Implications of Sexism in The Classroom

We see sexism everywhere – whether we want to or not. It usually comes in small instances such as: traditional and stereotypical images of women and men, the media reporting on violence against female victims, hypersexuality in both women and girls, the shaming of promiscuous women, the bullying of non-conforming peers, sexist statements ingrained in our youth, systematically offering “feminine” or “masculine” toys, double standards in media, and even sexist jokes between friends. These small societal reminders propagate the ongoing belief that women must be complacent and docile while men must be assertive and bold.  

Worst of all, our education system is at the root of it all.  

Sexism is defined as the stereotyping, discrimination or prejudice based on sex. As with most forms of discrimination it serves as a means of maintaining power and status differences between different groups in society. The implications of sexism in the classroom creates a biased and misogynistic society, limiting future individual career and lifestyle choices by reinforcing narrow gender roles. In a study carried out by social psychologist John Jost, a study of 132 college students, (64 women and 68 men) revealed that women were paid eighteen percent less than their male counterparts for the same work.  

While this information is astonishing on its own, more revealing is that the men and women in the experiment were some of America’s most elite students: Yale University undergraduates. In addition to women undervaluing their work and themselves, another study found that elementary girls who demonstrated more assertive behavior were more likely to be labeled as a disruption in class as well as being viewed more negatively by adults, whilst boys who demonstrated the same behavior was merely viewed as a desire to assert themselves. This gross double-standard present in many schools causes women to view basic human behavior as a character defect rather than as an expression of self.  

Sexism in education produces sexism in the workplace, sexism in the home, sexism in sport and many other aspects of society; society is sexist thereby education is sexist. Dismantling stereotypes in both women and men as well as encouraging equal responsibility among all genders will alleviate the implicit delusion in schools, as well as society, that women are inferior. I urge all students and staff of Calloway County High School to consider the real impact of your actions and the motives behind them, after all, change does not happen overnight.