Classroom Diversity in the Media

When attempting to define gender and sexuality in a twenty-first century context, it is prob-

lematic due to stigmatising agents and qualitative norms projected to society through the media.

When gender and sexuality norms are challenged, particularly within a school environment, peda-

gogical practices aren't as effective due to gendered activities and perceptions affiliated with gender

and sexuality stereotypes. Gender roles and normative sexuality expectations are made clear

through entertainment in the media, and confirmed by bias and opinionated news broadcasts and

social media links. These inform and provoke student habitus within the classroom. The media dis-

allows schools to promote a more equitable learning environment, where gender and sexuality don’t

define learning materials and inclusivity. This is because the media holds a position of power and

shapes the dominant discourse surrounding gender and sexuality norms. Without challenging the

binaries represented in the media, particularly in reference to schooling, inclusivity and de-gendered

activities will not make it into school, hindering learning and sparking aspects of bullying. Apply-

ing theories such as the feminist theory and the functionalist theory to these issues of marginalisa-

tion of non-conforming students, we can identify the sociological ways to inform our understanding

of why gender and sexuality heteronormativity is difficult to challenge and counteract within

schools. This is done in attempt to create a non-gendered learning environment as to not hinder any

student’s learning on the basis of perceived social reproduction, or habitus.

Gender and Sexuality can be understood in terms of subjectivity and identity. Identity can be

socially constructed through language and discourses (Rawlings, 2017). Discourses surrounding

gender and sexuality as commonly heteronormative become problematic within the classroom, as

notions of identity are challenged or sanctioned socially in negative ways (Rawlings, 2017). Gender

and sexuality cast binary opposites, resulting in masculinity and femininity as unfixed ideals that

are socially and culturally constructed and change throughout time to meet the dominant discourse
ideologies (Rawlings, 2017). This allows a window of opportunity to tackle these dominant dis-

courses within a school environment and allow gender and sexuality binaries to be challenged. This

can be approached by attempting to redefine ideas of homophobia and transphobia in schools to het-

eronormativity and sexism (Rawlings, 2017). Schools disallow for meaningful discussions and ap-

proaches to bullying related to sexism or homophobia as they are simultaneously supporting these

issues through heteronormative pedagogies and strategies (Rawlings, 2017). Gender and sexuality

can also be defined as performative, which is reflected in the media as a source of power and domi-

nant discourse. Media, and especially film, positions masculinity and femininity as binaries related

to biological sex. When the media subsequently challenges this, it is an obvious dichotomy of heter-

onormativity and social and cultural norms of the present.

Through applying Pierre Bourdieu’s theories of cultural capital, social reproduction and

habitus to issues of gender and sexuality, and the success non-conforming students have at school,

these theories reveal why this is a social justice issue. Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital and so-

cial reproduction asserts that the dominant culture, class, and norms of a specific socioeconomic

area, become the norms that are reflected within these schools (Dumais, 2002). This becomes prob-

lematic from an equitability standpoint, as areas populated with a low LGBTQ population show a

greater marginalisation of LGBTQ students within their schools.

Bourdieu (1973:80) wrote: By doing away with giving explicitly to everyone what it implicitly

demands of everyone, the educational system demands of everyone alike that they have what it

does not give. This consists mainly of linguistic and cultural competence and that relationship of

familiarity with culture can only be produced by family upbringing when it transmits the domi-

nant culture. (Dumais, 2002, p. 44).

This quote reflects Bourdieu’s theory of social reproduction and explains how it can be problematic

as it crosses over into the education system. The demands of heteronormativity created by those in

power, and often reflected within the media as a dominant source of power, creates a problematic

dominant discourse surrounding gender and sexuality and explicitly frames the binaries of heter-

onormativity as illegitimate.

