Is Gender a Neglected Topic in Child Social Care - Essay Example

?Is gender a neglected topic within child social care? Introduction Children’s social care has been a topic of intense debate in all developed countries for quite some time now, and the United Kingdom is no exception. The introduction of ‘Every Child Matters: Change for Children’ was a milestone in this regard because it resulted in the development of various departments which specialised on various services and responsibilities which were earlier performed by local social service departments. Though this umbrella organisation introduced dramatic changes in the realm of child care, there is still an issue which is yet to be addressed; child social care is not yet gender specific. A look into the governance and strategy as envisioned by the National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations (NCVCCO) on establishing “Every Child Matters: Change for Children” proves that none of the programmes has set different policies for different genders (National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations, 2007). This work intends to search for the possible reasons behind this negligence and aims to suggest some solutions. The first and foremost reason for this neglect seems to lie in lack of knowledge. In other words, many people still remain unaware of the fact that gender has a serious impact on the lives of children. To illustrate, the National Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Children report (n.d.) shows that female children face more maltreatment than male children. The maltreatments reported range from severe physical, contact sexual abuse, and severe maltreatment by a parent or guardian. In all these cases, the percentage of girls is higher than that of boys (NSPCC. n.d.). However the problem in the assessment so far is that very few studies were conducted in this connection in the UK and most of the studies reported were conducted in the U.S. As a result, authorities and citizens gave very little attention to the considerable effect of gender on children’s lives. The mere fact is that situations like natural disasters and conflicts will have different effects on boys, girls, men and women, and they have different ways of coping with the situation. So, any strategy that does not take the gender difference into consideration will not have the desired effect. As already seen in studies, there is difference between males and females in the extent of violence, exploitation and abuse faced by boys and girls. If the authorities cannot understand these differences, they will not be able to introduce sufficient strategies to strengthen government initiatives, introduce better legislation, and encourage better practices. A look into the Munro Review of Child protection will prove this situation. The report suggests the following as the features of an effective child protection system. Firstly, it should be fully child-centered and secondly, there should be a variety of responses for children because different children have different needs and circumstances (Munro, 2011). Admittedly, the same should be applied when social care programmes are developed for children. It is an accepted fact that girls are more at risk as compared to boys. So, it becomes highly necessary to set up special programmes wholly aimed at the welfare of females. However, it is painful to see that initiatives like ‘Every Child Matters: Change for Children’ do not introduce even a single initiative which specifically addresses the issues faced by girls. The reason for this pathetic situation can be the fact that very few comprehensive studies have been conducted about the difference between boys and girls in the kind of problems they face in childhood. So, various social organisations and governmental agencies are equally in confusion as to what strategies work better for girls and what for boys. In the opinion of De Bellis, this is so because conducting studies on such an issue is a complex task. First of all, if studies are conducted among children, many children are afraid of disclosing the problems they face as the perpetrators are often people who are vey close to them like family friends or relatives and some are not able to express their problems effectively because of their small age. Yet another strategy that researches adopt is to ask parents about the abuse faced by their children. Evidently, most parents will not disclose the reality especially when they are involved in the issue (De Bellis, 2005). Thus, it is an admitted fact that reliable data is not available regarding the impact of gender in childhood. In order to address this question, what this study intends to do is to find out if gender identification and stereotyping happen in childhood. Thereafter, the work will look into the various factors affecting gender identification and stereotyping in familial, social and educational setting. Thirdly, the work will look into what are the reasons which make the existing social care for children gender-blind. The next section will try to identify the positive and negative aspects of having a gender-based approach in child social care. Finally, the work will try to suggest some useful solutions. The effect of the neglect of gender - a serious picture An article named “U.S perpetuates rape culture” by Workers World (n.d.) shows how darksome is the picture. The article reports that 1% of women who took part in the survey reported being raped in the previous year. That amounts to nearly 1.3 million women are raped in a year. While one third of the male respondents were assaulted before the age of 11, nearly 50% of the females had their assault before the age of 18. 