Research shows that females and males start school on a level playing field or with girls outperforming boys on most measures (Chapman 2010). Yet by the time of middle and high school, females have already begun to ghettoize themselves. The ghettoization of females is tacitly supported by educators. Attempts to reach out to female students has been criticized harshly as an attempt to "feminize" education and take something away from boys rather than give something to all students (Frawley 2005, p. 1). The very notion that helping girls would be detrimental to boys is a sexist belief. Gender biases also represent a fundamental failure to recognize the "middle ground" for children who "are not strongly gender-typed" at any age (Frawley 2005, p. 2).
Female students may be discouraged from reaching peak athletic performance because of gender bias too. Stereotypes are often reinforced in classrooms, as female students are "negatively sanctioned...for unfeminine behavior," (Banks 1990, p. 527). The socialization of gender process is supported by teachers, peers, the media and parents and occurs inside and outside of the classroom. For this reason, gender bias in the classroom is best conceived of as a societal issue and not one that is confined within the boundaries of education.
Even though an equal number of boys and girls demonstrate specific learning disabilities, "Boys represent more than two-thirds of all students in special education programs and there is a higher...
Thus, gender bias is evident at the administrative and planning level, as school resources reveal biases in favor of male over female students.
It is not just the "hidden curriculum" that favors boys over girls but also the overt curriculum, teaching "token" input from female historical figures or portraying female historical figures in light of gender stereotypes (Chapman 2010). One example of how female contributions to history are painted with a biased brush is the popularization of the Betsy Ross tale in American history. A seamstress, Betsy Ross represents the traditional role of females. Women like Olympe de Gouges are conveniently absent from most history lessons because subversive females do not conform to the prevailing gender role stereotypes. Teachers, but also parents and other role models, need to actively combat gender bias in the classroom.
References
Banks, T.L. (1990). Gender bias in the classroom. 14 S. Ill U.L.J. 527 (1989-1990).
Chapman, a. (2010). Gender bias in education. Critical Multicultural Pavillion. Retrieved online: http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/genderbias.html
Frawley, T. (2005). Gender Bias in the Classroom: Current Controversies and Implications for Teachers. Childhood Education. Retrieved online: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3614/is_200507/ai_n14683848/
