Introduction
The human society holds on to traditional stereotypes and social norms regarding gender roles and acceptable behaviors, continuously reinforced from childhood. However, the implications of these ideologies include gender bias, discrimination, and atrocities, especially against women, who struggle in almost all walks of life. The modern era has revealed that gender is a complex phenomenon beyond differentiating men and women. Transgender individuals and people perceived to exhibit queer sexual traits suffer through unimaginable hardships and are neglected because most people refrain from addressing their cases. LGBTQ+ students feel misplaced and underrepresented in educational institutions, which comes at a cost to their positive development. However, instead of adopting structural functionalism approaches to gender, which were eminent in the pre-industrial period, it is advisable to adopt symbolic interactionism perspectives and solutions to better social constructions of gender. This essay details why it is critical address gender identity and associated issues using evidence-based education and gender schema theories that take advantage of the active role of children in learning and adapting to their environment
The Definition and Meaning of Gender
My understanding of gender has significantly shifted over the years and for now I associate the term with individuals’ attributes that classify them as either male or female, irrespective of their sexes. Many people assume that a person’s gender is limited to being a man or a woman, depending on their sexual features at birth. However, my experience with individuals and research about the concept and meaning of gender has allowed me to alter my perspective on what constitutes the term. Gender is broadly described as personal characteristics associated with femininity and masculinity or associated sexual traits, thus allowing individuals to be classified into either group (Bragg et al., 2018). Nevertheless, the issue of gender is far more complicated than a reference to male and female genitalia because they do not dictate gender identity and sexual preference. Contrary to the established norms, an individual can have male physical attributes and features but identify as a female and vice versa (Brömdal et al., 2017). Even so, this does not determine their sexual preference, which further complicates the issue of gender diversity. Therefore, it is crucial to acknowledge these differences and design education systems that accommodate individuals’ uniqueness, consider gender diversity, and promote everyone’s development.
Structural Functionalism and Symbolic Interactionism Perspectives to Gender
Over the years, women have made great strides in fighting for their rights and suppressing their subjugation for men. Initially, structural functionalism facilitated the establishment of roles that limited women to activities within the home while men were assigned tasks outside (Bartlett et al., 2020). Even so, women have struggled to break away from these barriers. However, the war on gender equality is continuously drawing its focus on transgender individuals and people who consider themselves members of the LGBTQ+ community due to oppression. Queer individuals have been hidden from the face of the public for centuries (Bragg et al., 2018). Nevertheless, the modern age has encouraged more people to fight for equal rights and inclusion. Yet, their struggle is limited by human factors like religion and ideas of morality that classify them as extraordinary (Carastathis, 2016). Since the world is advancing to a more democratic society where individuals have a right to do as they wish as long as they do not harm others, there is a need to listen to the plight of these individuals and make changes toward preparing the human generation for the future.
Structural functionalism focuses on the social attributes of individuals rather that their physical characteristics. The approach aims to understand aspects of human behaviors through social interactions. Thus, the theory supports that sexuality and gender are socially constructed rather than imposed. Hence, a favourable social construction of gender will allow the term to become more fluid and not static (Bartlett et al., 2020). In addition, structural functionalism approaches to gender will facilitate advancements in the way people perceive gender and sexuality. In turn, men and women will not be identified based on their biological makeup.
Theoretical Approaches to Gender and Education
My emerging pedagogical and philosophical position toward gender and education is that everyone should have equal access to high-quality facilities and supportive frameworks to ensure favorable development regardless of gender identity. Gender-based discrimination is a social phenomenon that has limited human advancement for centuries. Traditionally, women were not allowed to engage in formal education because the concepts of arithmetic, planning, management, and other fields did not associate with their designated roles in society. However, discrimination in the modern age is characterized by several complexities that affect individuals across populations (Jones, 2020). The concept of gender has significantly changed over time. Nevertheless, acts of marginalization are still eminent as people still look down on others because of their differences and unique aspects. Thus, these issues are relevant to our class discussions as they shed light on the role of the education system in abolishing social structures that seek to undermine particular individuals due to their attributes.
Educational institutions are effective agents of social structures as they play a major role in how individuals construct meaning of the world around them and relate to others. Gender schema theories propose that schools can shape how individuals perceive themselves and other people’s unique differences, including variations in their abilities as children actively learn from their environments (Bartlett et al., 2020). Therefore, all institutions responsible for educating students should adopt pedagogies that teach, create and model conditions in which every child can thrive irrespective of their identity. Early childhood education is particularly critical in altering the current gender norms because children at this age learn from their environment and adapt (Rawlings & Taylor, 2017). Thus, educators should take the initiative to nourish and accept diversity to avoid negative constructs. In other words, teachers in early childhood education institutions should refrain from associating stereotypes regarding feminine and masculine attitudes in gender roles (Kreitzer & Sweet-Cushman, 2021). In time, more people will accept others’ differences and learn not to link an individual’s sexual traits or attributes to specific gender categories.
