Reflection
By: Zeina Jabali
Let me start this off by quoting James Brown and Betty Jean
Newsome by saying, “It’s a man’s world”. Man created the society in which we
live and he built it in a rather genius way. He understood the power of the woman
and strove to suppress it, for he knew that if he gave her power she would rule
the world, and he could not have it. Subsequently, men are the historically
dominant sex, creating stereotypical and societal differences between men and
women.
Karin A. Martin and many other feminists note the gender differences in our
society, but Martin asks how these differences are constructed. She observes
five different classrooms and concludes that there is a hidden curriculum that
“turns children who are similar in bodily compartment, movement, and practice
into girls and boys” (Martin 1). At this young age students are brainwashed
into believing that boys must be strong, violent, and confident while woman
must be graceful, elegant, and fragile. Since the lessons learnt in our
childhoods spill onto our present adult lives, we are instilled with the
beliefs of gender inequality. This is why I believe that preschools should
adopt a system similar to that of Sweden.
At the Egalia preschool in Stockholm, staff avoid using words “him” or “her”,
and instead address the students as “friends” (Soffel). In addition to this,
toys are organized in such a fashion so as to not connote certain toys or
activities as manly or girly. Thus the toy kitchen, where both male and female
children play, is placed right next to the Lego and other construction toys
(Soffel). Egalia does not contain classical fairy tales because they are seen
to uphold stereotypes of the weak damsel in distress and the strong night in shining
armor. Instead, stories of homosexual couples, single parents, or adopted
children fill the bookcase (Soffel). I believe that a curriculum such as this
will end the seeming naturalness of gender differences and inequality.
Although preschools play an enormous role in shaping us as individuals, I would
be at fault if I did not also acknowledge society’s role in keeping the flame
ablaze. Judith Lorber points out the inequality that lives in organized sport.
For example, in women’s basketball, “the size of the ball and rules for
handling the ball change the style of play to a slower, less intense, and less
exciting modification” (Lorber 572). As a victim of such thought and practice I
must say that it is a terrible feeling to be placed in such a discriminatory,
disadvantaged situation based on my gender. In Kuwait- where I grew up- our
women’s varsity team was forced to play only eight players on each side as
opposed to the traditional eleven, and while the men were allowed to play
90-minute games, we were forced to play only 50 minutes. It is rules and short
sightings such as these that hinder women from our full potential. In addition
to organized sport, the media and even something so simple as who is driving
the car actively create new gender differences and cement previous ones.
At early ages children are instilled with ideals that separate themselves from
their peers. These ideals become absolute in preschools and are thus carried
with the students until they mature, creating a society founded on stereotypes.
This is why I advocate for preschools to follow the curriculum of the Egalia
preschool. Through this, I believe that children will grow to become better
equipped for the changing world and I hope they can improve gender equality.
This may be a man's world, but it would be nothing without a woman or a girl.
Soffel, Jenny.
"Gender Bias Fought At Egalia Preschool In Stockholm, Sweden." The
Huffington
Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 June 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/26/gender-bias-egalia
preschool_n_884866.html>.
Lily Cannon
ReplyDeleteZeina’s ideas stated in her blog post about the differences in gender roles in Sweden is very interesting and I believe should be practiced in this country. Not only do they try and change the toys used, but also the names of their children. For example, it should be acceptable to name your son Jill and your daughter Jack. Connecting back to our country, I believe it again is becoming more socially acceptable to name your child who is a female a male’s name, and male a female’s name. The gender roles are not just a problem in the United States but in the rest of the world as well. In some countries, the gender roles are harder to break. For example, Zeina mentioned how in Kuwait there are different rules for men and women for soccer. These differences include the amount of players on the field and how long the game is. This problem is not as bad in the game of soccer in the United States but is visible to an extent. For example, in lacrosse, boys are required to wear padding and helmets due to the level of physical activity while girls just wear goggles because of the differences in rules. I believe the rules for both men and women’s games should be equal and fair.
TJ Brady: I agree with what Zeina said about the Preschool article and agree that changing some of the preschool structure and practices is definitely necessary going forward in America. I also agree that having the different rules in soccer is ridiculous and something that has to be changed. The one thing I don't agree with is her basketball example. Zeina said that there are different rules for women's basketball and that it makes the game slower and less exciting. I know that the ball is smaller for women but I don't see that as an issue which makes the game slower and less exciting. I know from my personal experience that most guys have larger hands than girls. Because of this I believe that the women's ball is smaller so that their game can be more exciting than it would be if they were using the mens ball. All the size of the ball does is make it comparative sizes of women's hands and the women's ball similar to a man's hands and the mens ball. That's why if anything I think that women playing with a smaller ball is a benefit and not a detriment or something that is holding women back.
