SCHOOLS AND GENDER

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SCHOOLS AND GENDER

• CHAPTER 5

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CURRICULUM

• 1. Formal
• Traditional required subjects taught in
  schools reading, writing, mathematics
• 2. Informal
• Social, economic, political values,
• Implicit in curriculum materials
• What are the messages in both formal and informal
  curriculum concerning gender?

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Function of Education

• 1. To empower
• understand social position
• seek change
• 2. Illusion of empowerment
• keep us in our place-Learning to Labor
• 3.Need to understand how education is
• embedded in class/race/gender relat

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Historical overview

• Schoolfrom Greek word leisure
• Formal education for women1786
• Social class and racial bias
• White upper class educ. To be a partner
• for educated male
• Not to take place in public leadership positions

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Mass public education

• 1830first free public school --coed
• Mass
• 1850all states had free public school
• elementary and secondary
• white children
• all classes
• After Civil Warblack children segregated

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Consequences of mass public education

• 1. White female literacy rose.
• matched male white literacy in NE.
• Black literacy rates remained low for
• both males and females.
• 2. Elementary school growth provided
• jobs for women as teachers.

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Structure of Schools

• 1. early 1800
• male teachers---short classes
• part-time work
• classes around farm calendar
• 2. change mass education and
• urbanization, upgrade in quality of educ.
• teaching--full time/low wage job
• women employed at 40 less than M.
• supposed docility and nurturing qualities
• 3. By 1900-ed a female occupation/normal school

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College attendance

• 1832 first college
• women first allowed to attend college
• Oberlin Ohio
• 1847second college admit women
• Lawrence- Wisconsin
• Opposition to women in college
• 1. not as smartwould lower academic level
• 2. physically delicatehigher ed would
• damage their uterine health
• 3. distract men
• 4. cause women to be loud, course, vulgar

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Differential treatment of women in higher ed

• 1. Personal behavior
• quiet at assemblies,
• serve meals, perform domestic tasks
• at Oberlin
• 2. Channeled into diff. studies
• Menengineering, law, medicine
• Womenhome ec, nursing, elem. Ed.

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Womens Colleges

• 1834-opened first Wheaton in Mass.
• 1880s Seven sisters-ivy league, elite
• Offered traditional mens curriculum in a
• supportive environment

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Education Gap

• 1. Female undergrads
• less than half until 1980s
• 2. Female college degree recipients
• less than half until 1990s
• 3. Female doctorates 13 in 1970s

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Educating Girls and Boys the elementary schools

• Teachers report that they treat all children
• fairly regardless of sex
• Research demonstrates that teachers
• Interact differently with boys girls
• 1. frequency of interaction
• 2. content of interaction
• remediation, academ challenge

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Pattern of Praise and Criticism

• Boys learnsmart / not well behaved
• on academic performance
• boys get more positive feedback 90/79
• less negative feedback 33/66
• Girls learnnot very smart/ get rewards
• being
  good

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Pattern of teacher/student interaction by Class
and Race

• Teachers claim to be color blind in their
  interaction with students
• But research shows
• White students receive more reinforcement for
  academic achievements
• Black girls and boys with high academic ability
  ignored more by teachersleading to argument
  teachers expect less
• Black girls rewarded for keeping peace, mediating
  conflict

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AAUW REPORT 1992 ON CURRICULM REFORM

• 1. educational materials
• low presence of women
• 2. traditional roles remain in texts
• girls need to be rescued
• boys more adventurous
• women work for men

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Effect of gender segregation in schools

• 1. Common practice
• form lines, perform chores, teams
• 2. Consequence of separation
• a. loss of opportunities for working cooper
• b. mixed-sex groups uncomfortable
• then carried into the work force
• c. reinforces gender stereotypes-if diff
• work assignments

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Message from the structure of adult jobs
elementary schools

• 1. Teachers 87 women
• Teacher aides 90 women
• 2. Administrators
• school officials 40 women
• principal/vice p 45 women
• in undesirable schools
• documented effect on stereotypes

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Educational achievement in elementary school

• 1. Girls earn higher grades in elementary school.
• High performance in math science
• 2. Grades decline as they progress through high
  school.