Many sociologists opine that schools play an essential part in the formation of cultural and social reproduction. Children inherit gender stereotypes from their surroundings from a very young age. They tend to absorb strong stereotypes from the people that surround them.
A large part of their lives are spent in schools and their only role models there are the teachers. They tend to absorb strong stereotypes from the people that surround them, hence the attitude of a teacher towards particular gender results in conformity to gender roles by the students.
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Gender Bias Against Boys
Discrimination against men is called Second Sexism. Most boys are expected to behave in a certain way in schools which leads to gender conformity. If boys do not behave appropriately, they are punished more harshly than the female students. Many teachers feel more connected to girls, which results in favoritism and thus demotivates the male students into performing well. Studies have shown that male students receive more criticism than female students. Not much research has been done regarding second sexism in schools as of now.
Gender Bias Against Girls
Studies have found that boys are expected to perform well in subjects such as mathematics and science while female students are expected to perform well in the language. This inclination towards boys delving into particular subjects discourages girls to perform well in the said subjects. The use of improper language as conformed by the society, by female students is abhorred and they are seen in a more negative light. Whereas in the case of boys, appropriate behavior with politeness is not much expected.
Female students are considered unladylike and face defamation if they do not conform to their gender stereotypes and behave appropriately and obediently, while it is considered more masculine if a boy uses rough speech and therefore are punished less. If a girl does not prepare her lesson well, finishes her homework on time, speaks appropriately or if she bothers the class during the lectures, she is considered disruptive and problematic which might affect her mentally and scar her for life by lowering her self-esteem.
Hidden Curriculum
A hidden curriculum is the unintended and unwritten values that students gauge out of their lessons. Subjects such as History and Geography teaches us more about the past of a certain era. Men in History lessons are shown more heroic for fighting the wars, working during the industrialization era while women in these lessons were shown to be working at home, preparing meals, etc. These lessons tend to communicate gender roles to male and female students where the female students pick up the idea of mostly conforming to motherly duties and lessening their chances in the job fields. Boys, on the other hand, show a profuse aversion towards homemaking and expect the females in the house to conform to their roles.
Schools are like a second home to kids and thus reflect a major portion of their lives. Gender roles, stereotypes and discrimination start from the very beginning. And kids at such a tender age tend to pick up such problematic behavior from their surroundings. Teachers play an essential role in a student’s behavior and success in life. In countries like the USA and UK, many parents often home-school their children to prevent them from facing disparity in different aspects such as race, caste, class, etc. The relevant law, the socio-political milieu of a country, improvement in facilities such as providing training to the teachers to perform better and avoid gender discrimination, would prove to be a helping hand towards discouraging such bias
