Special Interest Group: Gender

Ronilyn Aquino, Alison Libfeld, Jill Schoer, Lauren Vachna

What is Gender Bias?

Gender bias occurs when people make assumptions regarding behaviors, abilities or preferences of others based upon their gender Since there are strong gender role stereotypes for masculinity and femininity, people, especially students, who do not match them can encounter problems

Historical Context
The first instance of the superiority of men over women came in the Bible Creation Story But for Adam, no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the mans ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she is taken out of man.

Historical Context: Hunter Gatherer Societies

In hunter-gatherer societies, the men hunted the food and the womens sole purpose was to reproduce This is noted in childrens literature books, such as the Buffalo Woman, by Paul Goble Role Play #1

Historical Context: Colonial Times

In colonial times, women were educated to become skilled at household duties and chores in order to find a suitable husband Women who were highly educated were not sought after

Why do you think these women were not sought after?

Historical Context: Colonial Times

As time progressed, girls and boys attended Dame Schools
Boys were taught basic skills (math, reading and writing), and girls were taught womanly skills such as sewing and knitting

After Dame Schools, boys were given the option to continue their education at town schools, however most girls were not
Role Play #2

Historical Context: Colonial Times

Almost all towns in New England banned girls from town schools As a result, in 1780, the literacy rate of men doubled that of womens At the end of the 18th century, girls were permitted to attend town schools, however the change was slow and often involved boys and girls being taught at separate times

Historical Context: Colonial Times

In the South, girls were only taught to read in order to study the Bible, and only taught writing and arithmetic to record household expenses
Hornbook

The daily lessons girls were taught included social etiquette, music, nursing, needlework and cooking in order to act as wives, mothers and housekeepers

Historical Context: Colonial Times

Quakers believed in educating both genders
However, boys and girls were educated separately, and girls education focused mainly on domestic skills

Quakers also promoted the education of African Americans, and in some instances they were given access to formal schooling in separate locations
These schools did not last because they lacked both support and funding from the white

Historical Context: Industrial Times

The economy began to transition from handcrafted items, produced by women working at home, to the industrialized production of clothing and household goods Due to this change, middle class girls had more free time that they could use for education

Historical Context: Industrial Times

Adventure schools, known now as a trade school
Similar to a camp, girls participated in activities that were popular at the time (dancing, crafts, music)

Summer schools gave girls more of an opportunity for education

Girls could attend summer school because tuition was lower, and the boys were working in the field Role Play #3

Historical Context: Industrial Times

Early in the century there was a rapid growth of secondary schools for women In 1815, the Female Seminary movement began In 1821, Troy Female Seminary opened, and was the first high school to accept women In 1823, Catherine Beecher opened a school for girls in Hartford, CT In 1826, the first public high schools for girls opened in New York and Boston In 1833, Oberlin College was the first college to accept women
Its purpose was to give equal education access to women

Historical Context: Industrial Times

As school systems grew, there became a shortage of teachers in primary and secondary schools Men could earn more money in careers other than teaching, and as a result women were the solution to the teacher shortage Women were paid only one-third the mens salary

Role Play #4

Cost of Living in 1840s-1850s

Dozen eggs: $0.09 One pound of coffee cost: $0.10 Pair of shoes: $0.38 Womens Dress: $3.75 Routine doctors visit: $2.00 Piano: $195 New home in Brooklyn, NY: $2,500
$1 in 1850 = $28.30 today

Seneca Falls Convention

The first Women's Rights Convention was held in 1848 Discussions ranged from reforming marriage and property laws to a womens right to vote
Women called for the co-education of public schools

In the end, 68 women and 32 men signed a Declaration of Sentiments calling for equal treatment of women and men under law and voting rights for women

Historical Context: Industrial Times

In 1849, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony (Quaker and teacher) created a partnership to promote the cause of womens rights Anthony also advocated a number of other issues beyond voting rights, such as a womens parental and property rights, employment and income rights, and divorce laws

Historical Context: Industrial Times

In 1850, the first Federal Census showed that there was little variance between the percentage of men and women who could read and write

