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UNDERSTANDING AND
SUPPORTING GENDER
EQUITY IN SCHOOLS
Gender equity, what is it and how do we make it
happen?

Chapter 8 presentation
EDUC549 Race, Class and Power in
Schools
Pam Gottsponer 6/22/2014

Understanding and Supporting Gender Equity in

Schools
Definition of Equity
Historical View of Gender Equity
Intersections of Gender and other Statuses
Gender and Diversity
Within-Group Heterogeneity
Implications for Education
Teacher Perceptions and Expectations
Classroom Experiences of Females and Males from Diverse populations
Strategies to Support Gender Equity among Diverse Populations
Conclusions

Before we begin, lets test your knowledge of

gender equity.
When someone uses the term gender equity what do
you think of?
a. Boys mature later than girls, thus their learning curve is
longer.
b. The Womens Liberation movement has made all the
difference.
c. Boys and girls, men and women should be offered the exact
same opportunities, no matter their qualifications.
d. True gender equity involves much more than just gender.

What is Gender Equity?

If you answered d then you are correct. True gender equity

involves much more than just gender.

Webster8defines
equity as
fairness
As we learn from Chapter
in our Banks
and
Banks or
text, gender equity is a
justiceproposition
in the way people
are treated.
much more complicated
then one
might first think.
Or more specifically, justice according
to natural law or right; specifically
freedom from bias or favoritism.

What is Gender Equity?

When you think of gender equity, you naturally assume the discussion will center
around fair and equal treatment between girls and boys, and men and women. But
living in the United States with a multicultural society we find inequities existing
around race and ethnicity as well as gender. And when you put those together i.e.
race and gender, social status and gender, or ethnicity and gender, you find a much
more complicated picture to understand.

We need to focus on how these various categories intersect to shape the

individuals experience. Additionally, we need to be able to have a better
understanding of the complexities of gender as it combines and relates to other
statuses, for example, race, ethnicity, social status, and disability.

All cultures organize their members by gender, however how that is done can vary
from culture to culture, and even groups within each culture.

What is Gender Equity? A Historical View

But first lets look at our past and see how gender equity has evolved. In the 60s and 70s we
witnessed an attempt at gender equity through the womens lib movement, where the focus
was obtaining equal access and treatment for girls and women in our schools as well as the
workplace. But did that movement really address all areas of gender equity?

Since the movement was predominantly white women, their perspective became the concerns
that were focused upon, leaving many other areas woefully lacking. Some of the issues raised
did cover areas of gender equity in our culture, but there were many issues that were
inadvertently missed for non-White groups.

Black women had a completely different perspective to gender equity as a result of slavery and
continued racial discrimination. They often times felt marginalized and defeated and it led them
to hold a different perspective of gender equity. American Muslim women also struggled with
more than just the gender issues raised by the movement. Not only did they have to deal with
race and religion, but also native-born versus immigrant status. Plus, they had to contend with
the strong stereotype of Muslims in general.

A Historical View of Gender Equity

So.. youve come a long way baby over the past 40 years. Before we research further
in what needs to be done, lets take one more look back at how far we have come.

What is Gender Equity?

Instead of looking at gender issues from a myopic lens of a White woman of the
1970s, we must realize that gender equity is going to intersect with many of the
other groups within our society. And gender equity can exist with both women and
men.

On the next few slides well examine just that.

Intersections of Gender and other Statuses

Gender is related to more than the biological sex of an individual, but also how ones sex
is perceived by self and others, and how females and males are socialized in their
cultural group.
For example in many Native American nations women held powerful roles, in many cases more powerful
than the men in their culture. Unfortunately those Native perspectives were undermined by colonization
and imposition of an education system that imposed a norm of male domination over women.
Similarly African American women had a different definition of gender imposed on them through the
system of slavery. Initial perceptions of Africans as savages by the Europeans were carried over into
the American slave system. It defined African American men a brutal, aggressive, incompetent, and
hypersexual. African American women were stereotyped as caretakers, evil, or sexually amoral.
The third example given in the book was about Muslim women. They were either portrayed as
oppressed or as prostitutes. These images began from colonialism, and continued to popular culture
today. Muslim men were characterized as violent and misogynistic.

Gender and Diversity

Gender as it relates to diversity in
cultures can also be subdivided into
immigrant status. Once again, we
tend to lump all immigrants into
the same descriptive narrative
despite the fact that they represent
many cultural orientations.
Within the immigrant status is a
term called the immigrant
paradox. This is a tendency for
immigrant children to outperform
their native peers in school. The
video attached explains the
concept, although a true
understanding is still unclear.

Within-Group Heterogeneity

The racial and ethnic groups in the US have many subsets. We tend to
generalize and overlook or blur the differences within those groups.
Groups with disabilities or LGBT tend only to be classified in their group,
neglecting to enter their racial or ethnic group into the equation.
Even within group differences can be seen. The example in the text was that
within the 100 Native American nations, some had more powerful women,
some had more powerful men, and yet others viewed the genders as equal.
Socio-economic or social class is yet another within group heterogeneity
that illustrates the need to implement gender equity among and within
diverse groups.

