Examples Of Contemporary Issues In Childhood Studies

S. Bruck Comp110 October 5, 2017 Gender in Education The laws of the United States of America require that children attend school regardless of their sex, race, or religious background. This can be achieved by attending public schools, private schools, or by doing homeschooling. The most popular school system is the public system where children from both genders attend. According to Christina Hoff Sommers in her article, “The Boys at the Back”, published on the internet February 2, 2013, we are seeing girls in these institutions outperforming boys at an increasing rate.

An ever changing, yet common issue, in today's generation revolves around how society views gender. The general consensus dictates that gender, as a whole, is a spectrum, rather than a standard set for each individual male and female to follow throughout everyday life. However, there are those individuals who wish to remain reluctant in changing their view of society. Some believe it is better to allow the education system to be segregated by gender, in order to provide more resources to both girls and boys. One person in favor of this public education reform is David Brooks, a neuroscientist who published the article titled “The Gender Gap at School.” A thorough analysis of the effects of literature on men and women, biological factors

Over time there has been a change in gender success throughout education “coming into the late 1980’s girls were less likely than boys to obtain one or more A-levels and were less likely to go on to higher education however 1990 's there was a sudden reversal girl were doing better than boys and In 2006 10% more females were obtaining 2 or more A-levels than males (Trueman,2016)”. In today’s society feminist’s doubt that the topic in school want girls to achieve less like the model also considers that gender stereotyping may still be in society as boys are believed to fit better in the workforce than girls. The distinction between girls and boys are often sketched on sex and ideas of biology Dr Zuleyka mention that “Sex are the biological traits that societies use to assign people into the category of either male or female, whether it be through a focus on chromosomes, genitalia or some other physical ascription." (Zevallos), Gender does not depend on biological personality it is an idea that describes how societies determine and manage sex categories also determined by what an individual feels and does. Girls are more conscientious and mature while boys are seen as a liability student. A parent who spends less time reading to their son impact their son to achieve a lower grade. Many jobs tend to be dominated by one gender for example nursing which is seen as a female job. Girls do consistently better than boys at all levels and likely to get higher grades

Another factor that plays into the role of inequalities in the American education system is stereotypes. One body of research suggests that the result of African Americans underperforming is having internalized negative stereotypes. If anyone of us is told that we’re lazy, ignorant, or stupid long enough, and treated accordingly, we would believe it. Once you start to believe it, these characteristics start to describe you and it effects your whole life, including education. Not only does money and race play a role in the inequalities in education, but sex does as well. According to the author, in recent years, journalists, psychologists and educators have brought attention to what is known as the “boy crisis.” Basically, the crisis is described as girls outperforming boys in their educational outcomes. Consequently, the idea of “girl power” mantras and the feminist movement have made their mark. In recent years, girls outperformed boys nationally in reading and writing tests. Also, they attend college in higher numbers and are more likely to

The gender equality issue within our society stems from what children are being taught from the day they are born. Whether it is conscious or sub-conscious children are being taught at an early age the stereotypes of what it is to be a girl or a boy. “Choices about what they will play with or wear are made for younger children and, by the time they come to make their own, they have already learnt what is expected of them and will often behave accordingly.” (National Union of Teachers, 2013, p.3). Educators calling on girls to do chores around the classroom or not allowing boys to play in the family corner they are only help in print these stereotypes into the minds of the children. It has been said that children soak up their social environment like sponges, so by sending out new social messages educators are able to create a

In America, as well as other countries, many people face judgement because of gender roles. A gender role is explained as how man or woman is supposed to act; girls are supposed to be petite and cute while men get to act like animals and be exceptionally muscular. Oppositions to this status quo, especially in the past, were met by judgement and criticism. However, I firmly believe that equality is on the brink of finally coming about, but progress will not be made without action being taken.

Before this class I believed men and women’s gender roles in society were strictly defined. As I gained more knowledge from the Critical Thinking Reader, The Grapes of Wrath, and my research project, I learned that gender roles change based on an individual’s environment, socio-economic standing, and societal norms/expectations. These resources helped clarify that men and women’s roles in society are interchangeable and there are no definite lines or barriers that keep them from fulfilling all roles, that being said men and women can also remain stuck in the roles society has traditionally seen them in.

