As a starting note, the topic of societal gender norms and its impact on the education of an individual is one that has interested me for multiple reasons. For starters, my inspiration to write this research paper about the topic of societal norms was generated after reading and analyzing the stimulus source titled “Chapter XVI: The Life of the Peasants. ” The source deals with sexism and gender roles in a society where social classes determine the life of individuals.
Throughout the passage, the struggles of peasants in mediaeval times is mentioned; however, women are not mentioned for most of the article, hich implies that they were not as important. In the case that they were, women were referred to as just the wife of the peasants and not given the same level of importance. Furthermore, quotes such as “they could also marry any woman they wished without asking for their lord’s consent or paying him a fee” and “he must pay a tax.. this is only the beginning. When his wife has to bake, it must be taken to the lord’s oven” (Harper & Brothers 257).
It is simple to notice that gender norms dominate that society, men do the difficult work while women make the bread. The imbalance in gender roles allowed e to realize that there is a connection in this source to the society in which we currently live. On a different note, the article “Vanishing Voices” mainly discusses the fact that many languages are disappearing within a few months and the way in which that affects culture and society.
The text “parents in tribal villages often encourage their children to move away from the insular language… owards languages that will permit for greater success” (Rymer 7). provided the inspiration for me to consider writing about the topic of education. After, I combined both ideas to be reflected on my research question. Prolonged conflicts regarding gender disparities has caused the issue of gender norms and the impact they might have on the education of an individual. Gender stereotyping begins as soon as the gender of the embryo is known. Parents often decorate the room if their child in accordance to the gender.
For instance, “as soon as we find out it’s a girl, we immediately begin decorating a pink nursery filled with soft decor and butterflies and flowers. ” (Brewer). This follows the common stereotype that the girl will be interested in dolls and the color pink just because she is a girl. The parents do not usually consider the possibility that their child might like to play with cars or that the child will not like the color pink. Moreover, “even though many parents don’t realize it, is setting our child up to be the ‘perfect lady” (Brewer). In other words, the parents are raising their child to be a stereotypical woman.
By the same token, children of the opposite gender are also affected by the societal expectations of what he should act or look like. For example, “The nursery is decked out in blue… and the theme is usually something like jungle animals or dinosaurs; something tough. ” (Brewer). Such behavior is taught by their parents and society. Boys are taught to be tough and work while the female does all the work in the house. Overall, these pressure of gender norms that affect both male and females negatively impact their education in copious manners. Education is one of the utmost essential components of a fine lifestyle.
As proof, the Global Partnership for Education, an organization that supports developing countries to ensure that every child receives a quality basic education, stated that “education is a vital human right and plays a key role in human, social, and economic development. (“Education”). This text proves that in order to succeed in life, a certain level of education is required. Therefore, all children should have access to education from an early age. However, that is not the case, as many children around the globe are deprived of their right to education.
One of the many factors that causes this to occur are the gender norms set by common society. Whether it is related to gender, race, or religion, the pressures or expectations of society prevents individuals from receiving a great quality of education and being accomplished beings while contributing to he well-being of the world and their own lives. As a result of the minimal or poor quality education that some individuals receive, they grow up to be uneducated individuals who in turn must settle for low paying jobs and dreadful lifestyles.
This issue leads to consider the implications of Society has its own way of viewing individuals in accordance to certain norms that apply to both boys and girls. Resultantly, both men and women are expected to follow certain rules, and in the case that they fail to do this, society will criticize them for making the “wrong” choices. Children spend most of their time in school, this is why it is extremely important that a child feels comfortable in that environment. Moreover, education is a crucial part of an individual’s life, as it determines much of their future.
However, this is not the case in some situations where children do not follow the gender norms imposed by society. Adolescents who are attracted to the opposite sex, otherwise known as being homosexual, are bound to be victims of name calling and discrimination. This is due to the reason that they are different than what the public considers normal. Various studies have hown that words such as faggot, lezzie, and poofter are some of the names that children are being called while in school (Slaatten and Gabrys).
By the same token, Slaatten and Gabrys stated that “adolescents were also more likely to have called boys gay-related names than to have called girls such names, regardless of the reason for the name-calling. ” (“Gay-Related Name-Calling as a Response to the Violation of Gender Norms”). In this specific case, boys are more likely to be judged because society expects them to be tough and attracted to women, which is not the case with homosexual beings. As previously mentioned, boys are victims of name calling because of their sexual preference.
