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What do we mean by Gender Equality and Gender Equity?
What do we mean by Gender Equality and Gender Equity?
Equality is achieved all people enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society, including economic participation and decision-making, and when the different behaviours, aspirations and needs of all are equally valued and favoured.
Gender equality is the goal, and gender equity is what we do to address the needs of our children to achieve this goal. To do this, we need to question our 'taken for granted' ways of thinking and how children perceive their potential outcomes. It is about how we support each of them to be all they can be, according to their needs.
Are girls and boys not just naturally different?
Are girls and boys not just naturally different?
There is overwhelming evidence that this is not the case. Neurological studies into the brain show little to no evidence that boys and girls think and learn differently. In fact, what these studies show is that there is more variance within groups of boys and within groups of girls, than there is between boys and girls. A recent literature review by Education Scotland on Improving Gender Balance found that there are no inherent differences between genders which should limit a young person’s interests, capabilities or ambitions
What we now understand is that gender differences are learned from lived experiences, and not innate.
'Boys will be boys and girls will be girls - boys prefer to play in construction and girls in the house...?'
'Boys will be boys and girls will be girls - boys prefer to play in construction and girls in the house...?'
We know that from birth, children actively create their own understanding of the world around them from interactions with others and their environment, picking up information from everything that they see, do and hear.
All these bits of information help them to construct their knowledge about what they must do to be perceived as a 'normal' boy or girl - what it means in their environment to be 'successfully male or female'. These understandings of what is expected of boys and girls can often be built on gender stereotypes that they have absorbed through unintended messages or traditional expectations - 'man up, boys don't cry!' or girls being told 'don't get your dress/shoes dirty!'
Gender Stereotyping and Unconscious Bias - why do they matter?
Gender Stereotyping and Unconscious Bias - why do they matter?
Gender Stereotyping
Gender Stereotyping
We can understand a stereotype as:
'a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. '
Gender stereotyping comes from deeply held, taken for granted assumptions that all boys will behave in the same way and like the same things and that girls, too, behave in the same way and like the same things. These stereotypes tend to divide personality traits into 'male' and' female' - for example, boys are adventurous, practical and logical - girls are sensitive, indecisive and emotional.
As children conform to these spoken or implied expectations, the way that they are able to interact with their environment and the activities , interests and choices they engage in, can be limited and restricting - ultimately affecting their life chances and goals.
In her excellent TED talk, "The danger of a single story," Adichie discusses how "Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories... and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding." To watch her talk, visit http://bit.ly/U5t0Hy(facebook.com/amightygirl)
"I can remember speaking to a 12-year-old boy, a football player, and I asked him, 'How would you feel if, in front of all the players, the coach told you, you were playing like a girl?' Now I expected him to say that I'd be sad or I'd be mad or I'd be angry or something. No, the boy said to me, 'It would destroy me.' And, I said to myself.... if it would destroy him to be called a girl, what are we then teaching him about girls.? -- Tony Porter
Unconscious Bias
Unconscious Bias
Research shows that we all have preconceived ideas that are influenced by our background, personal experiences, social stereotypes and cultural context. As the term implies, unconscious bias develops from ways in which our environment and external influences shape us and can colour our perceptions- It is good to be aware of this, as we can reflect on how these may be influencing our expectations or practice.
Identifying Unconscious Bias
Identifying Unconscious Bias
In an experiment, adult participants were shown a video of a baby kicking and rolling about in a cot.
For one group, the baby was dressed in blue and for the other, the same baby was dressed in pink. The two groups saw the baby moving in the same way.
When asked to describe the child, the participants who saw the child dressed in pink said that the baby was delicate and graceful. In contrast, the participants that saw the baby dressed in blue described the child as vigorous, with some even suggesting that the baby would become a champion footballer!
Karmiloff &Karmiloff-Smith, 2011, seen in Gender Equal Play (Care inspectorate. 2018)Watch this short video and consider:
What are some of my own biases, values and belief systems in relation to gender?
How might these gender values / beliefs influence the way I interact with children?
Do I engage differently with boys and girls?
Can gender roles and stereotypes be harmful?
Can gender roles and stereotypes be harmful?
Limiting and restricting gender roles have been identified as having a negative impact on both boys and girls, affecting their future opportunities , mental health and self esteem.