Historical Context: Industrial Times

It took until the late 1800s and into the mid 1900s for many colleges to transition into coeducational institutions The East was much slower to accept this change, and made coordinate colleges, such as Radcliffe at Harvard and Barnard at Columbia Classes were still segregated and many classes were only offered to men Women were rarely allowed to participate in extracurricular activities Role Play #5

Historical Context: 1900s

At the beginning of the 20th century teachers faced terrible working conditions including low wages, and a lack of political and community support Women especially faced strict rules regarding their appearance and personal life

Historical Context: 1900s

After the expansion of public education in the late 19th century, public schools were overwhelmed with students and in need of more teachers As a result of these conditions, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) was founded

Historical Context: 1900s

Margaret Haley was one of the most influential women in the effort to establish better working conditions for women teachers and helped found the AFT Haley was nominated to be the AFTs first president but the position was given to Charles Stillman She was given the position of national organizer, which was an unpaid position

Historical Context: 1900s

Alice Paul, an advocate for womens rights, used drastic tactics to pass the 19th Amendment On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving all American women the same rights and responsibilities of citizenship as men On Election Day in 1920, millions of American women exercised their right to vote for the first time
Role Play #6

Historical Context: 1900s

At the outbreak of World War II, American leave for war and leave a gap in the workforce and entertainment
League of Their Own Video Clip

As a result, the government recruited women "Rosie the Riveter" was a compilation of different efforts to get citizens involved in the war effort
The first Rosie poster was titled We Can Do It!

Historical Context: 1900s

By December 1941, almost 13 million women were working By 1945, the female workforce increased to a total of 20 million After the war, many women returned to their roles in the home, but others remained working while their husbands went back to school under the G.I. Bill Female numbers in the workforce decreased after the war, but they never returned to their lower pre-war levels
Role Play #7

Historical Context: 1900s

In 1960, the drug company G.D. Searle received FDA approval to sell the pill This gave women unprecedented control over their reproductive rights

Historical Context: 1900s

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in an effort to abolish wage discrimination based on gender
The Equal Pay Act requires that men and women be given equal pay for equal work in the same establishment. The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal. It is job content, not job titles, that determines whether jobs are substantially equal.

Historical Context: 1900s

In 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bans discrimination in employment on the basis of race and gender The Act also establishes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate complaints and impose penalties on gender discrimination

Historical Context: 1900s

President Lyndon Johnson's affirmative action policy of 1965 expands to cover discrimination based on gender By 1966, many women activists are frustrated with the EEOCs lack of aggressive enforcement As a result, Betty Goldstein Friedan and Rev. Pauli Murray formed the National Organization for Women (NOW), an organization to bring women into full participation in American society

Historical Context: 1900s

In 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments bans gender discrimination in public schools, resulting in increased enrollment of women in athletic programs and professional schools Title IX was the first broad federal civil rights law to explicitly prohibit gender discrimination in the educational system
Title IX states: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Historical Context: 1900s

In 1973, the Supreme Court declares in Roe v. Wade, a woman's right to safe and legal abortion, and overrode the anti-abortion laws of many states

Historical Context: 1900s

In 1975, the Pregnancy and Discrimination Act was passed, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions It is an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Historical Context: 1900s

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominates Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court In 1986, Oprah Winfrey becomes the first African American woman to host a nationally syndicated talk show In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Janet Reno to serve as the first woman U.S. Attorney General In 1995, Lt. Col. Eileen Collins becomes the first American woman to pilot a Space Shuttle In 1997, Madeleine K. Albright becomes first woman U.S. Secretary of State, also nominated by President Bill Clinton

Historical Context: 2000s

In 2000, Hillary Clinton becomes the only First Lady ever elected to the United States Senate In 2005, Condoleezza Rice becomes the first AfricanAmerican woman appointed to Secretary of State In 2007, Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives In the 2008 presidential race, Hillary Clinton won more primaries and delegates than any other female candidate in American history, although losing to Barack Obama, she was later appointed as Secretary of State

Role Play #8

Present Day
In 2010, an analytics firm found the median salary of single, childless women under the age of 30 was 8 percent higher than their male counterparts, largely because more women go to college than men This is the only group of women who have a pay advantage The most frequently cited figure today is that women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn

Present Day
This early advantage disappears later in women's lives especially if they have children
Maternal Wall

The number of pregnancy and maternity discrimination charges filed has steadily increased since the late 1990s
Paper trail We don't want her because she's a mother.