Educators are the cornerstone of schooling systems and the most powerful allies in advocating for gender equality in classrooms and society. From my perspective, they should adopt gender transformative pedagogies that go beyond identifying gender disparities in institutions. Teachers should engage with students at a personal level and harness the effect of education to shape their attitudes and learning experiences (Jones, 2020). Therefore, they should focus on facilitating an environment that prioritizes gender justice for all individuals and their diversities. First, teachers should work with administrators to target routines and regulations that restrict access to schools for gender-diverse students and barriers that limit them from developing like others (Payne & Smith, 2016). In addition, teachers should prioritize empowering these individuals and making them comfortable among other students. These strategies will ensure that children grow up to challenge gender identities and adopt practices that contribute to equality and development.
I believe that with proper understanding of gender schema theory it is possible to ensure that everyone has equal access to high-quality facilities and supportive frameworks. Educators must spread the behavior model among students. Generally, teachers should act as role models and agents of change so that students can follow in their footsteps. However, to effectively play their roles, teachers require training on how to deal with particular issues and prevent escalations. Teaching faculty members also come from diverse backgrounds and have specific beliefs. Nevertheless, it is critical to note the implications of these beliefs on teacher-student interactions, as they may result in implicit or explicit bias (Kreitzer & Sweet-Cushman, 2021). Thus, to identify tension and deal with the factors of gender discrimination and inequality in classrooms, teachers should be equipped to examine themselves and stand in a neutral position. A beneficial program that teachers should engage with is gender-responsive training (Perander et al., 2020). The opportunity allows teachers to build on the fundamental foundation of empowerment pedagogies and child-centered learning. Similarly, it encourages a critical evaluation of the gendered attributes of learning environments to allow teachers to shape their students’ perceptions and encourage their acceptance of diversity.
Relationship with the Concepts Learned about Gender and Education
High-quality education is critical for the advancement of the human race. However, several factors limit access to education opportunities and the positive development of learners, with the most significant factor being discrimination and inequality (Carastathis, 2016). Gender diversity has emerged as one of the factors contributing to high rates of school dropouts in Australia, especially in environments that do not welcome queer gender identities. Nevertheless, the tenets of human rights and democracy support that all individuals should be treated appropriately in a humane manner regardless of their visible characteristics or features (Payne & Smith, 2016). Subsequently, I believe that the only solution to encourage a more welcoming educational environment is to teach students not to conform to old-age social ideologies aimed at dividing people along economic, gender, racial, and social class lines (Rawlings & Taylor, 2017). Therefore, dealing with complex matters such as those experienced by individuals in the LGBTQ+ community due to their gender identities can help create a society where resources are used to benefit every individual.
Gender stereotyping is an issue that is deeply engraved in human society, thus having implications for learning and what learners are exposed to in schools. In kindergarten, students are differentiated into girls and boys and encouraged to showcase associated interests (Brömdal et al., 2017). In addition, gender stereotyping boils down to the textbooks used to deliver learning instruction as they concentrate on men exhibiting the male figure of authority, while women are less visible in accomplishments and often marginalized. Therefore, a change toward inclusion and gender diversity in educational institutions and society should begin by uprooting these establishments and replacing them with solutions that do not impose societal and cultural ideologies on the growing minds of young children (Jones et al., 2016). It is advisable to apply a similar technique across all educational institutions, including secondary and tertiary levels. In time, individuals will adapt to accepting unique differences and encouraging development instead of focusing on issues that cause divisions.
Conclusion
Societal ideologies, especially those that decide gender roles, have resulted in biases and notions that do not align with human rights and democracy due to overreliance on structural functionalism concepts. However, the modern era has uncovered several gaps in these ideologies as they facilitate bias and discrimination, and exclusion. Over the years, the question of gender has resulted in debates due to individuals’ poor understanding of what the term constitutes. According to symbolic interactionism theories, an individual’s sexual attributes or physical qualities should not be used to dictate their gender. However, discrimination and inadequate support systems limit the inclusion of individuals who associate with the LGBTQ+ community from engaging in various social activities and accessing development opportunities like quality education. Educators are at the forefront of societal change as they can take advantage of their position and resources to encourage gender diversity and equal opportunities. Thus, they should design pedagogies that facilitate inclusion and a conducive environment for gender-diverse students by taking advantage of gender schema theories to prepare children for a better future.
References
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