Film is incredibly influential in dictating dominant discourses surrounding heteronorma-

tivity, and furthermore influences not only students, but school staff, and society in general. Charac-

teristics of gender and sexuality are idealised through popular culture and legitimised through news

media, social media, and opinion circulated to the masses. Andy Fickman’s 2006 film She’s the

Man identifies and challenges the gender specific activities integrated into schools. This challenge

of heteronormativity draws upon feminist and functionalist theories of learning and through being

in a position of power, challenges the dominant discourse and creates a positive ideology that can

be adapted into school environments. Empowerment within female students partaking in typically

‘male-dominated’ activities sparked by film and media is a powerful tool to challenge societal

norms and create and equitable learning space. This counteracts negative student habitus, which is

peppered with heteronormative ideals. In schooling, homosexual and transgender students, along-

side gender non-conforming students have received attention in the mainstream media, and within

academic research within recent years (Ullman, 2015). Marginalisation of these students within re-

gional, rural, and remote communities within Australia is influenced by the number of LGBTQ in-

dividuals in such communities and the social features of these communities are somewhat replicated

by the schools within them (Ullman, 2015). We can see the effects of media influences and socioec-

onomic status within specific areas of Australia, and the subsequent treatment and marginalisation

of gender and sexuality non-conforming groups within these schools. The example from She’s the

Man focuses on the way discourses can be challenged within schools to benefit students and remove
gender focus within activities. This will create a pathway to a more equitable learning environment

within Australian schools.

When investigating the issues and stigmas surrounding gender and sexuality within the me-

dia and concurrently the national and global schooling system, it is important to identify persons of

power through acknowledging dominant discourse. Analysing the dominant discourse allows the

particular ideological beliefs of those in power to become the accepted way. In relation to gender

and sexuality inequities in secondary schools, the dominant discourse places gender roles and heter-

osexual normative at the centre of pedagogical practices and expectations within the classroom.

This discourse is created through the media, and although some aspects of the media challenge this,

most conform to the dominant discourse of gender and sexuality which directly affect perceptions

of the norm, which carries into a school environment. Problems with the dominant discourse also

occur through newspaper and journal articles. These are not academic resources but reach a greater

magnitude of society and subsequently present gender non-conformity to bear negative conse-

quences and question whether indoctrinating ideas of gender inclusion into schools is a matter of

gender enforcement, not gender neutrality (Nicholas, 2016). The most commonly accepted way of

thinking about gender equity and sexuality in a school environment can be understood through

identifying the media as a source of power, and the westernised discourses being communicated to

students, parents, and teachers can be detrimental to this social justice concern. When understand-

ing power through relativity to one’s own perspective and privilege, it can be understood as contex-

tualised knowledge. An example of this is evident in a newspaper article published in The Austral-

ian in February 2017 titled ‘Gender theory banned in NSW classrooms’ where any pedagogical

methods that encourage de-gendered learning will likely be removed alongside sexually explicit

case studies and teaching materials (Urban, 2017). Through contextualising this article by juxtapos-

ing it with popular films at the time of its publication, media exposure through films such as Foley’s
2017 film Fifty Shades of Grey released at the same time of this article enforce societal expectations

regarding gender roles, norms of heterosexuality, and male dominance.

The feminist theory, a high level sociological perspective, can be used as a starting point for

further explanation of the gender and sexuality expectations of heteronormativity, and the problems

affiliated with such a set of norms. This theory starts from the perspective that there are societal in-

equities based around gender. This theory can be applied to a range of issues in education, and aid

explanation about why gender gaps exist in certain subjects in school, and why certain subject areas

are considered ‘male’ or ‘female’. These characteristics of society, in relation to gender and sexual-

ity, from a feminist point of view identify that society has obvious divisions of gender. This carries

through to the classroom where gender divisions are evident in extra curricular activities and class-

room practices. This hinders inclusivity from a pedagogical perspective, as ideologies surrounding

gender roles take on the dominant discourse. Just as women are often objectified and judged based

on appearance, perceived youth, and conformity to gender-based expectations in the media; they too

are faced with expectations to conform to gender-based expectations in the classroom. Feminism in

the media is met with controversy from different sociological groups, and differing opinions on

what gender equality is. An example of this is seen through media, where Emma Watson’s

HeforShe UN speech was broadcasted through many digital media platforms and delivered to the

masses:

For the record, feminism by definition is: “The belief that men and women should have equal

rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the

sexes.” I started questioning gender-based assumptions when at eight I was confused at being

called “bossy,” because I wanted to direct the plays we would put on for our parents—but the

boys were not. When at 14 I started being sexualized by certain elements of the press. When at
 15 my girlfriends started dropping out of their sports teams because they didn’t want to appear

“muscly.” When at 18 my male friends were unable to express their feelings. (Watson, 2014)

This speech identifies very real and global issues that all genders face within schools, and was pro-

pelled by the media in an attempt to challenge these discourses within society. This shows the me-

dia as a powerful tool to challenge negative discourses surrounding gender and heteronormativity

and creates a platform to attack these social justice issues, which are reflected socially, and inte-

grated into the school system. Issues with this approach when challenging pedagogical practices

begin with the stigma surrounding the term ‘feminism’ and the positive influencers of feminist the-

ory are scholars and celebrities. This hinders the feminist theory, and somewhat restricts its power

to that which is positively proposed through the media.

The functionalist theory views each part of society as working in harmony with all other

parts. A functionalist perspective implies that each institution, class, or group of individuals in soci-

ety has a role to play. This view is carried into the classroom and opposes the feminist theory, and

argues that there are gender-specific roles within society. Where gender-specific activity and sub-

ject areas in schools are critiqued through applying the feminist theory, the functionalist point of

view agrees that gender has a role to play in education. This theory can be problematic as it tends to

encourage the construction of difference as deficit. In a school setting, students outside of this norm

can be viewed as problematic because they differ from the mainstream. This mainstream ideology

of specific gender roles and heterosexuality as the norm can happen through curricula, policy, peda-

gogy, and playground practices. Robert Merton developed the strain theory of deviance in the 1940s

which has become popular with contemporary functionalists. “The general strain theory identifies

three major sources of strain: the failure to achieve positively valued goals, the loss of positively

valued stimuli, and the presentation of negative stimuli” (Broidy & Agnew, 1997 p. 277). Through
this theory, functionalists like Merton pave the way for ideals and theories to be applied to educa-

tional settings to justify the social and cultural gaps between students. When reflecting on gender

and sexuality inequities within teaching practices and activities, these gender roles may be asserted

through curricula and informed through functionalist theories. This can be problematic when at-

tempting to propel an equitable learning environment into Australian schools.

The normalisation of deviant behaviour as subcultural learning is the great advantage of cultural

deviance theory and also its major limitation. As control theorists of deviance have pointed out,

cultural theory cannot explain why a person would violate his/her own rules (Hirschi; Korn-

hauser; Sykes and Matza, as cited in Rosenfeld, 1989 p. 456).

This theory, in relation to a school environment, rationalises the marginalisation of those who do

not conform to the dominant gender and sexuality norms. This is problematic because it does not

act to create equality within schools, and promotes gender-specific activity and heteronormativity as

the norm. Those who don’t follow the ‘rules’ of their biological gender, and normative sexuality are

marginalised as a result.

Marginalisation within schools because of gender and sexuality is problematic as it hinders

student learning and habitus. The media informs our understanding of normative gender roles and

heterosexuality as the most accepted from of sexuality. The media is in a position of power and

forms the dominant discourse of heteronormativity as it is provided as the norm within film, news

articles, blog posts, and social media. It is coherently obvious through the lack of departmental poli-

cies within the Australian curriculum, that gender and sexuality inequities within school curricula,

pedagogical practices, and extra curricula activities are not met with the same concerns as other so-

cial justice issues. Bullying and marginalisation of gender and sexuality non-conforming students in

schools creates an imbalance of a level playing field within Australian education, and through the
lack of policy, non-gendered curricula, and non-gendered school activities, this marginalisation is

not approached with enough care and equitability as necessary, and is a social justice issue within

Australia and globally. This is evident through the media being in a position of power globally, and

informing the dominant discourse around the world.

 References

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CNN (2014, September 22). Emma Watson to United Nations: I'm a feminist [Video file].

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Fickman, A. (Director). (2006). She's the Man [Motion picture].

Foley, J. (Director). (2017). Fifty Shades Darker [Motion picture].

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