resources and order form

The National Education Union understands the pressures that schools face daily which is why it is leading a campaign to tackle sexism in schools through a whole school approach and collective action.

You can get involved by ordering any of the sexism resources below for your school. Order sexism resources now.

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It's just everywhere - sexism in schools

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The results of UK Feminista and NEU's groundbreaking study are clear: schools, education bodies and Government must take urgent action to tackle sexism in schools. "It's just everywhere" is a study on sexism in schools and how we tackle it.

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Case of sexist descending attitudes towards a woman leader in a school and its effects on practices. 

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Case of sexist descending attitudes towards a woman leader in a school and its effects on practices. 

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This article investigates the negative perceptions towards female principals as well as the practices in their schools.

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Setlhodi 2018 Case of sexist descending attitudes towards a woman leader in a school and its effects on practices

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In response to the perceived ‘feminisation’ of primary schools many countries have implemented policies designed to encourage more men to take up teaching positions in primary schools. Through exploring the topic of Feminisation I have found two very different views on the matter. However, my view is still that all a child needs is a professional role model that is willing to take on the responsibility of transferring knowlegde.

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An avenue for challenging sexism: Examining the high school sociology classroom

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An avenue for challenging sexism: Examining the high school sociology classroom

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This article suggests that learning about gender and conducting courses from a feminist lens might help to bring awareness about gender inequity and, in some cases, reduce sexism in the classroom.

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Stevens & Martell 2016 An avenue for challenging sexism 

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Laura Bates, talks about her inspiring initiative EverydaySexismProject.

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Everyday sexism: Laura Bates at TEDxCoventGardenWomen

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Equity and Gender-Based Education: Elizabeth Wolfson at TEDxMileHighWomen

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Equity and Gender-Based Education: Elizabeth Wolfson at TEDxMileHighWomen

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Elizabeth Wolfson is a proponent of gender-based education and founded the first all-girls school in Denver that is based on an active, movement-oriented pedagogy.

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Equity and Gender-Based Education: Elizabeth Wolfson at TEDxMileHighWomen

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MALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN EXTINCTION.

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MALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN EXTINCTION.

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This article raises the issue of a lack of males teachers and why is it so important to have male primary school teachers as role modules in children's lives.

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There is a huge discussion and much research is being done about gender discrimination and stereotyping. One misunderstanding is that only women have been impacted by gender stereotypes and discrimination. However, it should be given attention to the fact that men have also been impacted in some occasions. This is particularly profound in careers related to education (e.g., teachers) and health services. In this article I will express my concerns about education field, as I, myself, am a primary school teacher and experience this inequality in my career.

I remember myself discussing with my parents about their childhood. Surprisingly, they remember most of their elementary school years, and of course their teachers. Among other things, what captured my attention was that most of their teachers were males; and as they described to me, this was common in Greece. Indeed, the educational reality of 20 th century differs substantially from the one of 21 st century. It is that when some years ago teaching used to be a masculine profession, it has steadily become a feminine one. To my knowledge, the reasons why this has happened in Greece and other countries worldwide and almost simultaneously are not very well known. Plus, this has not been discussed, at least to the degree it should have been, during my academic years and by the media in Greece.

A report published by Eurostat in 2016, reveals that male primary teachers are soundly underrepresented in schools in EU countries, as women were accounting averagely for 85% in 2014. It should be also mentioned that there is not an equal distribution of the ages of the teachers in our schools. In average, only 11% of the primary school teachers are aged below 30 in the EU, while at the same time 32% are aged above 50.

A closer look will reveal the actual gender discrepancies within the countries. For example, the countries where women are most over-represented in primary education are Lithuania, Hungary, and Slovenia (with 97% of the primary teachers being females). On the other hand, the countries with a lesser gender gap in primary education teaching staff are Denmark (where female primary school teachers represent the 69% of the teaching workforce), Greece (females are the 70% of the teaching workforce), and Luxembourg (females are the 75% of the teaching workforce). In other words, the best situation in the EU at the moment is that male primary school teachers represent the 31% of the teaching staff in a country. But is that truly acceptable?

