Republic of the Philippines

COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION

SAMAR COLLEGES
Catbalogan City, Samar

Gender & Education

MS. CHERYLOU D. BACALAN

Instructor | COED GE11 Gender & Society
 Gender & Education
Gender inequality hurts all members of society, not just girl
and women. – World Bank
 1
General Concepts
About Gender
GO…
1.1 GENDER IS LEARNED
Gender is an acquired behavior and not something genetically
transmitted. It is primarily learned through the process of socialization or
created through social interaction.
Gender is a product of numerous interplaying factors that provide gender
role socialization.

1.2GENDER IS COLLABORATIVE
1.3 GENDER IS NOT SOMETHING THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE,
BUT SOMETHING THEY DO.
“Doing Gender” implies that gender is a product of social interaction or
socialization.
What makes gender a big concern and issue in any society is the
existence of inequality between males and females.
 Theories on Gender Development
How individual develop gender identity can be explained by four theories:

Cultural Transmission
Freudian Theory Theory

Cognitive Development Self-Construal Theory

Theory
 Cultural Transmission Theory
• This is also known as the Social Learning Theory. It contends that
the acquisition of gender identity and behaviors is shaped by parents,
teachers, and other adults by reinforcing responses that are deemed
appropriate to the Child’s gender role and discouraging inappropriate
one.
 Cognitive Development Theory
• This theory asserts that children actively seek to acquire gender
identities and role. The child is not a passive actor of his own life but
an active participant in choosing in choosing and defining his own
gender, as well as his own development.
 Self-Construal Theory
• The theory asserts that gender difference is based primarily on
relationships and group membership. This is with the view of
maintaining harmonious relationship with others is extremely
important.
 Sources of Gender Stereotyping
in Society
Gender role socialization is the process of directing or influencing
individuals to think and behave according to the norms of society.
 Family
The family as the initial social world of the child is the first place where
children absorb gender biases, fears and prejudices. Thus, family is
where the seed of gender stereotyping, sexism, discrimination and
racism is planted.
 Mass Media
In media, men play more interesting characters than women. The images of women
are oftentimes confined to being supporters, mistress of those that cause the
downfall of the hero.
Mass Media is a very powerful gender role socializer that conveys women as a
commodity and object of men’s manipulation.
 School
• The school reinforces and continues the stereotyping of roles that is
started at home. The existence of single sex school (exclusive school for
boys or for girls). This carries the traditional image of masculinity as
reinforced by an authoritarian ethos and patriarchal values.
• The gender composition of faculty and staff in school is also a socializing
mechanism. Young minds unconsciously learn that the teaching career is
form women as they see majority of their teachers are female.
 Workplace
The growing imbalance between males and females in different
occupations causes feminization or masculinization of the workplace.
 Peer Group
Peer groups greatly influence adolescent life. As a matter of fact, teenage
boys and girls often learn the gender rules of society through their
respective peer groups.
 Religion
• The vicious cycle of violence and oppression against women has its religious roots.
The biblical concept of creation is already giving a hint of women’s inferiority. This
coupled with moral guilt as the Bible teaches that a woman caused the original sin,
who was tempted by the devil to disobey God’s Command.
• Religion is a long time perpetuator of gender inequality.
Gender Equality &
Inequality
Gender Equality

• In the context of education, gender equality means equality of entitlements,

opportunities, and outcomes in education for both men and women.
CEDAW
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW) is often describe as the International Bill of Rights
for women.
• It determines the different forms of discrimination against women or
the exclusion, as well as restrictions made on the female sex.
• With CEDAW, it is hoped that women all over the world will
experience more freedom, participation, and empowerment in the
political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other fields which are
dominated by men.
 Gender Stratification
Gender Stratification is the process of separating men and women based
on what they enjoy, acquire, or exercise.
 Gender Stereotyping
 Stereotype is an opinion based on one’s appearance or membership to a
particular group.
 Gender Stereotyping is the prejudices, biases, and labels attached to males and
females. Gender stereotyping can stifle an individuals growth, especially when
these labels become too rigid.
 Sexism or Sex Bias
• The belief in the biological grounding of social and behavioral differences between
men and women. Many believed that gender stereotyping starts from the concept of
Sexism.
• Sexism is anchored on the view that the male sex is superior to the female sex.
• One form of sexism is linguistic sexism.
 GENDERED
EXPERIENCES IN
SCHOOL
GENDERED EXPERIENCES IN SCHOOL
1. School Curricula teach that some things are for girl and others are
for boys.
2. Gendered language and assumptions are used by teachers inside the
classroom.
3. Boys study woodwork, metalwork, and technical drawing while girls
study culinary, sewing and other domestic-oriented subjects.
4. Teachers relate differently towards boys and girls.
5. Education textbooks use sexist language such as chairman,
forefathers, and mankind.
Theoretical Views on
Gender and Education
Interactionist Perspective
• Interactionist view gender as a condition to which individuals attach
socially devised meanings. The development of meanings and
construction of self is made possible through the kind of socialization
given to the students.
Functional Perspective
• Functionalists believe that it is functional and beneficial for society,
for families, and for individuals if males and females play specialized
roles in society.
• The contend that an ideal family is created if men specialize in
instrumental tasks, roles associated with having a job and making
money, and women in expressive tasks, roles supporting their
husbands, doing household labor and caring for children.
Conflict Perspective
• Conflict theorists opine that educational system is not meritocratic as
is uses gender lense in socializing male and female students. For them,
differential school socialization between male and female students by
the teachers and school administrators cause inequality. Rather than
addressing gender inequality, the school reinforces the gender
stereotyping practiced at home, mass media, and workplace.
Critical Perspective
• Feminist argue that school must provide equality so that students can
raise personal aspirations and, thus, achieve higher educational
outcomes.
• One of the key roles in critical perspective is to allow students to gain
the necessary social skills to allow them to actively participate in a
transformed and inclusive democratic community.
QUESTIONS AND
CLARIFICATIONS?
 Freudian Theory
• Sigmund Freud assumed that biology is destiny, which means that
children learn their gender by simply observing whether they have
reproductive organ of male or reproductive organ of female.
• The main point of this theory is the process of identification.
 Develop an in-depth understanding of the general concepts
of gender, gender equality, gender inequality, and theories
1
of gender development.

OBJECTIVES: 2 Identify the sources of gender stereotyping in society.

Differentiate the theoretical views on gender and

3 education.
Inequality is built into gender at a very basic level. By attaching people to one or two
categories (male or female) society has already created difference between them.

1.2GENDER IS ASSYMETRICAL