The Gender Biases Of Children

Gender roles put an idea into children’s brains about the way society dictates how men and women should or should not act. These stereotypes can be harmful, as they often lead to sexism and misogyny. While gender roles may deem what is appropriate for each gender, they can also set expectations of people in society, some of which can be unachievable. This can put a pressure on young children that can follow them through their education and career. Gender-based stereotypes are also dangerous in the sense that if someone refuses to conform to traditional gender ideals, most of the time, they are ridiculed and harassed.

When you send your children off in the morning to go to school, no matter what grade they are in whither it be elementary, junior high, or senior high, you expect that they will receive the best education that they can get. They should be asked challenging questions, encouraged and called upon to participate in class, they should also be given as much help as they need to secede by the teacher. However, this is most commonly not the case. Parents and the children themselves are unaware of what is going on because gender bias is not a noisy problem. Most people are unaware of the secret sexist lessons that occur every day in classrooms across the country. In this essay I will use two essay's from the reader:

There is change concerning perspective on gender inequalities in schools. I In and article written by Diane Reay, called “Nice Girls” “Girlies,” and “Tomboys”: Gender Discourses, Girls’ Cultures and Femininities in the Primary Classroom, explains that contemporary gender power relations within an elementary classroom, is more complicated than “girls versus boys”. Reay found that girls were split into identifiable groups, each group defining how feminine they were or weren’t. She concluded that gender either operates as oppositions or hierarchy or most commonly both at the same time. These studies can lead us into why later on in life, during the time we are looking for jobs and professional work, men and women are seen on different playing fields. When you think of a CEO of a company or of world political leaders, does a male or female come to mind? Many, if not most of us, see these positions as being held by men. Even though we are approaching the twenty-first century, women in our society are still not equal to men when it comes down to the professional world. This discrimination in the workplace results in women not receiving the same benefits that men do. In certain cases women do the same job, for the same amount of hours, and still do not receive the same pay for their work. The average women’s paycheck is usually less than the average man, consistent with any field of work. Is there a

Sexism has been prevalent in our society for generations. It has plagued the views and outlooks on gender, and has molded the populace’s minds to favor one over the other. Engrained within society is the strict framework of binary gender roles, and placing males and females into distinct and rigid categories that they can rarely break free from. While progress has been made with regards to weakening these rigid and unfair gender roles, the prejudice views that run rampant through the minds of the older generations, and into the up-and-coming ones, are difficult to combat. Women are often overlooked and regarded as the inferior gender, and they are often portrayed as individuals who are at men’s every beck and call. This is highlighted through the observations of Paula Rothenberg in her novel Invisible Privilege, she discusses her observations and dealings first hand with prejudice of all kinds. The book recalls her experiences from the mid to late 20th century, which was a time of more blatant sexism, but I will be using other sources in addition to prove that sexism is still a prevalent issue in everyday life. The sources I will pull from in addition to the novel include, “Different but Equal? Inequalities in the workplace, the Nature Based Narrative, and the Title VII prohibition on the Masculinization of the ‘Ideal Workers,’” an academic article by Kristin Housh, which uses statistical information to argue that women are treated differently in the workplace. Secondly, “Gender Bias in Education,” an op-ed by Amanda Chapman, which discusses unequal treatment of women in education, in addition to a visual and song lyrics that also support these arguments. Sexism and unequal treatment of women in the workplace and education is still a problem in society today that needs to be changed.

A recent experiment was conducted, on teachers to test for gender bias. The research was obtained via teachers marking tests of students who they knew. The same exam was marked again by the same teacher, but the second assessment contained no identifying characteristics; such as names.

Throughout the history of the United States, gender bias has been and still is an immense concern. Women have been at the forefront of such prejudice. For several centuries, women have battled for equity in their everyday lives, academically, and professionally. The push for justice has been a slow process, with incremental gains.

