Gender construction and work in schools
The central role of gender construction in boys' education has been identified by major Australian and overseas research for some years. The NSW Advisory Committee on Boys' Education found:
What is needed is an overall strategy of Gender Equity in Education. There should be programs for all students including an understanding of the construction of gender and the ways in which gender stereotypes may inhibit the learning and subsequent life choices of both boys and girls, as well as, where appropriate, special programs for girls and special programs for boys. Gender Equity Principles should be developed to apply across the board in education and Gender Equity Strategies should become an integral part of the curriculum at all levels Among some people there is a misperception that boys' and girls' interests are competing and should be played off one against the other. This is counter productive and leads to conclusions which would not attack the root cause of the problems for either boys or girls.
At a national level, the Gender Equity Taskforce and Reference Group (MCEETYA) also took up this theme:
To address the differing concerns and educational experiences of boys and girls it is necessary to acknowledge that gender is a central issue for both girls and boys. It is clear that boys have needs that are not being met effectively by schools. Narrow versions of masculinity and obsolete views of men's and women's roles restrict boys' opportunities in relation to their educational and social development, vocational experiences, and therefore their subsequent life chances.
(Gender Equity: A Framework for Australian Schools 1997:6)
Internationally too, the need to address gender construction is clear:
Introducing the concept of masculinity into the discussion addresses several of the problems associated with the 'What about the boys?' debate. For one thing, it enables us to explore the ways in which class and race complicate the picture of boys' achievement and behaviours. For another it reveals that boys and girls are on the same side in this struggle, not pitted against each other. Further, challenging those stereotypes, decreasing tolerance for school violence and bullying, and increasing attention to violence at home actually enables both girls and boys to feel safer at school.
(Kimmel 2000:2)
By taking an approach informed by the social construction of gender, schools can work more productively with boys (and girls).
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