Given the fact that we live in a gendered world, do we also have gendered classrooms? The discussion is not about gender wars but rather how teacher can serve as change agents. Gender describes the roles of women and men that are determined by political, economic, social, and cultural factors rather than by biology. Thus, gender is the societal meaning assigned to male and female. It is the learned behavior that creates gender identity and determines gender roles. Schools and homes are the primary sources for development and imbibing these traditional gender roles and relations.
Apart from parents, teachers influence and impact students, thereby bridging the gender disparity or widening the same. Teachers, since time immemorial have served as fine role models for their students to emulate. Students and more so at the primary level learn by observation, a fact that many a times is disregarded. Thus, in their classroom spaces, what they teach, how they teach and how they role model their own viewpoint, beliefs and practices has an implication in transforming mindsets and in turn lives. Interaction between the teacher and taught is an everyday learning exercise. Students strive to meet their teachers’ expectations and teachers exhibit different expectations for different set of pupils. Such biased expectations of teachers towards male and female students may trigger a self-fulfilling outcome with students responding in precisely the same manner. Research has shown a pattern where a more active teacher’s attention is directed at male students and if so with time female students tend to become quieter or may even drop out.
Study materials also at times re-inforce the stereotypical gender roles. For eg. my tiny daughter has a lesson where the boys go swimming in the river while the girls sit and read books. And since she recently learnt to swim and would rather swim than read, she enquired is this what girls are supposed to be doing sitting in the shade and reading? A simple lesson, with an simple incident yet potent enough to drive home the point namely boys are expected to be more adventurous while girls are expected to stick to a more docile form of amusement, thus creating stereotypes.
Moreover, since educational institutions serve as significant socialization agencies during one’s decisive years, promoting gender awareness in the classroom is an important step forward. Another possible measure is to undertake Gender Audit to gauge the gender sensitivity in the institution. Draft policies and programmes as also make financial provisions to equip the teacher to promote and sustain the gender sensitive agenda.
And finally, a healthy social climate needs to be fostered to encourage girls’ participation in all areas and in particular improve their access to gender-specific subjects and occupations.