For instance, according to the research study conducted by Slaatten and Gabrys, only 17. percent of victims were called “gay” as a reference to actual or suspected sexual orientation, in comparison to 43. 9 percent who did it because of their gender norms violation. (“Gay-Related Name-Calling as a Response to the Violation of Gender Norms”). Likewise, the result from the research study relating to name calling for being homosexual also affected girls. The results of this experiment learly illustrate an issue in with gender rules in education. On the same note, gender related The concept of inequity applies in the field of education, as many children are bullied because of gender issue relating to the expectations of society.
Bullying is a complex form of aggression, which is manifested in different forms. (Swearer and Hymel). Some children are more likely to be bullied than others because of their gender, which will eventually harm their education. As proof, Swearer and Hymel explained in their research study that “bully-victims experiencing worse outcomes than either bullies or victims, eing at greater risk for anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicidality, physical injury, substance abuse, negative attitudes toward school.. ” (345). It can be concluded that bullying could negatively impact the education of an individual.
Opposite to the previous statement, some consider that bullying might be a have a positive effect on an individual. As stated in the article “Why it’s not always bad to be bullied: Learning to fight back helps children mature, says study,” psychologists believe that “standing up to bullies and classroom enemies can help children develop. (Derbyshire). This text contains the message that it is important to stand up and fight, as it benefits the mental development of a child. Moreover, gender inequity is one of the great enigmas of common society. It implicates the belief that women should not have the same rights as men, and vice-versa.
This problem is commonly associated with the unfair treatments that women have had to cope with over the years. Therefore, gender inequity classifies women in a low with countless opportunities to achieve greatness, while women receive little to no opportunities to achieve their goals. This status and provides men ituation has greatly improved over the past couple of decades; however, it is still occurring in some places. The issue of education and gender inequality is slowly declining, but is taking place in numerous locations.
In accordance to UNICEF, a humanitarian and development agency working globally for the rights of every child, “… An estimated 31 million girls of primary school age and 32 million girls of lower secondary school age were out of school in 2013. ” later mentioning that “South and West Asia has the widest gender gap in its out-of-school population 80 per cent of its out-of-school girls are unlikely to ver start school compared to 16 per cent of its out-of-school boys. ” (“Girls’ education and gender equality. “) This further proves that boys are favored over girls in certain societies and women are left out as if they are not significant. Overall, the education of women could greatly be impacted by the depletion of societal gender norms.
Although sometimes misunderstood, the topic of gender inequity does not specifically refer to women. Instead, “gender refers to both men and women, and the roles they offer to the society” (Monteiro). This evidence written by Monteiro, a writer for ECOW-GEN, an organization hat focuses on addressing barriers to the equal participation of women and men in expanding energy access in West Africa, provides a brief explanation of gender and its definition. Similar to the education of girls, gender roles play a key factor in the learning of a boy; nonetheless, this is not commonly perceived in the United States.
However, in some regions, boys are forced to leave school and work to sustain their life. As proof, UNICEF stated that “boys’ educational opportunities are limited by gender roles that force them to work rather than attend school. These financial responsibilities are often increased in boys’ dolescent years, making it difficult for them to complete secondary school in some regions” (“Gender Discrimination”) This information solidifies the fact that gender roles play an important role on the education of an individual.
In the circumstance that a person is affected by the expectations and pressures of society, this will have a negative effect on the education of that being. Moreover, other factors that impact the education of an individual as a result of gender norms can be observed though a psychosomatic point of view. Solution There is no doubt that gender roles negatively impact the education of an individual. Due to this reason, there can be multitudinous solutions for the problem. One of the methods to solve gender norms for have single gender classes.
Research has shown that these classes provide a more peaceful environment for students. However, there are many disadvantages like the danger of reinforcing male and female stereotypes. Moreover, schools should inculcate exemplary teachers who act as role models. From an early age, students should be taught to accept others for who they are and learn that not everyone has to be as society expects them to be. One way to achieve this is by discussing with children what stereotyping means and how it affects society.
Also, there should not be any stereotypical behavior in the classroom. Similarly, parents must instill certain behaviors at home in order for their child to be educated about the stereotypical world. A way in which parents can achieve this is by encouraging playdates with children of the opposite sex, as they tend to engage in more varied activities and will learn from each other. Ultimately, gender roles and its pressures or expectations are a concerning topic of common society and should be solved.
