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GENDER AND EDUCATION:Impact of Educational Deprivation

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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)
VU
Lesson 25
GENDER AND EDUCATION
Looking at the issue of gender and education, two aspects need to be discussed;
a.  Educational Deprivation
b. The School Experience
Education is one of the most basic rights of all children .......both male and female. Education brings
enlightenment, and empowerment. For the children who are deprived of this right, all paths, leading to
progress, prosperity, and a better life, are blocked. In case of the female child the impact is even more serious
and long-term. Educated mother not only brings up their children in a better manner, but also actually
contribute a lot to the survival of their children. Research data reveal that children of educated mothers are
better than the children of uneducated mothers in terms of their health and education. Educated mothers are
better aware of disease prevention, the significance of proper nutrition, importance of medical consultation,
children's development/ growth pattern, and healthy lifestyles, as compared to uneducated mothers. In terms
of personal well being, education leads to social and economic empowerment of women.
BUT how many females, all over the world, have this right? Large proportion of women are either denied this
right, or do not have access to education. Women in some parts of the world are more privileged than those
belonging to some other regions. Out of the 875 million illiterate adults in the world, two third are females.
Majority of the 121 million children of the world, who are not in schools, are girls. In 2002, 24 million girls
were not going to school in Sub Saharan Africa. Such Saharan Africa, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific are
the regions where 83% of all girls out of school, belong to these regions (Verma, 2006).
Impact of Educational Deprivation
Denial of the right to education, or inaccessibility of educational facility has deep rooted personal and social
consequences. For the person, the female, it implies that a number of doorways to social and economic
empowerment will be blocked. The health status of educated women is better than that of the uneducated;
educated women adopt more and better disease prevention strategies. They are better aware of and adopt
precautions against, reproductive and childbirth complications. They can protect themselves against abuse and
violence. Educated women are economically more empowered than uneducated women.
They are more aware of their legal and political rights.
Psychologically speaking, education enlightens women and gives a sense of self fulfillment and self-esteem.
Therefore if the girl child and women are deprived of education, the chances of her utilizing her optimal
potential are very bleak.
Barriers to Women Education
Cultural Practices
Many societies and cultures do not encourage their females to leave, home boundaries. The girls are involved in
domestic chores from the very beginning. It is felt that education is only required when someone has to work
out side home; and girls do not have to do that, since husbands will take care of their life.
Early Marriages
More girls remain uneducated in cultures where early marriages are practiced.
Lack of educational facilities
If schools and educational institutions are not available or accessible, then even the willing and interested
parents cannot send their daughter to school.
The School Experience and Gender
Most schools operate in a manner that promotes and strengthens gender stereotypes. This happen both in
unisex as well as co-educational institutions. In `girls only' school girls are taught traditional female roles and
values; girls from such schools, when enter coeducational institutions for higher education, have some
difficulties or psychological problems. They were always treated as an entity separate from men and were told
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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)
VU
to protect themselves against men; and now they have to mingle with them. Teachers, research shows, treat
male and female children differently. Teachers promote stereotypical gender roles (Garrahy, 2001).
Even very young children indulge into gender segregation; the teacher generally permissive about it and in fact
many encourage this practice (Thorne, 1993). One problem that may arise for many boys is that most junior
school teachers are females, who may not be good or appropriate role models for growing boys.
Even when some male teachers teach in junior schools they are not the right role models; for most male
teachers junior school teaching is not their main ambition, passion or the career path they would like to stick
to. Usually the brighter male lot goes for higher education and professional qualification in order to join more
paying careers. For girls usually better role models are available in school. Elementary school teachers, whether
male or female, encourage compliance and reward children for being compliant (Cohen, 1992).When male
teachers are teaching, there is less gender stereotyping. When students taught by male teachers are compared
with those taught by female teachers, it is seen that the former make significantly less stereotypical explanations
of the behaviors of men and women (Mancus, 1992).in initial years at school some, not many, gender
differences are found in the achievement of children, in which girls have an edge (Bae, Choy, Geddes, Sable,
and Snyder, 2008).Girls' grades are better and they score higher than boys in reading and writing. Besides
gender factors like mothers' occupation and fathers' education have been found to be important in this regard.
Regarding referral for special education services, the likelihood is higher for boys to receive such referrals;
some studies suggest that this is a result of gender bias (Wehmeyer, 2001).