5 (Ibid). The NSpCC Research findings dated November 2000 named “Child Maltreatment in the United Kingdom: A Study of the prevalence of Abuse and Neglect” show how dangerous is the effect of this neglect and lack of understanding about the importance of gender in child social care. It is reported that fathers are less likely to offer closeness to children. Also, they are less likely to be good role models and support. The most important point noticed is that the prevalence of sexual abuse in girls is much more as compared to boys. Similarly, serious physical abuse and emotional maltreatment are much more prevalent among girls than among boys (Cawson, et al. 2000). The report “Sexual and physical Violence against Children in Northern Ireland” by Bunting (2011) shows that out of the 1654 sexual offence cases identified, 80% were committed on girls. This broad category involves rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, indecent exposure, and other sexual offences. However, boys are the main victims of all other cruelties like murder, common assault, cruelty, abduction, neglect, and all other violent offences (Ibid). Does gender matter in childhood? Various studies prove that gender identification starts in children from very early age and stereotyping begins at such an early age. It is claimed by Aina and Cameron (2011) that children begin to develop ideas about gender by the age of 2 and most children are able to identify their gender by the age of 3. In fact, the development of stereotyping starts immediately after that. It becomes necessary for them to do this to give meaning to their identity and experiences. This stereotypes develop fully by the age of 5. Thus, one fact becomes more than evident; if the society wants to address stereotyping, it should be done within these years, that is, in preschool years (Ibid). According to Carlson et al (2004), stereotyping and sexism will have a huge impact on the growth and development of children because stereotypes have a huge impact on the self-esteem of people. By the time children reach adolescence, the effect of stereotyping on their aims and life views is clearly visible (Ibid). In fact, preschool teachers and curriculum can play a great role in developing a positive sense about one's own gender. If teachers are aware about the various factors that influence gender development, they can effectively reduce the development of negative stereotypes and gender bias. Admittedly, gender matters a lot in child social care; not just for children but for gender equality in the entire society. At this point, it seems useful to look into some theories related to gender development. In the opinion of Kohlberg, gender is a learned, cognitive concept. In addition, the cognitive understanding of gender has an impact on the behaviour of children (Kohlberg, 1981, p. 76.) Studies show that children as young as 5 years are able to identify traditional and non-traditional images of women in books. This supports the Gender-Schema Theory that thinking and behaviour are influenced by organised structures of knowledge. Similarly, some scholars suggest gender as a social construct. To illustrate, according to Chick et al (2002), children understand their gender roles through imaginative play. One can see stereotypes everywhere in the popular culture and social media. Everything ranging from bed sheets, towels, bandages, clothes, school supplies, toys, and even furniture is decorated with gender-related messages. While boys are “as bold as daddy”, girls are supposed to be “as pretty as mommy”. In a study (Lee, 2008), researchers analysed the impact of Disney images on girls’ perception about their own gender. It was found that Korean girls accept it as natural to face some familial, social and legal hurdles in marrying the person they like; and in addition, the desired qualities in a girl are beauty and sound (Lee, 2008). On the other hand, a boy is supposed to possess features like chivalry and courage. Thus, it becomes evident once again that gender seriously matters in childhood. From the study of Spjeldnes and Koeshe (2010), it has become evident that the teacher has a great role to play in the development of children until 5 years of age. In this situation, one can identify two important aspects influencing children’s gender stereotypes. They are the materials used in classroom and the instruction of teachers (Gee & Gee, 2005). In a study, a large number of gender inequities were found in preschools. Firstly, the study identified the presence of gender-typed toys like pink kitchen sets. In addition, it was found that many of the books in the school library contained gender bias of some kind. The mere fact to be remembered at this juncture is that the classroom environment can influence how children understand important social issues. To illustrate, in a study, it was found that Korean immigrant girls believed that women could not be American presidents because a classroom poster showed all male presidents (Lee, 2008). In fact, teachers often play a greater role in reinforcing gender-stereotyping. For example, it is found in a study that while teachers used words like “honey” and “sweetie” for girls, for boys, the term was “you guys”. In addition, boys were praised for their physical capacity and girls were praised for their neatness and compassionate qualities. Some other important sources from where children develop gender identities are friends, family, and children’s literature (Timmerman & schreuder, 2008). Various studies show that gender stereotyping at an early age has a very serious impact on activity choices of children. A study by Unger (1981) proved that girls spend much less time than boys on block play. Similarly, the study by Care, et al (2007) proved that children as young as 4-5 years are able to categorise jobs based on gender according to the existing stereotypes. In addition, the study proved that both boys and girls believed that traditional female occupations are less valuable and less desirable than men’s (Ibid). A presentation by Gibbons (2011) at the NUIG Gender and Child Welfare Conference on 15 June 2011 points out a number of situations when gender plays a role in child social welfare. The scholar points out that boys are more likely to come into social care and hence are more at risk of rejection and abuse. However, as children grow, the nature of risk changes, when they reach teenage, girls are more likely to fall prey to sexual crimes and risky sexual behaviour while boys are more at risk of offending (Ibid). Thus, from the analysis, one thing becomes more than evident. Social care activities for children will not be effective in achieving anything near to gender equality if they do not try to address the issue of gender stereotyping which starts at a very early age. As is seen, this stereotyping does not does not happen automatically but is absorbed from the society they live in. Studies prove that all sections of society ranging from care givers, teachers, parents and all other are positively biased towards males and this happens from the very beginning of life. So, child social care that does not take this difference into consideration is highly likely to go futile