Classroom Experiences of Females and Males from Diverse Populations

Interestingly studies have found that males react differently from females in their desire to
succeed. Their ability to persevere through stereotyping and discriminatory behaviors seems
to be less than their female counterparts. But this gender gap is intersected by race and
ethnicity. Studies have found that not only is their a gap between graduation rates for race
and ethnicity, there is a significant difference between male and females within those
cultures.
Interviews with male students of color (Black, Latino, and Native American) showed that they
generally viewed their high school experiences as having low expectations, stereotyping and
discriminatory behaviors directed toward them. Their aspirations for higher education were
discouraged. The black men felt like they were judged negatively on the basis of race and
gender, the Latino men felt they were judged on ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Native
Americans came from a different mindset. They were more concerned with the issues of
balancing their identities in tribal and mainstream cultures. These groups went on to report
that they continued to receive little support in their college campuses.
But all refused to allow those experiences to define them or have a negative impact on their
eventual outcomes.

Gender Equity and Diversity: Implication for Education

There are two significant aspects of schooling when it comes to

implementing an equitable education in regards to gender and diversity.
1. Educators must be certain the school is operating in ways that promote
equity between the girls and the boys.
2. Educators must help students learn what is appropriate to support
gender equity in society.

Teacher Perceptions and Expectations

Not only are the teachers of each class the organizer and leader, they
must also fulfill the role of role model. Students observe and learn from
their teachers actions.
Sometimes teachers are unaware that how they are reacting to a situation
might cause the students to model inappropriate behavior. Although the
student population is becoming more and more multicultural, the teacher
population remains predominately white and female, making self
awareness particularly more important.
If a teachers behavior or bias is not addressed their behavior, though they
might not even realize it, could significantly influence the classroom
experience for their students.

Supporting Gender Equity among Diverse Populations

How do we as teachers impact our students?
1. By our overt and covert actions.
2. We may unintentionally display unacceptable attitudes, or just ignore
inappropriate actions by other students or adults.
3. We need to address how inequities are expressed in society and how
equity can be promoted.

Our text suggests four strategies as outlined in the next few slides to truly
understand and support gender equity in our educational system.

How can we as educators make a difference?

What is the overwhelming

percentage of teachers gender
and race currently in our
educational workforce?

If you answered white women,

you would be correct.

As you will see below, one of

the strategies outlined in our
text is a growing need to
encourage more teachers of
other races, ethnicities, and
other statuses, as well as males
to enter the teaching
profession.

Supporting Gender Equity among Diverse Populations

Strategy #1Confronting and addressing Strategy #2 Obtaining Knowledge about

Stereotyping and Discrimination
Cultures, Statuses, and Intersections

Educators should be clear about our own

perspectives. Teachers should use actual
situations to help their students
understand how inequities are expressed
in society.
One example given was concerning television
commercials in the 90s, and how it could be
incorporated in our curriculum. Some
commercials tended to portray white men as
powerful and white women as sex objects,
African American men as aggressive and
African American women as inconsequential.
These examples could provide a topic of
discussion to help students understand
misconceptions and cultural differences.

Teachers and other educators need to obtain

knowledge about how gender is conceptualized
among diverse groups.

Reading books written by Native American women

in order to understand the historical and
contemporary roles of gender among these groups.
Additionally reading some of the writings of African
American women, they might better understand
African American girls behavior within the context
of African American history, racism, and resilience.
Incorporating literature like that mentioned into the
curriculum would provide ways to open the
discussions of how gender is conceptualized among
different groups.

Supporting Gender Equity among Diverse

Populations
Strategy #3 : Building on Students Assets and
Strengths

Teachers should focus more on the

students strengths and assets, and less on
their deficits as compared to the norm .
This could be done by getting to know the
student's individually and personally
rather than thinking of them as members
of a particular group.
Evidence of assets and strengths related
to gender as it intersect with other
statuses can be found among all groups.
These strengths can become the
foundation on which educational skills can
be scaffolded.

Strategy #4: Increasing the Number

Teachers Who Represent more Diversity
in Gender and all other Statuses

The final strategy involves increasing

the number of male and female
teachers that represent more diversity
in race, ethnicity, disability, and
sexuality. These teachers would then
serve as role models not only for
students of their same race, ethnicity,
disability, and sexuality, but also white
students who can learn from them.
Additionally having a more diverse
teacher base will help all function more
effectively in society.

Conclusions
Gender-equity issues are much more complicated than previously thought.
Gender is not a status that stands alone. It intersects with our other
statuses, including race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and disability to
combine to produce unique situations for both male and female roles.
This more complex perspective means that educators no longer have the
luxury of considering gender equity apart from other culture equities. It will
require us to become more knowledgeable about the experiences of all the
groups that enrich our multicultural society.
By opening themselves up to new experiences, teachers will enrich
themselves as well as their students and will become much more
competent at creating equitable learning environments.

References

Merriam Webster Equity Def

inition

YouTube Commercial

Anderson, K. & Davis, B.

(2012). Creating Culturally
Considerate Schools:
Educating Without Bias.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Banks, J. & Banks, C.

(2013). Multicultural
Education: Issues and
Perspectives. (8th ed.)
Hoboken, NJ:
Wiley.

YouTube Immigrant Paradox Video