ROLE OF TEACHERS IN CHALLENGING GENDER INEQUALITIES

Teachers can take measures to stop gender inequalities in the classroom practices. Care must be

taken to avoid conscious or unconscious practices that lead to the issue of gender biases. lets

discuss in detail.

a. Providing Seating arrangements

Teachers should make sure that all the students get seating arrangements as per their need

irrespective of their gender or caste or religion etc. sometimes special need will arise for physically

challenged students. Teacher should make necessary steps for helping them also irrespective of their

gender.

b. Ensuring equal participation in classroom activities

Care must be taken to ensure equal participation of boys and girls in all the classroom activities.

There should not be any discrimination based on gender in participating in the discussions or

demonstrations or undertaking projects, experimentation etc.

c. Ensuring equal opportunity in classroom activities

It’s the responsibility of the teacher to make sure that opportunities are provided to all the students

irrespective of their gender in all the classroom activities. There should not be shown any gender

bias in giving opportunities to perform experimentation or repetition of content, and clarification of

doubts etc.

d. Assigning roles to the students irrespective of gender

Teacher must assign roles and responsibilities to the students without considering their gender. it is

a practice seen in most of the mixed schools that the teachers will always assign class leader as a

boy but not a girl. Knowingly or unknowingly the teacher will ask a boy to lead a discussion but not

a girl. Sometimes, teacher will tend to call out the names of boys for taking some responsibilities

but not girls. This may happens unconsciously but leads to gender bias. Care must be taken in this

regard to ensure gender equality.

e. Distributing learning materials equally

Teachers should ensure that all the learning materials are distributed to all the students equally

without any discrimination based on the gender of the learners.

f. Awareness on Health education

Awareness programs on ‘health’ should be organized considering both the gender. It should not give

much importance to any of the gender. Issues, measures related to the health of both the gender

must have given equal importance in the awareness programs.

g. Awareness on Sex education

While organizing awareness programs on ‘sex education’ also, there must be initiatives to provide

knowledge to both the gender. Separate sessions and combined sessions may be conducted at

certain points, as per the knowledge to be availed.

h. Sighting gender fair examples in classroom

Teacher can use gender fair examples, suitable to both the gender while teaching in the classroom. It

is a trend seen that citing names of men as examples in the classroom discussions but not

mentioning the female names.

i. Moral stories for mutual respect

To ensure gender equality teacher can use moral stories on the importance of mutual respect

between men and women in the classrooms. This will help in inculcating values on gender equality

among the students from the school age itself.

j. Make the students aware of gender equality

Teacher can provide awareness on importance and need for gender equality for a better society by

giving small talks or initiating group discussions in the classroom.

k. Showing inspirational films and videos in the classroom

Inspirational videos and films depicting the need and importance of gender equality for the

improvement of the society can be shown in the classroom during leisure time or at some occasions.

REFERENCES

Ballantine, J.H., and Spade,J.Z. (2014). Schools and Society: A Sociological Approach to
Education. New York: Sage Publications.


Bank,B.J. (2007). Gender and Education: An Encyclopaedia. Praeger, Westport, London.

Bhatttachargee., and Nandini. (1999). Women’s Education and Social Development. Kanishka.
New Delhi.
Constance, P. (1989). Feminism, Psychoanalysis and the study of Popular Culture. Routledge.
New York.