In our schools currently, a cornucopia of gender biases is inhibiting the good education of students. Women have been trained to be ‘feminine’ ever since preschool, always being told to be less assertive and be ‘girlier’. These ideas of femininity have created the bias

An article published in The New York Times called “Why Women Stay Quiet at Work” addresses the missed opportunities companies have when women do not speak up during meetings. Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant discuss a study conducted by Ethan Burris that found women who challenged a problematic library system were seen as “less loyal,” so the team was therefore 
“less likely to act on their suggestions” (Sandberg & Grant). This illustrates the pity of how women feeling incompetent and being interrupted can cause a company valuable ideas that could have improved their productivity. The need for a supportive environment should begin in schools, where females are able to positively contribute to their classroom

Same Difference: How Gender Myths Are Hurting Our Relationships, Our Children, and Our Jobs is relevant to what we have learned in class. We have discussed whether gender inequality is inevitable or not and the unequal treatment or perceptions people face based on their gender. Gender inequality remains a major obstacle to human development. The drawbacks facing women and girls are a major foundation of inequality. All too often, women and girls are victimized in health, education, political representation, and labor market. There are

In recent times, it has become much more common and socially acceptable for parents to raise their children in gender neutral ways. As queer rights, feminist movements, and gender equality take on a greater social relevance, many caregivers no longer expect their children to behave stereotypically “masculine” or “feminine;” children may even be praised for going beyond their gendered expectations (e.g., boys who can cook well or girls who are fit and athletic). Raising your kids without expecting them to conform to gender norms may allow them to develop a broad potential in many areas, rather than only allowing them to explore activities that are appropriate for their traditional gender roles. For example, if you are raising a girl, she may have the potential to become both a great mechanic and a talented dancer if you do not narrow her choices down to only those that are gender conforming. However, this choice in parenting may come with some unexpected issues and consequences -- ones that are as of yet unforeseen.

Throughout history, gender bias has always been abundant throughout society. Today, the issue is raised that gender bias is apparent in High School from teachers. Many people associate gender bias as being bias toward men and women. Although this is true, it can also be related to many other categories, such as, social standing, race, religion, ethnicity, language, or class. Even though many teachers do not have a habit of practicing gender bias, there are quite a few that are practicing this bad habit.

Gender inequality in the workplace starts with gender inequality in education. There are many stereotypes of “female majors” and “male majors”. It is common to see greater numbers of females involved in education, liberal arts, and social service majors, where men are commonly seen in the STEM and business fields. These differences in majors are often caused by the stereotype that the more intense and demanding jobs need to be occupied by men. (Gender Discrimination in the Workplace) This frequently leads to differences in job levels, and, as a result, pay. (Introduction to Sociology, pg 288) In fact, only about 4.6% of women work in STEM fields compared to the 10.3% of men. (Women…Like Men, Only Cheaper) Recently, females have become involved in the so called male majors, such as engineering and business, leading to more equality in job qualifications. Even though

As school policies evolve and the public school population becomes even more diversified ,school leaders must respond to increasing pressure from issues on mental health,diversity,disabilities,immigration status,socio –economic factors, chemical abuse and issues of gender identity. It is reasonable to imply that if a student is having issues with their gender identity they will also have issues fitting in at school and most likely with their self esteem as well.

In many cases the classroom reinforces gender stereotypes perpetuated by society. This can be found in the materials used for instruction,

Gender nonconforming boys are expected to dress and appear in a way that fits their gender role (Toomey et al., 2010). For example, boys are supposed to dress in masculine clothes, such as pants and basketball shorts and should have short hairstyles (P.P., 2017). In a study conducted by Blakemore (2003), researchers found that boys who dressed in girls’ clothing were perceived as very negative. Researchers also found that boys who violated the gender role of physical appearance, for example, clothing or hairstyle, would be perceived more negatively than girls. Physical appearance is one of the most key factors in building relationships, therefore, people who are perceived as unusual from their assigned gender role have a harder time building those relationships (Adler, Kless & Adler, 1992). Therefore, students who are perceived as out of the ordinary can lead to students being victimized in school (Pacer Centers Teens Against Bullying, 2017).