Some other differences emerge in middle school but this time more in favor of boys. In the earlier years
difference in achievement were found on the basis of ability but now it is with reference to children's attitudes
and interests. Girls usually do not opt for physical sciences as the major area of their interest. In middle school
boys are more interested in taking part in science-related tasks and activities; they are more likely to use
scientific equipment. Girls do show interest in participating in these activities, but are les likely than boys to
actually do so. This is one of the reasons why girls have little interest and lower achievement in physical science
(Lee and Burkam, 1996).Although girls still get comparable or better grades than boys in mathematics, they are
less interested in math; considering their field of study, girls find math to be less interesting (Davis-Kean,
Eccles, and Linver, 2002). Math is stereotypically perceived as a male domain, and that can be one of the
reasons girls start losing interest in math. Boys, girls, parents, and teachers all hold to this belief about math
(Nosek, Benaji, and Greenwald. 2002; Tiedenann, 2000).
However girls' interests in science and maths is lowered, but not there grades. During these years and then into
higher classes, gender segregation begins, and activities, occupation and interests re seen to be separate for men
and women. Sexual harassment, harassment otherwise, bullying and child abuse are problems faced by many
children at school, both male and female; however the rate is higher for female students who go non-traditional
vocational training institution.
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION:Common misconception, Some questions to ponder
  2. FEMINIST MOVEMENT:Forms or Varieties of Feminism, First wave feminists
  3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:Functionalism, Psychoanalytic Psychology:
  4. Gender- related Research:Andocentricity, Overgeneralizing, Gender Blindness
  5. RESEARCH METHODS FOR GENDER ISSUES:The Procedure of Content Analysis
  6. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:Limitations Of Quantitative Research
  7. BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENDERSHormones and Chromosomes
  8. BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENDERS: HORMONES AND NERVOUS SYSTEM
  9. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT:The Biological Approach,
  10. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (2):The Behavioral Approach
  11. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (3):The Cognitive Approach
  12. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (3):Psychoanalytic Feminism
  13. OTHER APPROACHES:The Humanistic Approach, Cultural Influences
  14. GENDER TYPING AND STEREOTYPING:Development of sex-typing
  15. GENDER STEREOTYPES:Some commonly held Gender Stereotypes
  16. Developmental Stages of Gender Stereotypes:Psychoanalytic Approach, Hostile sexism
  17. CULTURAL INFLUENCE & GENDER ROLES:Arapesh, Mundugumor
  18. DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER ROLE IDENTIFICATION:Gender Role Preference
  19. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY:GENDER DIFFERENCES IN BULLYING
  20. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY:GENDER, AFFILIATION AND FRIENDSHIP
  21. COGNITIVE DIFFERENCES:Gender Differences in I.Q, Gender and Verbal Ability
  22. GENDER AND MEDIA:Print Media and Portrayal of Genders
  23. GENDER AND EMOTION:The components of Emotions
  24. GENDER, EMOTION, & MOTIVATION:Affiliation, Love, Jealousy
  25. GENDER AND EDUCATION:Impact of Educational Deprivation
  26. GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT:Informal Work
  27. GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT (2):Glass-Ceiling Effect
  28. GENDER, WORK & RELATED ISSUES:Sexual Harassment at Workplace
  29. GENDER AND VIOLENCE:Domestic Violence, Patriarchal terrorism
  30. GENDER AND HEALTH:The Significance of Women’s Health
  31. GENDER, HEALTH, AND AGING:Genetic Protection, Behavioral Factors
  32. GENDER, HEALTH, AND AGING:Physiological /Biological Effects, Changes in Appearance
  33. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN AGING:Marriage and Loneliness, Empty Nest Syndrome
  34. GENDER AND HEALTH PROMOTING BEHAVIORS:Fitness and Exercise
  35. GENDER AND HEALTH PROMOTING BEHAVIOR:The Classic Alameda County Study
  36. GENDER AND HEART DISEASE:Angina Pectoris, The Risk factors in CHD
  37. GENDER AND CANCER:The Trend of Mortality Rates from Cancer
  38. GENDER AND HIV/AIDS:Symptoms of AIDS, Mode of Transmission
  39. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH FEMALES’ REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
  40. OBESITY AND WEIGHT CONTROL:Consequences of Obesity, Eating Disorders
  41. GENDER AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:Gender, Stress and Coping
  42. GENDER AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:The Diagnostic Criteria
  43. GENDER AND PSYCHOTHERAPY:Traditional Versus Feminist Theory
  44. FEMINIST THERAPY:Changes targeted at societal level
  45. COURSE REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF NEW AVENUES FOR RESEARCH IN GENDER ISSUES