Present Day

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008 Annual Averages

Women of Different Races and Ethnicities

African American Women
Unemployment Rates

Chinese Women
Men belong in public, women belong at home

Indian Women
Sexual Harassment, abuse and violence

Gender Inequity
Gender Inequity Difference (187 Countries)
Netherlands #1 United States #42 Dominican Republic #109 India #132 Afghanistan #147
Human Development Report 2013

Contemporary Issues in the Classroom

Numerous research studies, from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, have found that teachers give more classroom attention and more esteem building encouragement to boys
Example: One study found boys in elementary and middle school called out answers eight times more often than girls. When boys called out, teachers listened. But when girls called out, they were told to raise your hand if you want to speak.

Contemporary Issues in the Classroom

Another study found boys use creative and effective techniques to catch the teachers attention Boys:
Quickly raise their hands Wave their hand around and up and down Jump out of their seat Make noise or plead

Girls:
Raise their hand but will soon put it down As a result, their passive and compliant behavior often means they are ignored

Contemporary Issues in the Classroom

Studies found that teachers often extend boys answers by asking a follow-up question or for more support
If a boy failed to answer correctly, teachers reframed the question or broke it into a series of simpler questions that could help the student find the answer

Girls are more likely to receive an accepted response from teachers such as okay
If girls attempted to answer more difficult questions and failed, teachers often repeated the question and asked another student, typically a boy, to provide the answer Role Play #9

Instructional Strategies
As a teacher:
Have equal expectations for boys and girls in all content areas Give the same opportunities for success in the classroom Give the same responsibilities and consequences for behavior

Instructional Strategies
Continually self assess how you approach both genders
Videotape yourself, invite a colleague to observe

Use popsicle sticks with students names when calling on students Disguise students identities when grading (ex. ID codes) Use materials, such as trade books, that break gender role stereotypes

Books that Enforce Gender Stereotypes

Girls Boys

Madeline Series The Babysitters Club Amelia Bedilia Series Mrs. Pickerell Series Nancy Drew Series American Girl Books Junie B. Jones Fancy Nancy Disney books (Princess stories) Fairytales

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series Captain Underpants Goosebumps Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sports associated books Mystery/Horror books Superhero books

Books that Break Gender Stereotypes

Little Granny Quarterback Granny, who was a star quarterback in her youth, leaps into her television to assist her favorite team with the winning touchdown. Boy, Can He Dance! Tony doesnt want to become a chef like his father. Instead, he wants to dance. Nessas Fish When Nessas grandmother becomes ill on a fishing excursion, Nessa defends her and their catch against wild animals. Pinky and Rex and the Bully A boy who loves the color pink defends himself and his choice for a best friend, a girl who loves dinosaurs.

New York State Standards

New York State Social Studies Standards History of the United States and New York
Key Idea 1: The study of New York State and United States history requires an analysis of the development of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are unified by many values, practices, and traditions. Key Idea 2: Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New York State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and events across time and from a variety of perspectives. Key Idea 3: Study about the major social, political, economic, cultural, and religious developments in New York State and United States history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups. Key Idea 4: The skills of historical analysis include the ability to: explain the significance of historical evidence; weigh the importance, reliability, and validity of evidence; understand the concept of multiple causation; understand the importance of changing and competing interpretations of different historical developments.

New York State Standards

Common Core Learning Standards: Speaking and Listening
Benchmark Standards Grades 1-6 Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. 2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. 3. Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations. 6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

New York State Standards

Common Core Learning Standards: Mathematics - 3rd Grade

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

OA. Represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division. OA. Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship between multiplication and division.

Number and Operations in Base Ten

NBT. Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.

References

NPR.org NYTimes.com Biography.com U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - eeoc.gov/eeoc National Womens History Museum - nwhm.org HuffingtonPost.com Education.com Umich.edu