ReplyDeleteSarah Wills: I love the way Zeina started her post with James Brown's song. Many of the observations made by Martin appear to ring true to the lyrics. She keyed in on the preschool’s “hidden curriculum” that suppresses behavior based on gender. One thing I found particularly interesting was when Martin describes how one of the girls dressed up as a woman and walked around the classroom. Then, one boy yelled “’Ugh! There’s a woman!’”. Even just the word “woman” has a negative connotation to these preschool children. If this society teaches children about becoming a “gendered body” starting at age three, then it is no wonder why there are such inequalities that Lorber describes. Lorber hones in on the gender inequalities in sports. Lorber points out that female athletes are often considered less appealing and feminine due to strength and ability. This can relate to the different rules regulations for men and women in sports.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Zeina that pre-school practices can take two similar bodies with different sexes and categorize them to conform to so-called gender norms. This practice and its debilitating nature limit the individual child’s opportunities to succeed and reach their full potential. In one of those classes there could be a future female Olympian or a male fashion designer. Dreams such as these might be erased or discouraged by the sexist instruction of children that goes on in this country. On having learned of the gender-neutral school in Sweden also, I am grateful that the issue is being addressed instead of ignored and disregarded as is characteristic in approaching controversial subjects. I would be very interested to know how those Swedish children grew up and if they will lack the gender inequality that plaques us today. As Zeina noticed in ‘Believing is Seeing’ a practice as insignificant as driving turns into a gender issue. This phenomenon is taken for granted and is equally ridiculous to the inequality that exists in sport. In particular, the fact that women use smaller basketballs when playing asserts the false idea that you can classify an entire gender as unable to handle the same exact sport that their male counterparts participate in. Additionally, Lorber’s example of computer programming as a field that used to be dominated by women demonstrates the major gender discrimination that occurs in the workplace. Lorber explains that once computer programming was deemed ‘intellectually demanding’, unthinkable if done predominantly by women, men had flooded the field. Now it is a prevalent stereotype that technological work is a male field. This stereotype and Lorber’s example are reminiscent of the quote “history is written by the victors”, in that because men have flooded the technological field a stereotype can be plucked out of thin air and used as gender discrimination.
ReplyDeleteAnna Grofik
Natalie Bennett
ReplyDeleteI love what you're saying! I agree with basically everything here. When you mentioned what the first article had to say about who drives the car I remembered just this weekend when I got in the car with my boyfriends parents. I noticed right away and thought it weird that his mother was the one driving. During the ride they actually shared a story that when he and his brother were little they thought his dad didn't know how to drive their moms car. I guess it just hits right at home with me that we expect the man to always drive.
I don't know quite how I feel about the preschool example, though. I love the set up of the toys, but I don't know that I'd ever want to force a child to grow up without fairy tales. The stories of the Disney princesses have been some of my favorites and I of course know every one by heart.
Natalie Bennett
ReplyDeleteI love what you're saying! I agree with basically everything here. When you mentioned what the first article had to say about who drives the car I remembered just this weekend when I got in the car with my boyfriends parents. I noticed right away and thought it weird that his mother was the one driving. During the ride they actually shared a story that when he and his brother were little they thought his dad didn't know how to drive their moms car. I guess it just hits right at home with me that we expect the man to always drive.
I don't know quite how I feel about the preschool example, though. I love the set up of the toys, but I don't know that I'd ever want to force a child to grow up without fairy tales. The stories of the Disney princesses have been some of my favorites and I of course know every one by heart.
Kelsey Warkentin
ReplyDeleteWow. Your post was very powerful and made me really think about society. The article that you included in your response was very interesting! I have never heard of a curriculum like that and I would be curious to see if that would really work everywhere in the world.
As for your own personal experiences, I think we have all been through times when we felt discriminated against whether we are a man or a woman. While women seem to be treated differently most of the time, there are instances when men are treated differently. For example, a male dancer is usually perceived by the public as “feminine” or “gay” because of his costume or what he does. But in reality, male dancers are stronger than a majority of sports players and their training is very difficult.
This is only one example though, and I do agree with what you were saying throughout the article, “This may be a man's world, but it would be nothing without a woman or a girl.” In order to erase gender differences, society needs to change!