because even if children are neutral, they will not be able to function in such a society where neutrality is not entertained. Admittedly, this claim is supported by the report that child abuse is more among girls than among boys. If childhood is gender-neutral subject, this difference should not happen. Why is gender neglected in child social care? As already seen, enough attention is not given to gender in children’s social care. There are various reasons ranging from ignorance and negligence. The first reason may be the misinterpretation of some studies which show that providing a gender-neutral situation will reduce gender inequality. To illustrate, in the study by Unger (1981), it was found that boys started engaging in activities which were considered female-only occupations like housekeeping and females improved their engagement in male-only activities. Such studies might have led to the conception that creating gender-neutral policies is one way to achieve a gender-neutral generation in the long term. However, the mere fact is that in order to implement such an initiative, the various other influencing factors should be made gender-neutral first. To illustrate, even if children are offered some programmes which are blind towards gender, they have to perform in such a society where their parents, teachers, and the whole society all have biased views towards gender. That means despite the implementation of such programs, girls will continue facing problems. Yet another reason is that states have not yet identified and acknowledged the lack of social provisions, which has an impact on the material situations and gender relationships of females. As Orloff (1993) identifies, mainstream comparative studies have often neglected gender, and the feminist studies have not been comparative enough. The same situation is true about children. Very few comprehensive studies have analysed how state social provision affects girls and boys differently and how the problems can be overcome. Thus, despite the vague realisation that gender should not be neglected in child social care, what should be done still remains as an ambiguity. Another reason is the existing male dominance in the running of most welfare states. In the opinion of Orloff, the classical literature and classical liberal and democratic theory on social rights claim that an independent male householder is the ideal citizen (Orloff 308). In the opinion of Hernes, “The social-democratic citizen is the citizen worker, a male family provide, a working-class hero. His rights, identities and participation patterns were determined by his ties to the labour market, and by the web of associations and corporate structures which had grown up around these ties (Helga 1988). Yet another reason for this pathetic situation is the inability to develop useful strategies that will ensure equality of genders as a whole. In other words, “gender mainstreaming” as defined by United Nations has not been implemented in any of the spheres in most nations. Gender mainstreaming is defined by United Nations (2002) as “the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoging, and evaluation of poliies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality” (United Nations, 2002). Gender mainstreaming is a failure due to many reasons. The first reason is the basic conceptual confusion as already observed. On one side, there are studies which show a gender-neutral approach reduces inequality when implemented at a young age. At the same time, it is clear that most stakeholders including parents, media, teachers, and even curriculum possess various biased concepts. So, evidently, it is not children but it is the mainstream society which needs training and development. Hence, giving attention to gender in child social care is a difficult task because to get any positive change, all adult stakeholders should be educated, and all social policies should be changed according to the concept of gender mainstreaming as proposed by the United Nations. The “Neglect: Research Evidence to Inform practice” by Action for Children points out a number of reasons as to why it is a difficult task to tackle neglect and abuse in children (Moran, n.d.). It seems that these points are all relevant in this case. In other words, these are reasons why gender neglected in child social care. Firstly, it is claimed that their heavy reliance on studies from the U.S which may not be always suitable in other contexts like the UK. Secondly, the terms “neglect” and “abuse” are defined in different ways in different places and by different researchers; thus, there is still ambiguity as to what should be included in their scope (Ibid). The third important reason is that researchers are still not able to clearly distinguish between what is abuse and what is neglect. So, effective interventions for both cases still remain a difficult task for researchers and policy developers. Next, in fact the most important, reason is that there is a lack of proper theoretical basis. In addition, the existing theoretical frameworks are not explicit enough as they are often based on theories of child psychology or child development, not based on social work. Yet another issue identified is the inability of governmental mechanism to observe how various policies and interventions affect different genders and ethnicities differently. As this is not observed properly, there is still a lack of reliable data based on which governments can take further steps. Moreover, most of the studies at present have methodological short-comings. This is so because in the case of children, a number of factors affect their development, including gender, financial status of parents, education of parents, number of children in the family, ethnicity, temperament , peers, teachers, curriculum and so on. So, conducting a study taking all these factors into account is a rather difficult task. Thus, none of the existing studies can claim insularity from these various factors. Sue Davis (2013) takes a wider view of the social system and says the reason behind the never-ending neglect for the feminine gender lies in the nature of capitalism. According to her, capitalism is heavily dependent on inequality to gain profits and male privilege. For that purpose, it exploits the working class, including women and workers of colour (Ibid). The scholar points out that this oppression of women started since time immemorial and the only way out of the