Sexual Harassment Scenario - Essay Example

Running head: Debunking Gender Misconceptions Debunking Gender Misconceptions s Debunking Gender Misconceptions From the moment a child’s sex is determined, its parents start making plans or hoping to what it would become when it grows up. If it is a boy then he may become a doctor or an engineer and if it is a girl then she may take up painting or designing. Gender based judgments have been made since the beginning of time due to social or cultural norms, but whatever the reason, the fact remains that it is wrong to do so and the children’s equality of education and thus, his or her future, is affected by it.
Members of both the sexes have a specific set of goals expected from them according to their culture, religion or traditions and many may just do what they are told to and not what they want to. There is also the difference between the bodies of the male and the female. There are hormonal, mental, emotional as well as physical aspects which vary. Also, the side of the brain – whether left or right – a person uses counts. All these lead to the males and females having thoughts and feelings not quite similar.
The accounts of many psychologists in the 1990’s state that gender identity and personality of a child emerges by the age of 3 years and it continues to gradually evolve by the influence of the outside world: parents, school, etc (Morris & Maisto, 2005). However, Collaer & Hines say that a child starts to develop its individuality in the womb and that is dependent on certain hormonal factors. Environment plays an important role throughout the stage in which the child continues to change (Morris & Maisto, 2005; Collaer & Hines, 1995). By the time a child enters school, he already has certain ideas in his head, which continue to grow or diminish depending on the worldly influences, so it is necessary that they are nurtured.
We have certain concepts in mind as to how the boys are much better in Science and Mathematics so the teachers ask them the related questions and not the girls. On the other hand, if the topic is literary related, then the girls are encouraged to answer and the boys ignored. This automatically brings in a divide between the two. The school environment helps in making groups, the children being too young to understand what is going on and follow blindly. Later they realize that they could have pursued another subject altogether. On the other hand, this example is a misconception since it has been proven that there is no biological reason why only boys may be good at the subject, the girls have equal opportunity too and vice versa.
Another misconception is that males who are interested in Arts might be homosexual though it is starting to be slightly less popular now. Creativity has to do with people who think more with the right brain and not to what their sexual preferences may be.
Girls are proposed to be more interested in domestic arts. Boys, on the other hand, are said to be more involved in auto shop and wood shop. This is mainly thought so because of the traditions and culture. The boys may not be interested in domestic arts due to a personal experience and may like making wooden items because their fathers may be doing the same and not that it is part of being a boy. It is all about history and not a scientific fact. Certain studies carried out between 1989 and 1996 showed that both the genders had similar skills and passions for all educative sectors (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2004).
Girls are not considered to be as competitive as boys in sports. Research shows that females surpass the males in academics, graduating with higher degrees. The predicted ratio is 134:100 between boys and girls who may attend higher education (Clark, 2008). Another from 1999 tells us that women get their degrees on the ratio of 54:64 compared to men (Kauchak & Eggen, 2005). Studies show that girls are academically better in almost every subject which may be the reason why boys start to become more competitive role by the time they start high school (Kauchak & Eggen, 2005).
So that the children are given an equal opportunity to develop their interest in a particular subject, the teacher should see to it that both the genders are given equal chances at discussing every kind of topic and not just specific ones. Both boys and girls should be encouraged to mingle and exchange ideas, should be appointed as leaders and given other positions fairly. (Kauchak & Eggen, 2005)
The stereotypes have been started to be accepted for what they are – just that. Certain changes and developments have being made to allow everyone to have an equal chance at learning. The teachers, parents, everyone has to be aware of how important they are in helping shape up a child’s future. If they start working on it, the future generation may actually have a chance in studying what they would want to without worldly influences.
References
Clark, M. (2008). How to close the education gender gap. Gainsville Sun.
Collaer, M. L., & Hines, M. (1995). Human behavioral sex differences: a role for gonadal hormones during early development? Psychological Bulletin, 118, 55–107.
Kauchak, D., & Eggen, P. (2005). Introduction to teaching: Becoming a professional (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson.
McDevitt, T.M., & Ormrod, J.E. (2004).Child development: Educating and working with children and adolescents (2nded.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Morris, C. G., & Maisto, A. A. (2005). Psychology: An Introduction, Twelfth Edition. Prentice-Hall. Read More