My Questions
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To what extent as an educator, teaching internationally, should a teacher influence her students and community with personal values, in particular, values on gender and higher education for girls?
Is ensuring equal education for girls around the globe a worthy cause? What can I do about it? How should this affect my current teaching? |
Research Process and Analysis
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There is a disparity between the amount of girls who attend school and the amount of boys who attend school globally.
Girls have an equal right to a quality education because...
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"It’s important to look beyond parity. There has been quantitative progress in many countries, but this doesn’t mean equality in learning outcomes and life opportunities." - Nancy Kendall, USAID Gender parity programs will fail if they do not involve local community members in a collaborative effort. Improving education for only girls in an effort to achieve gender parity comes across as sexist and unfair, especially in patriarchal societies. |
Increasing Gender Equity in Schools
Cultural Influences that Affect Gender Equity
Social context is key to understanding gender disparity. The highest levels of inequality occur in countries where the following traditions are in practice: patrilineal inheritance and descent, early marriage, family resources being controlled by the oldest male in the household, and limitations preventing women from participating in public (RECOUP, 2008, p.2). Girls from rural areas with low SES are the most deprived when it comes to basic education. A study done in Yemen found that especially in rural areas, as girls grow up, and are expected to perform household chores or perhaps prepare for early marriage, girls are less encouraged to attend school (UNESCO, 2011, p.14). UNESCO, 2011 also cited parental motivation, societal pressures and family needs as constraints causing gender disparity.
Coming in as an outside force, like a nongovernmental organization, to change all of these cultural practices does not work. Even in Malawi where the government participated in GABLE, a gender parity approach targeting girls did not work. Because the project had a feminist approach and aimed specifically at enrolling more girls in school, it came off as being “un‐African” and threatened the construction of African masculinities (UNESCO, 2011, p.16).
In Yemen, an organization called JICA involved community leaders, mothers, and religious leaders in planning and organizing the schools and in advocacy campaigns. By involving the community in the decision-making process, the group was able to “reduce obstacles to girls’ education” and “lessen the psychological distance between the community and the school” (UNESCO, 2011, p.14). These cases, and many more, have shown that achieving gender equity necessitates community involvement and discussion. That cultural values need to be taken into consideration and respected so that a collaborative effort to improve education for all can take place.
Coming in as an outside force, like a nongovernmental organization, to change all of these cultural practices does not work. Even in Malawi where the government participated in GABLE, a gender parity approach targeting girls did not work. Because the project had a feminist approach and aimed specifically at enrolling more girls in school, it came off as being “un‐African” and threatened the construction of African masculinities (UNESCO, 2011, p.16).
In Yemen, an organization called JICA involved community leaders, mothers, and religious leaders in planning and organizing the schools and in advocacy campaigns. By involving the community in the decision-making process, the group was able to “reduce obstacles to girls’ education” and “lessen the psychological distance between the community and the school” (UNESCO, 2011, p.14). These cases, and many more, have shown that achieving gender equity necessitates community involvement and discussion. That cultural values need to be taken into consideration and respected so that a collaborative effort to improve education for all can take place.
My Conclusions
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For TEACHERS
During my inquiry, I learned that gender equity is a more important goal than gender parity and that by trying to achieve gender equity, gender parity will follow. Gender equity is not just something that other countries are working toward, but is also something that American teachers should be aware of and work toward. Teachers should know their own gender biases in order to keep from transferring them onto the students. Gender equality is something that as an international teacher I can strive towards no matter where I am. How this issue is addressed, however, does heavily rely on the social, cultural, and traditional norms in a local community. |
As USAID, GABLE, and the UN discovered, it is essential to work collaboratively with local students, parents, and community members towards gender equity. Finally, gender equity is best achieved by improving education for girls and boys.
Important Terms and Definitions
Gender Parity- a quantitative measurement, achieving equal participation of girls and boys in all forms of education based on their proportion in the relevant age-groups in the population
Gender Equity- ensuring educational equality between boys and girls
UNESCO- An agency of the United Nations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization whose purpose is to contribute to international peace and security through education, science and culture
USAID- United States Agency for International Development, responsible for administering civilian foreign aid to fight poverty world wide and promote democratic societies
UNICEF- United Nations Children's Fund, concerned with improving the health and nutrition of children and mothers throughout the world.
GEMS- Gender Equity Movement in Schools
GABLE- Girls Attainment in Basic Literacy and Education, a program that ran from 1990 to 2000 in Malawi and aimed to get more girls enrolled in school.