quagmire is egalitarian socialism. In other words, as long as private property and class society exist, there will be female oppression also (Ibid). How to overcome this issue From the discussion it becomes evident that there are a large number of arguments both for and against the claim. Anyway, it is an admitted fact that female children are more in need of support as all the problems affecting children are affecting them more. They face more neglect, more sexual abuse, and more violence. Though it is possible to claim that a gender-neutral social care will lead to equality in the long-term, it will take a very long time-may be generations-to observe some change because the society is seriously biased and everywhere in the society, there is the message of male dominance. Studies have shown that children are able to observe and assimilate from the very early childhood. In addition, it has become evident that to develop children free from such bias, it is necessary to give them proper training before the age of 5 years. Once developed, these stereotypes have a strong hold over their mind and will seriously affect their self-esteem, performance and future decisions. So, when stereotypes exist everywhere ranging from the attitude of parents and teachers, media, consumer goods, books, and curriculum, turning a blind eye towards the issue in child social care programmes is a mistake. For better results, these programmes should identify the unique problems faced by girls in the society and train them to overcome those hurdles. Admit gender as an important issue in childhood The first step in ensuring gender-based approach in child social care is removing the popular belief that gender does not matter in early childhood. In order to achieve this, parents, teachers, and all caregivers should be educated about the way gender identity starts developing in early age. This realisation should be visible in all policies developed for children. The mainstream society should be willing to admit the fact that the cruelty shown to women starts cropping up at a very early age than most people would love to admit. However, based on the available statistics, it is crystal clear that the total society requires a change in the mindset. The male-dominated society is full of stereotypes and females are projected as objects of mere sexual pleasure. So, it is highly necessary to educate all the adults including parents and caregivers. Train trainers As observed, teachers have a great role in ensuring gender equality. So, it is highly necessary to train teachers to identify what is stereotype. Teachers should be able to develop gender-neutral classrooms and activities. Thirdly, gender identification should be a part of classroom discussion and every aspect of stereotyping visible in media and wider society should be discussed in the classroom. Instead of ignoring the existence of stereotypes, classrooms should discuss them in groups. Special training sessions for girls Yet another important strategy is to give special training to girls. Admittedly, girls are the people who face the dire consequences of this gender bias and hence, they are the people who can benefit if there is special training on how to understand and deal with stereotypes. Awareness for parents and social care givers Admittedly, home is the place from where children start socialisation and communication. So, it is highly useful and necessary to give education to couples who are going to become parents. This knowledge will help them reduce such situations where gender bias is promoted. Education to children about various legal rights of children and strategies to deal with various problems The available data shows that boys and girls face different problems in their childhood. So, it is possible to educate them about these various problems including sexual abuse, violent behaviour, neglect, and so on. Having some knowledge about these will give children enough courage to report such incidents to the concerned people. Conclusion In total, it becomes evident that gender should not be neglected in child social care because as the available data shows, the nature of problems faced by children is different for different sexes. While boys are more likely to be the victims of neglect and physical violence, girls are more victimised through sexual abuse and domestic violence. However, the existing problem in child social care is that the mechanisms available are not strong enough to identity or deal with such issues effectively. The first problem is that most studies or theories on this issue are merely theoretical, not based on social work. Secondly, identifying such issues in children is a difficult task because some children are unable to report the issues due to their small age and hence the available data is not reliable. In addition, in the case of children, the people who commit crimes on them are often close relatives or friends and hence, they are unlikely to give correct data in studies. Moreover, most people who deal with child social care are not fully aware about the development of gender awareness and stereotypes in children. So, they are unable to identify how their own words and deeds send stereotyping messages directly and subliminally. Thus, even before law and legislation start giving attention to gender, children assimilate all the existing stereotypes in society and many of the become victims of neglect and abuse. Thus, it becomes evident that neglecting the importance of gender in child social care is a very serious issue because due to this negligence, a large number of children fall prey to crimes as there are no effective strategies to work proactively and reduce the chances of such violence. Anyway, the strategies to solve this problem should focus as much on adults as on children because it is the society which makes gender equality a difficult task by passing over stereotypes to new generation through a number of channels. References Aina, O. E & Cameron, P. A. 2011. “Why does gender matter? Counteracting stereotypes with young children”. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 39 (3):11-20. Bunting, L. 2011. ‘Sexual and physical Violence against Children in Northern Ireland’. NSPCC. [online] avaialbe at http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/policyandpublicaffairs/northernireland/sexual_physical_abuse_statistics_wdf86001.pdf [accessed 30 Nov 2013]. 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