Sex Stereotyping in Elementary Schools - Term Paper Example

Sex Stereotypes 2006 Difference between sex and gender Sex denotes natal differences - chromosomes, hormonal shapes, inner and outer sex organs. Gender depicts the character that a society or culture defines as manly or womanly. So even as someone’s sex as male or female is a biological truth which is the same in any society, the implication of sex in terms of one’s gender role as a 'man' or a 'woman' in society can be fairly different across ethnicity. These 'gender roles' have an influence on the well being of the person. In sociological expressions 'gender role' mentions the distinctiveness and manners that different mores ascribe to the sexes. What it suggests to be a 'real man' in any culture demands male sex in addition to what our different cultures describe as mannish uniqueness and actions. Similarly a 'real woman' requires feminine sex and womanly personality. To sum up: Man =male sex+ masculine social role and Woman= female sex+ womanly social responsibility (What is the difference, med.monash.edu). The common use of the term gender started in the late 1960s and 1970s. It emerged steadfastly in the academic journals related to o the social sciences. The term helped to point out the socialization of sex (Unger & Crawford, 1992). Children learn that fathers are men and mothers are women; that fathers and mothers do unlike things at home and somewhere else. At the same time children learn that boys play tough and girls play kind. Then they learn that boys develop to be fathers and girls mature to be mothers. This is the normal pattern children fit in even when they know these rules are not inflexible and might change They know about families where its mother is the one who goes out to earn money and father waits home, and where boys are kind and calm whereas girls are troublesome. The fundamental labels, though, appear in some way marked on their mind in course of growing. The family, friends, media, religion and even politics contribute to it. And bulk of middle-class society schemes, in line, to pass on social and cultural standards with basically the same imperatives. With some degree of education and development children learn that the sexes to which we are mentioning are male and female. Also, male and female are expressions used to include a complete list of differences of body and manners (Milton Sex and Gender). The Western society and educational system have come under a commanding influence of the feminist movement and of gender studies. Many beliefs, asserted by the feminists, have been taken into the modern Western culture as a moral standard, as an essential condition for standard relationships between the sexes, and, together with the other compassionate values, have been given to the base of the sexual education programs. Modern western sexual studies experts think that the differences, which are, apparently, rooted in physiology, in fact descend to a moral and mental sphere. It originates from labeling of the manliness and of the womanliness of human beings, their firm discrimination in the patriarchal-authoritative educational mores and their authentication on the basis of the organic features. The dichotomy of the societal identities of the boys and of the girls, and its results develops male violent behavior, egoism and despotism; the female lack of poise and of the feeling of the self-esteem, failure to rise for their rights and to go up against aggression. A double control over the female sexual performance: the cultural norms and the top role of man (Fedoseyeva, Sexual Education). In many schools in America, these classes are gender restricted, though teachers can soon go crazy when confronted with a room full of teenager students.  Young children are more aroused by the allures of the subject matter rather than the gravity it demands. Chuckles, hoots and howls disturb the calm of the classroom and students take no interest to the scientific aspect of the topic discussed. Teachers continually make a great effort to maintain the children alert on what is being talked about.  On account of the wobbly and informal ambiance of sex ed classrooms, thousands of parents start complaining about the efficiency of sex-education provided in public education.  If the point can't be conveyed sensibly then should it be conveyed at all, they demand?   The sexual education curriculum of teenager children is given to parents as an essential and rightful option of study. Shouldn't the manner of the class and the responsibility regarding the subject material be just as grave and as thorough as any other class dealing with health and science?   Why is such an important subject put in a nutshell within one or two days?  Many parents think that sex education programs in public schools today add up to no more than a 3 day sex talk and in a less academic way. Sexual education is correctly taught could be as important as other life science studies. It could impart on children an attitude to treat sex not as frivolous activity but something that demand serious attention. The debate on sex education in public schools has now changed its focus.  