GNED 10: GENDER AND SOCIETY affect students’ belief and learning.

Teacher education can

CHAPTER VI – GENDER AND THE ACADEME assist teachers to reflect on and overcome these biases.

A. School as Gender Socialization In recognition on the value of teacher education on GAD,

• The process through which people learn and acquire the CHED had issued CMO No. 1, s, 2015 to establishing guidelines
characteristics of the social group to which they belong is in the integration of GAD in higher learning institutions. It aims for
called Socialization. In part, schools are major context in HEIs to establish GAD Focal Point System and integrate
gender socialization. The school is a very important principles of gender equality in the tripartite functions of higher
institution that influence the child’s socialization. education that includes:

• Indeed, school are through which children learn about the 1. Curriculum Development – indicates that CHED shall
social expectations, attitudes and behaviors typically ensure that gender stereotypes and images in educational
associated with boys and girls. School as gender materials and curricula are adequately and appropriately
socialization agent is not only to transmit culture but revised.
somehow assigned specific role differentiation to the coming 2. Gender-Responsive Research Program – states that all
generations. HEIs shall develop a policy to mainstream gender equality
and the principles of women’s empowerment into their
B. Legal Perspective on Gendered School Setting: research program.
Implications to School Policies 3. Gender-Responsive Extension Program – includes a
• The United Nations’ Global Education Monitoring Report collaborative set of activities designed by the HEIs to
(2017) with the theme “Gender equality through school: contribute to the empowerment of both the institutions and
providing a safe and inclusive learning environment” ensures identified communities to promote and achieve the core
that boys and girls must feel welcome in a safe and secure value of gender equality.
learning environment. Governments, schools, teacher and
students all have a part to play in ensuring that schools are C. School Affecting Gender-Based Role Differentiation
free of violence and discrimination and provide a gender- • The school is a very important that influences the child’s
sensitive, good-quality education. socialization. Schools’ affect gender differentiation via two
primary sources: teachers and peers. Teachers and peers
• To achieve this, governments can develop non directly influence gender differentiation by providing boys
discriminatory curricula, facilitate teacher education and and girls with different learning opportunities and feedback.
make sure sanitation facilities are adequate. Schools are Teachers and peers are also sources of learning about
responsible for addressing school-related violence and gender.
students must behave in a non-violent, inclusive way.
How do teachers contribute to gender differences
1. Gender based policies against school-related violence Many educators endorse cultural gender stereotypes (e.g., mat is
School-related violence is a pervasive issue in some easier for boys than girls) and prejudices (Iegel-Crumb, 2012).
countries (including the Philippines). It was estimated that, These biases can be explicit and implicit, and they influence
globally, approximately 246 million girls and boys teachers’ classroom behaviors.
experienced some form of school-related violence in 2014
(UNGEI, 2017). In response to this, some countries, Teachers’ gender stereotypes and prejudice shape their
including the Philippines have passed legislation on gender classroom behavior in at least three ways: First, teachers often
violence in educational institutions. model gender stereotypic behavior. Female teachers for example,
often exhibit “math phobic” behaviors (Beilock et al., 2010).
The 2013 Anti-bullying Act in the Philippines requires all Second, teachers often exhibit differential expectations for males
schools to adopt policies to prevent and address acts of and females (Thorne, 1993). Third, teachers facilitate children’s
bullying. It explicitly refers to gender-based bullying, which is gender biases by marking gender as important by using it to label
described as any act that humiliates or exclude a person on and organize students
the basis of perceived or actual sexual orientation and
gender identity. How do peers contribute to gender differences
Like teachers, peers contribute to the socialization of gender
2. Gender sensitive school facilities difference via multiple pathways. In addition, schools are
Adequate facilities shall be constructed for male and female characterized by gender segregation. When many peers are
students such as comfort rooms that are well managed and available, children tend to select same-sex playmates (Fabes &
maintained, and functional. School inspections play a key Martin, 2001). Peers also contribute to gender differentiation by
role in ensuring that schools adhere to regulations. In teaching their classmates stereotypes (e.g., “Short hair is for boys
Bangladesh, gender issues are rarely included in inspection, not girls”) and punishing them for failing to conform to stereotypes
with sex-separate sanitation facilities only occasionally via verbal harassments and physical aggression.
observed (Chatterley et al., 2014).
D. Cavite State University: Gender and Development Frontier
3. Gender equal curricula and textbooks • The time when Gender and Development was developed in
To facilitate gender-responsive instruction, curricula and the 1980s and had its inclusion in Philippine society, Cavite
textbooks should be free from gender bias and promote State University has been actively involved in promoting a
equality in gender relations. How students perceive gender friendly school environment. Examples are:
themselves and how they project their role in society is  Declaration of 2nd Thursday of March as Women’s day
shaped to some extent by what they experience at school, in CvSU
including by how they are represented in textbooks.  Declaration of the 1st Monday of December as Day of
Support to the 18-day Campaign to End VAW in CvSU
4. Continuing teacher education to address gender-based  Institutional policy on wearing yellow t-shirts every last
biases in school (Legal framework) Thursday of the month strengthening campaign on
Aside from the influence of official curricula and textbooks, R.A. 9262 otherwise known as anti Violence against
teacher practice in the classroom is partly shaped by their Women and their Children.
assumptions and stereotypes about gender, which in turn