SMCEQ- Social, Mobilization Campaign to Improve Educational Quality
CFS- child friendly schools, a program created by UNICEF operating under the principle that schools should operate in the best interests of the child, schools should be safe, have highly trained teachers, adequate resources, and an environment conducive to learning.
The CFS model promotes inclusiveness, gender-sensitivity, tolerance, dignity and personal empowerment.
Gender Equity- ensuring educational equality between boys and girls
UNESCO- An agency of the United Nations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization whose purpose is to contribute to international peace and security through education, science and culture
USAID- United States Agency for International Development, responsible for administering civilian foreign aid to fight poverty world wide and promote democratic societies
UNICEF- United Nations Children's Fund, concerned with improving the health and nutrition of children and mothers throughout the world.
GEMS- Gender Equity Movement in Schools
GABLE- Girls Attainment in Basic Literacy and Education, a program that ran from 1990 to 2000 in Malawi and aimed to get more girls enrolled in school.
SMCEQ- Social, Mobilization Campaign to Improve Educational Quality
CFS- child friendly schools, a program created by UNICEF operating under the principle that schools should operate in the best interests of the child, schools should be safe, have highly trained teachers, adequate resources, and an environment conducive to learning.
The CFS model promotes inclusiveness, gender-sensitivity, tolerance, dignity and personal empowerment.
Resources
Achyut P., Bhatla N., Khandekar S., Maitra S. and Verma R.K. (2011). Building Support for Gender Equality among Young Adolescents in School: Findings from Mumbai, India. ICRW, New Delhi.
Basic education and gender equality. (2010, November 18). Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://www.unicef.org/education/index_focus_schools.html
Colclough, C. (2008). Gender Equality in Education Increasing the Momentum for Change. Retrieved February 26, 2015, from http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/pdf/outputs/impoutcomes_rpc/pb2.pdf
Fiske, E. (Ed.). (2012). World atlas of gender equality in education. Retrieved February 18, 2015, from http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Documents/unesco-world-atlas-gender-education-2012.pdf
Gender Equality in Education: Looking beyond Parity An IIEP Evidence‐Based Policy Forum. (2011). Retrieved February 22, 2015, from https://genderpolicyforum.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/gender_policy_forum_outcome_report21.pdf
Girls' education and gender equality. (2015, July 15). Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_70640.html
Kendall, N. (2006). Strengthening Gender and Education Programming in the 21st Century. USAID Working Paper. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.epdc.org/sites/default/files/documents/Strengthening Gender and Education Programming in the 21st Century.pdf
Kendall, N. (2006). Why gender equity in education reform? USAID Policy Brief. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.epdc.org/sites/default/files/documents/Why Gender Equity in Education Reform.pdf
Miller, C. (2015, February 6). How Elementary School Teachers’ Biases Can Discourage Girls From Math and Science. The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/07/upshot/how-elementary-school-teachers-biases-can-discourage-girls-from-math-and-science.html?_r=1&abt=0002&abg=0
Promoting Gender Equality through UNICEF-Supported Programming in Basic Education. (2011). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.unicef.org/gender/files/BasicEducation_Layout_Web.pdf
Basic education and gender equality. (2010, November 18). Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://www.unicef.org/education/index_focus_schools.html
Colclough, C. (2008). Gender Equality in Education Increasing the Momentum for Change. Retrieved February 26, 2015, from http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/pdf/outputs/impoutcomes_rpc/pb2.pdf
Fiske, E. (Ed.). (2012). World atlas of gender equality in education. Retrieved February 18, 2015, from http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Documents/unesco-world-atlas-gender-education-2012.pdf
Gender Equality in Education: Looking beyond Parity An IIEP Evidence‐Based Policy Forum. (2011). Retrieved February 22, 2015, from https://genderpolicyforum.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/gender_policy_forum_outcome_report21.pdf
Girls' education and gender equality. (2015, July 15). Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_70640.html
Kendall, N. (2006). Strengthening Gender and Education Programming in the 21st Century. USAID Working Paper. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.epdc.org/sites/default/files/documents/Strengthening Gender and Education Programming in the 21st Century.pdf
Kendall, N. (2006). Why gender equity in education reform? USAID Policy Brief. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.epdc.org/sites/default/files/documents/Why Gender Equity in Education Reform.pdf
Miller, C. (2015, February 6). How Elementary School Teachers’ Biases Can Discourage Girls From Math and Science. The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/07/upshot/how-elementary-school-teachers-biases-can-discourage-girls-from-math-and-science.html?_r=1&abt=0002&abg=0
Promoting Gender Equality through UNICEF-Supported Programming in Basic Education. (2011). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.unicef.org/gender/files/BasicEducation_Layout_Web.pdf