GENDER EQUALITY IN EDUCATION: TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES IN SCHOOLS

Abstract

Achieving gender equality in education has been one of the goals of the Beijing Platform for Action, Education for All, and of the Millennium Development Goals. Teachers and their pedagogy are instrumental in achieving this goal. The purpose of this research was to seek teachers' understanding on the concept of gender equality and explore their perceptions and practices in schools. Review of related literature and documents, in-depth interviews and observation using qualitative methods constituted the main research approach. Equal number of male and female teachers from three schools located within Srikhandapur ancient town were interviewed and observed in and out of the classroom for collecting the data. A content analysis of the data was carried out. The lenses for this study were feminist theory in general and post- structural feminist theory in particular. Pierre Bourdieu’s theory on cultural reproduction was also used to understand the teachers’ role in promoting gender equality. The research revealed the state of teachers’ understanding and perceptions of the concepts of gender, gender equality and gender equality in education. The term gender (laingik) was known to all teachers. However, the majority of them ii understood it as the same as sex (linga) in binary (male & female) category. Teachers were also familiar with the term gender equality (Laingic Samanata), but they perceived the concept of ‘equality’ in the form of a formal equality approach that treats men and women alike without differentiating. However, the approach adopted in the CEDAW for gender equality was the substantive equality approach - equality of outcomes. Similarly, with regard to teachers’ understanding of the concept of gender equality in education, their understandings were marked by equal treatment (saman bebahar) to both boys and girls, and equal opportunity (saman awasar) in and out of classrooms to both boys and girls, while the gender equality framework of UNESCO consists of four dimensions: equality of access; equality in the learning process; equality of educational outcomes; and equality of external results. With regard to practice, all teachers valued gender equality and they claimed that they practice equality, but perpetuate inequality inadvertently by concentrating their attentions more on boys, not addressing gender stereotypes embedded in textbooks, by arranging sex-segregating seating, using gender exclusive and non-honorific language, excluding girls in many sports and games, and imposing a sex-segregated dress code. Teachers have not got opportunities to build their understanding and perceptions in line with the contemporary concept of gender upon which this dissertation is based. The research concluded that teachers needed sound contemporary conceptual clarity on gender, gender equality and gender equality in education to enable them to deconstruct hierarchical and binary gender constructs that are essential to reconstruct gender concepts for addressing causes of gender inequality as advocated by the post structural feminism. In doing so, there is a need of context specific local knowledge based ‘Gender Equality Education’ (GEE) and training on Gender Responsive Pedagogy (GRP) to equip teachers with contemporary knowledge and pedagogical iii skills so as to enable them further to contribute in achieving substantive equality in education in a sustained way beyond parity. Keyword(s): Gender, gender equality, gender equality education, gender responsive pedagogy, substantive equality