A similar situation is described in countries beyond the EU as well. For example, Patrick (2009) highlights that male elementary school teaches represent a minority in USA. In more details, in 1996 male teachers accounted for less than 15% and in 2004 they were less than 9% (National Education Association, 2004; Snyder & Hoffman, & Geddes, 1996). Also, an article published by the daily telegraph in Australia (Roberts, 2017) reports that there are predictions that male teaches will be extinct from primary schools in 50 years. The article also mentions that in 1977 male teachers represented 28.5% of primary school teachers; since 2017 this percentage has dropped to 18% (see also Theobald, 1996).

Most publications, describe the situation as a "feminisation" of schools since the beginning of 21 st century (e.g., Deliyanni-Kouimtzi, 2008). A report by the EU mentions that in all EU member states there is a tendency for men to follow specific careers such as engineering and technology, in opposition to women who tend to follow careers such as teaching and care work (EU, 2018). Similarly, the EU report states that the chances of finding a job are much higher when individuals pursue careers that match the gender stereotypes. For example, it is easier for a woman to find a job in teaching, than it is for a man. Similarly, it is easier for a man to find a job in engineering than a woman.

A study that has been conducted by Cushman (2005), revealed that four specific factors inhibit men from following a teaching career. They are: (a) experiences and attitudes related to status, (b) salary, (c) working in a predominantly female environment, and (d) the physical contact with children. All these factors, not only they influence a man's decision to follow a career in education, but they also affect a man's job satisfaction and performance when opting for a teaching career.

All things considered, why is it so important to have male primary school teachers after all?

1. Students need positive role models and male teachers are need especially for children whose fathers are absent in the family

2. The school needs to reflect society as a gender balanced one

3. To make clear to elementary students that learning is an acceptable masculine accomplishment

4. To demonstrate to elementary students that teaching is also a masculine career and that men can work together with women as equals (Cushman, 2006)

References

Cushman, P. (2005). Let's hear it from the males: Issues facing male primary school teachers. Teaching and teacher education, 21(3), 227-240.
Cushman, P. (2006). It's just not a real bloke's job: Male teachers in the primary school. Asia‐Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 33(3), 321-338.
Deliyanni-Kouimtzi (2008). Educators and Gender. Athens: Research Centre for Gender Equality.
European Union (2018). 2018 Report on equality between women and men in the EU.
Eurostat (2016). Women teachers largely over-represented in primary education in the EU.
Louise Roberts (2017). The daily telegraphs: Anti-men critics are driving male teachers to extinction.
Snyder, T., Hoffman, C. M., & Geddes, C. M. (1996). National center for educational statistics: Digest of educational statistics. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Office of Educational and Improvement.
Theobald (1996). Knowing women: Origins of Women's Education in Nineteenth-Century Australia. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

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The gender gap and the feminisation of elementary schools - EuroScientist

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There is a huge discussion and much research is being done about gender discrimination and stereotyping. One misunderstanding is that only women have been impacted by gender stereotypes and discrimination. However, it should be given attention to the fact that men have also been impacted in some occasions.

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Feminisation of Teaching: Female Teachers at Primary and Lower Secondary Schools. 

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Feminisation of Teaching: Female Teachers at Primary and Lower Secondary Schools. 

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This article states that one must remember that the teaching profession was one of the first in which women were allowed to practice and from today’s perspective is understood as a feminized profession but it was not always that way. Over time, and with gender misconceptions out the way I believe it will

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Schmude & Jackisch 2019 Feminization Of Teaching Female Teachers 

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I found this video particularly moving and thought what an impact it would have on my class if i were to show it to them. This video further solidified my belief that awareness is key when tackling sexism.

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The debate surrounding women, the teaching profession and feminisation is wide ranging. Issues have ranged from the reasons why the teaching profession became
gender-imbalanced in favour of women in certain countries in the first place, to what
the impact of this might have on learning processes and educational outcomes.