Men and women are different. How different depends on what stereotype one chooses to believe. Although it has been argued that some stereotypes are positive, they are never beneficial. Society creates gender stereotypes and perpetuates them through societal institutions. In this paper the roles of gender will be analyzed regarding education, public policy, and the workplace. How education shapes gender, the gender norms in government, the law, policies, and the role of gender in the workplace will be discussed.

Today most children in the United States attend classes where gender equality exists. Students have classes in which both boys and girls are treated equally and are friends with one another and that is all that they have ever known. However, this is not always the case in every country. As of 2015, 53% of the children who are not attending school throughout the world are female ("11 Facts About..."). Gender inequality is an important issue that needs to be focused on and fixed throughout the world, especially within the education systems. Although many people are aware of this issue, most people do not see it as a priority in the world right now. The gender gap in education systems throughout the world needs to be closed because gender equality is a necessity in the world and this is where it all starts.

There is a long history of single-sex schooling, in which males and females attend specific classes or schools only with members of their same sex. This separation of genders may be done for educational purposes or in combination with other factors, such as social interactions that occur between male and female students. There is some support for the idea that single-sex schooling can be beneficial, especially for outcomes related to academic achievement and more positive academic aspirations (Lee, 2008). Although, there are many benefits of children attending single-sex schools, evidence shows that sex segregation can also gender stereotyping and legitimizes institutional sexism (Kennedy, 2000).

An article that was written about a school in Texas stated that more than 50% of boys and girls in single-gender classrooms cause disruptions, and they bring their behavior from home into the classrooms at school. In an article, it stated that “in October of 2006, federal regulations established the requirements for legally permissible single-sex schools and classes within the public system; nearly 200 schools in South Carolina have single-gender classrooms” (“Single-Sex Education Spreads” 2). Teachers’ interest often drives the attention of students to single-gender classes, and growing interest from their parents is also pushing more schools and districts as they hear about these classrooms (“Single-Gender Classrooms” 2). While teachers and administrators prefer this environment, boys and girls in single-sex classrooms are influenced to distract and be distracted by their friends, and the people around them. They seem to doodle, daydream, and lose their thought in the classroom because of their surroundings. In a newspaper article, “Should Children Be Taught in Single-Sex Classrooms”, the author says pupils fail to develop relationships with the opposite sex if they are taught in a single-sex environment because they both tend to be drawn into conflict amongst each other, they are distracted by what others are doing in the classrooms, and they are not themselves because they are being forced into an unfamiliar environment they do not

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:

Gender equity in terms of education is about the socialization of men and women and the results of this process on the life outcomes of the two genders (Husen & Postlethwaite, 1994). In the United States, the education system is required to treat males and females equally. There has been much research done to compare the genders in all areas. In the past, research has found that women fall far behind men in many areas such as math, and science, but men lag behind women in certain areas as well. Over the years, many provisions have been made with the goal of equalizing the treatment of girls and boys in public education. These improvements are proven successful as women, as well as men, are advancing in areas where they tend to lag

“It is early indeed that children show an awareness of the message that… females are generally less interesting and important than males are… The (often inadvertent) bearers of this message include parents, peers, and teachers.” (Lips, 1979, p. 128.) The absence of gender equity can be damaging to both males and females. Surprisingly most of the teachers and administrators are unaware of this problem. Organizations such as the American Association of University Women (“Gender equity,” 2003.) strive to create programs that will improve equality within schools. The purpose of this research paper is to identify gender equity issues in the classroom and explore strategies for teachers to incorporate equitable

While many educators, parents, activists, and policymakers argue that single-sex education unleashes academic excellence for both boys and girls, evidence supporting this claim is insufficient. Single-sex education is ineffective as it increases gender stereotypes by reducing the ability for both genders to effectively work together. In all-boy schools, boys who spend more time with boys are increasingly aggressive, while girls who spend more time with other girls are stereotyped. Supporters of single-sex education often point to obvious success in terms of reforming education; however single-sex approaches have failed to produce positive results. Rather than including statistics and research, supporters of single-sex education argue every child is different, and with this type of diversity comes a preference for certain skills and surroundings. The United States, along with multiple parts of the world, have stretched the influence single-sex education has on society, by making it prevalent to one's well-being. Overall, single-sex education shows no significant advantage for boys or girls.