Ways To Eliminate Gender Bias In The Education Industry
Ironically, education teaches us impartiality but is also plagued with the non-rational issue of gender bias. Gender bias is a conditioning — a way of thought — that infests a section of people, who unconsciously act biased towards one part of the community. Sad but true, even the educators have these biases. It is assumed that girls are fit for Arts while boys are made for Engineering and other streams. Even though the percentage of girls enrolling in education has increased by over 400% in the past decade, the notions have not changed in many quarters. If we refer to the cognitive abilities and the success ratios, girls have outperformed boys in several areas.
The staff room scenario isn’t anything different, either. Male teachers are considered more capable of sports activities of students over female teachers, in many academic areas like assignment writing, assessment help etc. But we can avoid these by following these rules.
(A) Have training for teachers
Teachers should be trained to find out the unconscious biases in them. They should be made to answer questions like:
Whom do I prefer when a boy or girl raises hands in class?Do I address boys and girls in the same manner?
Do I scold them equally when they do wrong?
Do I distribute class duties to both of the genders equally, or do I have any stigma attached to delegating duties?
Do I ask complex questions to both genders equally?
Do I consider themselves equal when delegating physical tasks?
While citing examples, have I ever cited from gender-biased texts?
Have I interrupted one gender more than the other in the class during discussions?
Do I help, encourage or promote both the boys and girls based purely on their performance or something else?
(B) Role Reversal for teachers
Teachers should be trained to find out the unconscious biases in them. They should be made to answer questions like:
All the male staff should carry out the work of female staff for one day and vice versa, every week. For example, a female staff member must take up sports lessons instead of male staff for a day and so on. Putting oneself into other’s shoe’ can often help one realise the gender bias they, intentionally or unintentionally, practice in their daily walks of life.
(C) A fixed class session for gender education
This is by far the most helpful way of nipping gender equality in students in the bud. Every now and then, debates should be held between boys and girls. The boys should be assigned topics to speak in for like:
Why should girls be more considered for sports?
How have girls fared better than boys?
Which ways can girls stand equal to boys?
How can your father be more compassionate towards your mother?
If you lose in academics to a girl, what would you do?
Similarly, girls can be asked to debate for the motion on topics that restrict boys due to sexism. Not only that, the teacher or moderator of the sessions must regularly emphasise how boys and girls can work on equal footings to create wonders.
Sexism is a plague that restricts growth and harmony in society. Often, gender biasness is ingrained in children early because of what they see around them in school. So educators need to be very careful about the surroundings and do the right things so that the young adults of tomorrow are more liberal than their orthodox forefathers.
Source:- Medium.com