For example, gender stereotypes can contribute to girls having negative feelings about their body image, which can lead to avoiding P.E. and Sports activities and developing eating disorders. It can leave them vulnerable to different forms of violence and abuse:
'Promoting equality between men and women is a key element in tackling violence against women.' ( Scottish Government. 2009)
Boys, too, can suffer from the expectations that surround masculinity. Feeling the need to appear strong and in control of their feelings can leave men and boys vulnerable to mental health problems, for example, not feeling able to take time from work for health issues and lacking support when facing difficult life events. In Scotland, in 2015, the suicide rate for men was more than 2.5 times higher than for women.
Research has also shown that, for some boys, living up to the gender stereotypes can encourage them to engage in risky behaviour and 'bravado', exposing them to smoking, drink and drugs at an earlier age and more risk of physical violence and injury.
Suicide Statistics for Scotland Update of Trends to 2016, NHS Information Services Division, 2017 It Begins at 10: How Gender Expectations Shape Early, Adolescence Around the World , Blum, Mmari, and Moreau. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2017.
What can Practitioners do to Support Gender Equity?
What can Practitioners do to Support Gender Equity?
There are a wealth of useful resources online to support practitioners and settings in the ELC sector to promote gender equality and tackle stereotyping.
The Care Inspectorate has worked with Zero Tolerance to promote gender equal play in order to help practitioners enhance gender equality for children across the ELCC sector. The document offers suggestions and case studies for challenging gender stereotyping:
Reflective questions to consider your own unconscious bias
Auditing environment and resources
Thinking about your use of language and thinking of more neutral and inclusive language
Challenge children's understanding of gender roles though story telling and role play
Developing a gender equality policy
Talking to parents, carers and staff members to create a common vision and support for goals and actions.
Created through partnerships between Skills Development Scotland, the Institute of Physics and Education Scotland, this site is dedicated to all practitioners (ELC, primary and secondary schools).
An action guide for early learning and childcare practitioners
Gender Stereotypes: an introduction for practitioners in schools and early learning centres
igb-sef-2021 (1).pdfGender Equity and the National Improvement Framework
Gender Equity and the National Improvement Framework
By challenging these limiting and restricting stereotypes from the early years, practitioners can support the aspirations embedded in the National Improvement Framework, namely:
Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy
Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people
Improvement in children and young people's health and wellbeing
Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school-leaver destinations for all young people
Gender Equity, The National Standard and How Good is out Early Learning and Childcare?
Gender Equity, The National Standard and How Good is out Early Learning and Childcare?
Criteria 6 - Inclusion
Criteria 6 - Inclusion
'An inclusive approach, with an appreciation of diversity and an ambition for all to achieve to their full potential, is essential to getting it right for every child and raising attainment for all. Inclusion is the cornerstone to help us achieve equity and excellence in education for all of our children and young people.'
'The setting should ensure that the practice, policies and procedures in their setting are in line with the Equality Act 2010. The setting should be able to show how they are meeting the Health and Social Care Standards related to this criteria such as: “I am accepted and valued whatever my needs, ability, gender, age faith, mental health status, race, background or sexual orientation.'
How Good is out Early Learning and Childcare?
How Good is out Early Learning and Childcare?
Q.I. 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion . Level 5 illustration
'We actively promote inclusion and equity, supporting all children to make very good progress and fulfil their potential. Children and families, practitioners and partners are treated with respect and in a fair and just manner. We value diversity and challenge discrimination. In our setting we understand, value and celebrate age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. None of these is a barrier to participation for young children or their families. We have effective strategies in place which are improving progress for all children, with a focus on those facing challenges such as children from our most deprived areas, those who are looked after and those with additional support needs.' Education Scotland 2016
How do the Health and Social Care Standards support Gender Equity?
How do the Health and Social Care Standards support Gender Equity?
1.1: ‘I am accepted and valued whatever my needs, ability, gender, age, faith, mental health status, race, background or sexual orientation.’
1.2: ‘My human rights are protected and promoted, and I experience no discrimination.’
2.15: ‘I am enabled to resolve conflict, agree rules and build positive relationships with people as much as I can.’
2.27: ‘As a child, I can direct my own play and activities in the way that I choose, and freely access a wide range of experiences and resources suitable for my age and stage, which stimulate my natural curiosity, learning and creativity.’
3.5: ‘As a child or young person, I am helped to develop a positive view of myself and to form and sustain trusting and secure relationships.’
4.1: ‘My human rights are central to the organisations that support and care for me.’
4.2: ‘The organisations that support and care for me help tackle health and social inequalities.’
4.3: ‘I experience care where all people are respected and valued.’
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