Teaching masculinity - Essay Example

?The society comprises of both the genders, as we define it, girls and boys. Connell puts it, “Gender is a system of social relations” (Connell, 2008, pp. 131). The last twenty years has been a span of time in which a considerable amount of research has been conducted and studies made regarding the patterns of masculinity and feminism profound in the growing years of girls and boys. This paper caters to the question of development of masculinity in young boys through the system of education, and discusses how the concept of gender shapes the existing pedagogy and the democracy of the country. Nature of masculinity The social position of women has been a debatable topic all around the world. The topics on the system of education for girls, their social status and the availability of facilities for them have been put on the table. This issue has an obvious counterpart. If the system of relations is questioned form one side, the other side comes under focus automatically. The question could not inevitably “be confined to women and girls” (Connell, 2008, pp. 131). The established concept of ‘manhood’ is subject to the changes of time. ‘Manhood’ is bound by the nature of masculinity, practices that are seen as gender specific and deemed appropriate for the male and the preset ideologies. But while the social relations are questioned, different aspects come under the circumference of the debate. Educational issues are a major part of the debate. The concept of gender has been a part of the pedagogical experiences of the schools and other educational institutions. The pedagogy is based upon the society that houses and rears the boys to make them become what they are. In this concept a vast range of concerns have to be addressed, starting from “men’s and boys’ health to men’s domestic and military violence” (Connell, 2008, pp. 131). There is a diversity of opinions regarding the understanding of the issue. The ‘to-do’ points are widely discussed by the parents and teachers that should be enforced and incorporated in to the process of education of boys. Diverse research methods have been deployed in the study of this issue and large scale surveys have been conducted. Ethnographies and life histories have also been studied for a richer understanding. Research reveals that the pattern of masculinity is not outlined by some specific prototype. There are evidences of “multiple patterns of masculinity” (Connell, 2008, pp. 131). There are several definitions as to what being a man exactly means and these emerge from the diverse ways of livelihoods lived by man. The gender relations are an important part of this theory. However, the different adaptations of masculinity do not find equal space throughout the society. After extensive research experts have come to the conclusion that a “particular pattern of masculinity” (Connell, 2008, pp. 133), named ‘hegemonic masculinity’, dominates the culture and the society. This type is “associated with authority and power” (Connell, 2008, pp. 133). This is the most honored concept of manliness and delivers “the collective privilege of men” (Connell, 2008, pp. 134) in the society. The growth process of the boy child There is a natural path in which boys develop physically as well as mentally while they grow up. This path is followed in the natural growth process unless it is interrupted and diverted by applying force externally. Bodies grow and transform trough ‘becoming’. The concept of becoming suggests the interconnectivity between the genders as a child grows and shows the process of coming out of the dualism that governs the thoughts of the western world. It is a transformation; a process of transformation not from one form into another, but, ongoing process of “constantly transforming relation” (Coleman, 2012, p. 168). The recommendations made in the process of boy’s education are based up on the “assumption of a fixed pathway of development” (Connell, 2008, pp. 135). It is a common notion that boys since their early childhood should have a role model that is ‘masculine’ in the conventional sense and that each one of them require lots of physical movements. This is supplemented by the practice that “all boys need to be ‘initiated’ into manhood during adolescence” (Connell, 2008, pp. 135). Vocational courses at school level such as woodwork, technical drawing or other engineering are identified with ‘masculinity vortices’. Symbols of masculinity include competitive team sports; the interplay between masculinity construction and sports being recognized since a long time. Equality in education system However, in a person’s childhood there are multiple trajectories of development. The multileveled and at times conflicting human relationships, through which the boys develop their personality shows the kind of relationship that men would build and reflect in their adult life. A greater part of this development happens in schools. The pedagogy of teaching is dependent on the existing gender pattern and is affected highly by the history as well as the current working pattern. The gender regimes followed in the educational system is heterogeneous. The pattern of classroom management by the teachers plays a distinct role in setting a gender regime. An example can be cited in this context from the article “The single-sex debate: should girls be allowed in a boys’ zone?” by Faller (2013). There is a tradition in Ireland that girls when sent to separate schools meant only for girls perform better than if sent to the same school. But recent studies reveal that the quality of teaching and the treatment of boys and girls at schools by peers and teachers play a more decisive role in their performance. It has been found that, currently, parents favor co-educational schools over single sex schools to enroll their boy and girl children. This has been exemplified better in the words of David O’Doherty “What’s more important? Getting a C in geography, or being able to relate to 50 per cent of the population?” (Faller, 2013) Co-ed schools have proven to have a positive effect on boy’s education and reduce their stress levels. In fact a boarding school in Co Limerick and Sandford Park School have proposed to turn their institution into a co-ed one. Conclusion Gender plays a big role in the system of education. For an effective system the curriculum has to be designed in such a way that should impart experiences of women besides educating them with the experiences of men. Education is meant for the development of human resources and establishment of democracy and the goal of education is to “equip boys and girls” (Connell, 2008, pp. 142) equally with the skills and values that would help them create democratic gender relationships in their personal lives and also in the larger society. References 1. Connell, R. (2008), Masculinity construction and sports in boy’s education: a framework for thinking about the issue, Education and society, 13(2), pp. 131-145. 2. Coleman, R. (2012), The Becoming of Bodies, Manchester University Press. 3. Faller, G. (2013), The single-sex debate: should girls be allowed in a boys’ zone?, Irish Times, Available at < http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/education/2013/0129/1224329393364.html> (accessed 1 February, 2013) Read More