DIVERSITY: Issues Related to GenderCollege of EducationUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaGender Role DevelopmentGENDER ROLES - societal expectations of how we should act, think and feel as men and womanEarliest thing you learnGender Role DevelopmentGender Schemas - organizing the world in terms of female and maleGender Schemas:Society directedMale SocializationFamily directedBiologically directedSex role stereotyping - rigid beliefs about characteristics & behaviors associated with one sex.Developmental MilestonesBy the age of twoChildren are aware of gender differencesBy the age of threeGender Schemas have begun to formClear concept of what it means to be a boy or a girl can be in place by the time a child reaches KindergartenDevelopmental MilestonesEarly ChildhoodGender role stereotyping occursRigid gender schemas about games, toys, careers, etc. have developedMiddle ChildhoodSex-appropriate behaviors are taughtThere is a cognitive organization of sex rolesDevelopmental MilestonesAdolescenceAround the age of 11, or in the “pre-adolescent” period, we see a drop of confidence in some femalesHighly sensitive ageReal Gender DifferencesPhysical Activity & Motor Skills (differences overlap a lot)Girlsless well developed overallbetter fine motor skills before pubertyBoyspredisposed to be more activebiological advantage in height and strengthCognitive & Academic AbilitiesDifferences are small; gap is decreasingSimilar on tests of general intelligencePerform equally well in mathGirlsbetter at some verbal tasksreading, writing, vocabularyhigher grades in schoolBoysbetter at visual-spatial tasks & mathematical problem solvinggreater variability overallMore than 2/3 of all students in special-ed. programs are male.Motivation in Academic ActivitiesBoth more motivated to perform in gender-stereotypical areasGirlsmore engagedmore motivated to do well in school & go to collegeBoysmore willing to take academic challenges and risksless concerned about failureSense of SelfSelf-worth similar until pubertyconsistent with stereotypes (boys would rate themselves confident in math, and girls in reading)boys overestimate abilities; girls underestimateBoys have higher expectationsBoys have more confidence in ability to control the worldGirls see themselves as competent in interpersonal relationshipsInterpersonal BehaviorsGirlsmore likely to engage in relational aggressionmore intimate friendshipsmore cooperative, affiliativecloser attention to emotions, nonverbal cuesBoysmore physically aggressivelarger playgroupsmore competitiveClassroom BehaviorBoysmore likely to misbehavemore participatoryGirlsless likely to volunteer answersmore likely to lead in same-sex groups than in mixed groupsCareer AspirationsBoys historically more ambitiousbut girls today are also ambitiousBoth boys & girls tend toward stereotypical goalsOrigins of Gender DifferencesBiologyhormonesbrain differencesParentingexpectations & encouragementtoys & other resourcesPeersprefer stereotypical behaviorPopular mediastereotypical modelsSelf-socializationgender schema theory—children construct their own beliefsSchools’ ContributionsMajority of teachers praise girls for appearance; boys praised on content of work.Teachers have higher expectations for boysBoys more encouraged to take math & science coursesSchool Contributions con’tBoys receive more attentionAfrican-American girls receive the least amount of attentionFemales punished more promptly for aggressive behaviorWhen girls cannot answer questions, teachers give them the answer. They let guys figure it out. Underlying message: you cant do itCreative behavior of males reward moreCurriculum materials.Women’s Wageslower than men’s, even when education is the samefive or more years of college - $.69 for every dollar earned by male colleagues with the same years of educationPromoting Gender EquityBecome self-aware of your actions & attitudes in the classroomMake certain you call on girls as much as boys.Invite female and male role models (not stereotypical)Seek out books & other materials that better represent women & minorities.Gender IdentityPerson's innate, deeply felt psychological identification as male or female, which may or may not correspond to the person's body or designated sex at birthGender expression - external characteristics and behaviors that are socially defined as either masculine or feminineSexual Orientationindividual's physical and/or emotional attraction to the same and/or opposite gender. "Heterosexual," "bisexual" and "homosexual" are all sexual orientations. A person's sexual orientation is distinct from a person's gender identity and expression.LGBTQ Students5 – 6% of American students are LGBT2.5 – 2.7 million youth75% bullied and feel unsafe37% have been physically harassed/assaulted60% hear homophobic remarks35% have heard the remarks from school staff & teachersRisks for LGBTQ studentsSkipping schoolDropping out & academic failureHarassment from peers and adultsFamily rejectionHomelessnessPhysical and sexual violenceDepression & suicide attemptsWhat can educators do?Be “agents of change”Promote acceptanceAdopt & implement anti-bullying policiesEncourage LGBTQ students to seek out support systemsLearn about LGBTQ issuesGLADPRISMRainbow allianceGender Roles 10/08/2014DIVERSITY: Issues Related to GenderCollege of EducationUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaGender Role DevelopmentGENDER ROLES - societal expectations of how we should act, think andfeel as men and woman-Earliest thing you learnGender Role DevelopmentGender Schemas - organizing the world in terms of female and maleGender Schemas:-Society directedoMale Socialization-Family directed-Biologically directedSex role stereotyping - rigid beliefs about characteristics & behaviors associated with one sex.Developmental MilestonesBy the age of two-Children are aware of gender differencesBy the age of three-Gender Schemas have begun to form-Clear concept of what it means to be a boy or a girl can be in place by the time a child reaches KindergartenDevelopmental MilestonesEarly Childhood-Gender role stereotyping occurs-Rigid gender schemas about games, toys, careers, etc. have developedMiddle ChildhoodSex-appropriate behaviors are taughtThere is a cognitive organization of sex roles Developmental MilestonesAdolescence-Around the age of 11, or in the “pre-adolescent” period, we see a drop of confidence in some