By Mansi Walia
Recently I met my aunt who’s a primary school teacher in Jammu, and was asked to help her in a new initiative of ‘Teaching Aid’ in her school. The purpose of Teaching Aid initiative is to use creative methods in teaching which can help the students to learn and understand significant issues in a better way. So, she asked me to prepare something which can be easily understood by the students and at the same time has a moral impact on them. The suggested topic was ‘People who help us’ and a pictorial representation would’ve been enough. In our day to day life we’re helped by so many people and we do not even bother to acknowledge the same, So, this topic appeared great to me but then there’s another important thing ’Respecting those who help us’. Even if we recognise the people who help us, do we respect them? Many people around me do respect and acknowledge them, many care not to and others leave no moment to make them feel different and excluded.
Anyway, I reframed the topic: ‘Respect the people who help us’ and started to search images for Teachers, Doctors, Nurses, Vets, Firefighters, Guards, Plumbers, Electrician, Drivers, Domestic Workers, etc. All that I got: doctors as either Male or female, nurses as females, domestic workers as females, drivers as males, and so on. That’s when the concept of gender-neutral teaching struck me and I prepared a chart pictorially representing ‘people who help us’ from both the genders; it was a disappointment that I couldn’t get a single image of other genders as well. However, I gave it to my aunt and told her about my idea of gender-neutral teaching so that children do not become the victims of gender stereotypes.
Gender Inequality and Gender Stereotyping has affected all of us in various unwanted ways, be it emotional or professional. Therefore, it becomes our responsibility to not let these stereotypes affect our younger generation as they’ve affected us. Children get easily influenced by what they see and hear every day. for example:
1. If they are watching an advertisement of a washing detergent where a female character is washing clothes, it’s obvious for them to think “washing clothes “as a normal work of women only,
2. If they are reading about firefighters and the term ‘firemen’ is used or ‘he’ as a pronoun is used everywhere, it is normal for them to think only men can be firefighters,
3. If they are taught in gender biased language they’ll learn and practice the same,
4. If they’re made to wear gender specific clothes or made to play with gender specific toys, it’ll be normal for them to exclude other children who do not conform to the same.
There are endless such examples and real-life instances which we encounter every day. But there are various ways to stop gender stereotyping from influencing the minds of children and that may include: Gender neutral marketing, gender neutral parenting, gender neutral teaching, etc. The use of gender-neutral objects, symbols or language is common to all these ways.
While gender neutral parenting has gained a lot of attention in west (for the obvious reason is that parents are the first teachers of child, therefore, it’s their duty to raise a child in gender neutral environment) the same is not true in case of our society. For parents, here it’s nearly impossible to unlearn all the gender stereotypes they’ve learnt and practiced since their childhood. But gender-neutral teaching in educational institutions where children learn new subjects, languages, different fields of fine arts, sports, etc, can be significantly helpful. Cambridge dictionary defines the term ‘gender neutral’ to mean relating to people and not especially to men or to women. So generally, gender neutral language denotes a word or expression that cannot be taken to refer one gender only, and is suitable to all the genders. While teaching, one should devise a habit of using gender neutral language, for example: using the term person instead of man or woman, instead of policeman or watchman using the term police officer and guard, use of the term firefighters, flight attendant instead of air hostess, using both he/she instead of either one, using every student instead of every boy and girl, use of gender neutral objects while creative teaching, etc. Of course, the list is endless and it’s difficult to be gender inclusive or gender neutral all the times; but it is necessary for the developing minds so that they inculcate in themselves gender neutral behaviour and gender-neutral thinking. Even when people do use gender neutral terms, we do not assume that there is no gender bias in their thinking i.e. they do not have gender neutral intent, but in effect, use of such terms result in gender neutrality. The time spent in the school (which is almost 6-7 hours per day and 15-16 years) is crucial for students as they learn and develop routinely habits and behaviour during this time. What they’ll learn in school is what they’ll practice after the school and hopefully for the rest of life.
Therefore, it becomes significantly important to teach a child in gender -neutral environment, which will hopefully result in lesser gender norms, gender roles, gender stereotypes, gender discrimination and promote gender inclusiveness.
(P.S, it is Bad to be gender biased and Best to be gender inclusive but it is Safe to be gender neutral).