Earlier the stress was about the necessity of such an education. Now it has shifted to the course contents and moral bases to develop the curriculum. Also there are parents who are worried about the environs of the classrooms where such programs are taught (The Caliber of Sex-Ed Instruction, psparents.net). Gender prejudice ha also been noticed in a number of children’s books. It is especially seen in the portrayal of hero and heroine and the way they are depicted. Studies have revealed that in most such books the principal characters are all males. Studies show that male names come almost double the number of female names. It was also found that even books with female or neutral names in their titles actually focus on a male character. Women are portrayed even in classical legends as embodying soft and delicate feminine qualities. These books are not always run-of-the mill stuff. Some of these are prestigious prizewinners even. Her girls symbolize as a soft, docile, simple and pastoral type, those who rely on the muscular strength of boys, burly and physically strong, daring and free. The role of the girls is to stand beside the boys to give them the moral support and care they need. If females take a more self-confident role they turn out to become meek and submissive at the end (Singh, Gender Issues). A few years ago, a multicultural group of school students rewrote the customary year ending class play - the “girls played the boy” role and vice versa. The teacher was taken aback. The thing she found notable was that “they came up with the idea of switching roles completely on their own. "In this way the children learnt a lot about gender and sex as shaping their identities. It was thanks to the teacher the students became conscious of gender justness. Some teachers and parents were encouraged by a study conducted by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) to train parents and teachers on endorsing gender fairness in the classroom and at home. Sponsored by an AAUW donation, some activists started holding workshops for parents in twenty Bay Area kindergarten schools. They found that children begin to form gender identities even during playgroup days. Girls play with dolls, as boys make buildings with blocks and play with trucks. Surprisingly teachers and parents also encourage these types of plays maybe instinctively. A study noted that there is great disparity between the number of toys a young girl receives from young boys. According to Kekelis, investigators playing with blocks give the boys a one-up position over the boys. Why they get in to such a habit? Activist found that "girls are praised when they play with dolls while boys are likely to be ignored by their parents when displaying nurturing behavior." Girls who practice such games as taking care of dolls increase their muscle-nerve co –ordination skills that equip them with the steadiness required for good handwriting. Playing with blocks, on the other hand makes the boys techno-savvy at an early age. Change of roles thus can enrich both the sexes from early childhood. One researcher narrated her experience of talking to a mother (Beth Brandon) who attended such a workshop. My son started holding a carrot like a gun at a very young age, and certainly I did not model that," she told and added further "I bought my daughters a dump truck, but it just sat in the corner of the playroom forever." Her point was to make an experiment with toys that would demand change of roles—from the stereotypes to the modern and new. She started proposing the girl to play with trucks and the boy, with dolls giving them clues so that they may find it fascinating. Her advice was to "Set up the playroom or outside area in a new way with blocks and stuffed animals, as a veterinary hospital or an underwater world, to encourage girls and boys to play in new ways and with new toys or activities." She recommended the teachers to keep plenty of different types of toys --female and male dolls, toy animals, blocks and motivate the parents to get ready with attires lively, open-air play. One such parent was moved by the proposal and remarked that "Every teacher should hear this." "Every parent with a child -- boy or girl -- should hear this." Gender slant is also rampant among teachers. Sometimes teachers may ask children to erect a snowman. "Why not say snowperson?" one parent probingly asked. After attending the workshop she could comprehend in the subject matter gender fairness there are many understated slants that an uninformed would never find wrong. Praising a girl for her looks eventually is one such slant. While parenting Brandon has made certain new move. Earlier it was her daughter who decided what to wear when she went to school. Now it is up to Brandon to select and buy for her a shoe that is more no-nonsense and strapping type rather than being just fancy. She also makes it a point that her son plays with puffy toys and dolls to cheer him to be fostering (Zhumkhawala, Educators help). Works Cited Unger, R., & Crawford, M. (1992). Women & Gender: A feminist psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill What is the difference between sex and gender?, retrieved From http://www.med.monash.edu.au/gendermed/sexandgender.html Diamond, Milton Sex and Gender: Same or Different?, V. 8.3 ref/en, Pacific Center of Sex and Society, retrieved from http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/online_artcls/intersex/sex_gender.html Fedoseyeva, N, Sexual Education Of School Children, retrieved from http://www.owl.ru/eng/womplus/1998/sexed-e.htm The Caliber of Sex-Ed Instruction in Public Schools, retrieved from http://www.psparents.net/sex_education.htm Zhumkhawala, Sehba, Educators help young children grow beyond gender, Children's Advocate newsmagazine, November-December 1997, retrieved from http://www.4children.org/news/1197doll.htm Singh Manjari, Gender Issues in Children's Literature, retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~reading/ieo/digests/d135.html Read More