1. Gender in
Education in Social
Gender Communication
Institutions Project
CMS 498
By: Krista Jamison

2. Education has an extended influence on
individual’s identity construction
Education is a major part of our world,
right from the start. We are in school by
age 5 for 6 hours a day 5 straight days a
week. (For most that continues for at least
12 straight years, and for a lot of people
it continues to goes on and on).
Education has a major
influence on us as
human beings during own
most formative
psychological,
physical, moral, and
intellectual
development
http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2011/dec/13/purpose-of-university

3. Education as a Gendered Institution
Gender identity is taught
in educational
institutions.
Only white woman from
wealthy families could
obtain higher education
before the 1900’s
The idea of education for
the all was not
considered normal until
the mid 1900’s.

4. Subjects/Majors
Throughout the chapter, school
subjects play a big role in
categorizing gender identity.
Still today, majors tend to be dominated
by one sex.
Women: education,
Men: sciences, language arts, foreign
math, languages, literature,
engineering, courses focused on
business domestic skills

5. Today, women now account
for more than 50% of
college students
nationwide

6. Education institutions have a huge
impact on the world, including work,
government, family and media and
education is influenced by these as
well. Learning and teaching is
influenced by the predominant values set
out by larger society.
It is culture that influences the way
knowledge is constructed
Hegemonic power is present in the construction of
knowledge, truth and reality

7. Looking at gender communication in education is
more about exploring the way society formulates
and pursues knowledge
Knowledge is
perceptual.
It is important
to look at
information
through a
critical eye and
the receiver
should become
award of the
sources that they
are gaining there
knowledge through
and how it is

8. No other social institution promotes the
notion that girls and boys are different
as constantly as education.
(DeFrancisco, p.181)
From a young age we are being put in these two
different categories, including what lines were are
asked to stand in, bathrooms to go to, what sports
teams to play on, our textbooks and content, our
administrators and teachers, the curriculum .

9. Barbie marketed a doll in 1992 that
would say
“Math is hard!”
800 million consumers objected and
the comment was no longer said by
Barbie. But it shows how large
companies are trying to keep gender
roles in place in society.
The message was the common belief
that women could not do math, and
boys can.

10. Our childhood textbooks are full of
pictures of distinguishing gender
roles; woman doing household chores
and caring for the young while men
are in business suits and
exemplifying many different careers

11. Epistemology: the investigation of what
distinguishes justified belief from
opinion.
Do humans really know what they claim they
know?
There is more then just one way of
knowing

12. Gender Wars in
Education
Different time periods seemed to focus on different
sexes
The 60s and 70’s focused on boys while the 80’s and
90’s focused on girls, creating a war or a gender
gap in education.
But ultimately, current research
shows us that regardless of a
child’s sex, the more impoverished
the school, the less likely the
child is to receive a quality
education.

13. Single Sex Schools
This seemed like a conclusion to the boys and girls being
left behind academically problem. It was hoping to
counter the problems, like teen pregnancy, drug use, low
self-esteem, underachievement, and violence.
But the idea, to me mostly, just seems unfair, and not
really efficient for building communication
relationships.
If the goal is to improve gender relations, students
need opportunities to build communication skills,
trust, and respect by working together. (p188)

14. “I don’t think that a boy or a girl is
going to achieve more because they
are studying with someone of the
opposite gender who is smarter than
them. I don’t believe one supports the
other,” (Patterson, 2012)
The separation tactic almost seems to do the opposite of
what it is trying to do. It’s doesn’t help them build
relationships with the each other.

15. Peer Pressure
Kids tend to shift towards same sex
groups at a young age. Peer pressure is
usually applied to those who do not
conform to their gender role.
Not conforming to societies general
norms can allow an individual to not
feel apart of a group and feel peer
pressured and bullied.

16. Masculinity has traditionally been defined
as brawn, not brain, and education is seen
as a passive, feminine activity (Connell,
2000; Francis & Skelton, 2005).

17. Bullying
Bullying is “physical, psychological, and/or verbal
intimidation or attack that is meant to cause distress
and/or harm to an intended victim”
Also defined as: to use superior strength or influence to
intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do
what one wants
Bullying is a gateway for sexual
harassment (unwanted and unwelcome sexual behavior
which interferes with your life)

18. Having a girlfriend or boyfriend of
the opposite sex in middle and high
school is a means to gain status. It’s
about pronouncing and declaring
heterosexuality to conform.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

19. Harassment
Students would say that harassment is simply part
of the school culture. It just makes sense.
Most kids acknowledge it but never bring it to
attention to report it, either because it seems
normal or they are to afraid.
Harassment is not just boys. Girls participating
in bullying, mostly in verbal abuse rather then
physical, using mean spirited words and often
excluded other girls

20. 62% of all college students
report being harassed in some way
Sexual harassment goes both ways, both men and women are
equally harassed on campuses, females tended to be targets
(sexual jokes and gestures) while men were called gay or
fags more commonly.
Sexual Violence on
Campus women experienced
2.8% of
attempted or completed rape
during a period of almost 7
months
Verbal abuse was very common
3.1% were stalked during a
year’s time, with each incident
lasting an average of 60 days.

21. Emancipate Education!
It’s time to ask questions about the assumptions in the
education.
BE CRITICAL
Look at the hegemonic relations of formal
education
We are in a time where we need to find new,
different, and exciting ways to learn, more
availability, inclusiveness and support for
everyone.

22. CONCLUSION
In schools today, we need to be gender relevant
not gender specific. We should get go beyond
single-sex education, and focus on a more
wholesome way of learning, teaching, and
discovering true interactions.
We need to find ways to address
the entire learning environment
We need to be more critical and creative with
the way we teach and the way we learn.

23. Sources
DeFrancisco, Victoria L., and Catherine Helen. Palczewski.
Communicating Gender Diversity: A Critical Approach. Los
Angeles: Sage Publications, 2007.
Patterson, Gregory A. "Separating The Boys From The Girls."
Phi Delta Kappan 93.5 (2012): 37-41. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 24 July 2012.