Recently I met my aunt who’s a primary school teacher in Jammu, and was asked to help her in a new initiative of ‘Teaching Aid’ in her school. The purpose of Teaching Aid initiative is to use creative methods in teaching which can help the students to learn and understand significant issues in a better way. So, she asked me to prepare something which can be easily understood by the students and at the same time has a moral impact on them. The suggested topic was ‘People who help us’ and a pictorial representation would’ve been enough. In our day to day life we’re helped by so many people and we do not even bother to acknowledge the same, So, this topic appeared great to me but then there’s another important thing ’Respecting those who help us’. Even if we recognise the people who help us, do we respect them? Many people around me do respect and acknowledge them, many care not to and others leave no moment to make them feel different and excluded.
Anyway, I reframed the topic: ‘Respect the people who help us’ and started to search images for Teachers, Doctors, Nurses, Vets, Firefighters, Guards, Plumbers, Electrician, Drivers, Domestic Workers, etc. All that I got: doctors as either Male or female, nurses as females, domestic workers as females, drivers as males, and so on. That’s when the concept of gender-neutral teaching struck me and I prepared a chart pictorially representing ‘people who help us’ from both the genders; it was a disappointment that I couldn’t get a single image of other genders as well. However, I gave it to my aunt and told her about my idea of gender-neutral teaching so that children do not become the victims of gender stereotypes.
Gender Inequality and Gender Stereotyping has affected all of us in various unwanted ways, be it emotional or professional. Therefore, it becomes our responsibility to not let these stereotypes affect our younger generation as they’ve affected us. Children get easily influenced by what they see and hear every day. for example:
1. If they are watching an advertisement of a washing detergent where a female character is washing clothes, it’s obvious for them to think “washing clothes “as a normal work of women only,
2. If they are reading about firefighters and the term ‘firemen’ is used or ‘he’ as a pronoun is used everywhere, it is normal for them to think only men can be firefighters,
3. If they are taught in gender biased language they’ll learn and practice the same,
4. If they’re made to wear gender specific clothes or made to play with gender specific toys, it’ll be normal for them to exclude other children who do not conform to the same.
There are endless such examples and real-life instances which we encounter every day. But there are various ways to stop gender stereotyping from influencing the minds of children and that may include: Gender neutral marketing, gender neutral parenting, gender neutral teaching, etc. The use of gender-neutral objects, symbols or language is common to all these ways.
While gender neutral parenting has gained a lot of attention in west (for the obvious reason is that parents are the first teachers of child, therefore, it’s their duty to raise a child in gender neutral environment) the same is not true in case of our society. For parents, here it’s nearly impossible to unlearn all the gender stereotypes they’ve learnt and practiced since their childhood. But gender-neutral teaching in educational institutions where children learn new subjects, languages, different fields of fine arts, sports, etc, can be significantly helpful. Cambridge dictionary defines the term ‘gender neutral’ to mean relating to people and not especially to men or to women. So generally, gender neutral language denotes a word or expression that cannot be taken to refer one gender only, and is suitable to all the genders. While teaching, one should devise a habit of using gender neutral language, for example: using the term person instead of man or woman, instead of policeman or watchman using the term police officer and guard, use of the term firefighters, flight attendant instead of air hostess, using both he/she instead of either one, using every student instead of every boy and girl, use of gender neutral objects while creative teaching, etc. Of course, the list is endless and it’s difficult to be gender inclusive or gender neutral all the times; but it is necessary for the developing minds so that they inculcate in themselves gender neutral behaviour and gender-neutral thinking. Even when people do use gender neutral terms, we do not assume that there is no gender bias in their thinking i.e. they do not have gender neutral intent, but in effect, use of such terms result in gender neutrality. The time spent in the school (which is almost 6-7 hours per day and 15-16 years) is crucial for students as they learn and develop routinely habits and behaviour during this time. What they’ll learn in school is what they’ll practice after the school and hopefully for the rest of life.
Therefore, it becomes significantly important to teach a child in gender -neutral environment, which will hopefully result in lesser gender norms, gender roles, gender stereotypes, gender discrimination and promote gender inclusiveness.
(P.S, it is Bad to be gender biased and Best to be gender inclusive but it is Safe to be gender neutral).
Comments
Post a Comment