Gender

 
The gender of the student defines their characteristics, and their way of interacting within the classroom. Gender is not the sex of the student; rather the sexuality of the student. It is important to remember that a student that may be male by sex could show characteristics of a female. This, in a nut shell, is the student’s sexuality. To understand how gender plays a role in the classroom one must make known the influences of gender.

 

               The one variable that a person has the least control over would be the genetic makeup of the child. In this sense we will focus on the beginning of puberty, and not the argument that sexuality is determined by genetics. The onset of puberty brings with it hormones that begin to change a person from a child to an adult. Women typically begin puberty earlier than males, and therefore tend to mature faster. This may not always be a positive thing though. The insecurities of puberty and the fact that students can be very cruel bring upon bullying to those that stand out. Because of the lack of control of the onset of puberty, many students find themselves being the center of cruel jokes just because they began maturing faster than the others in their class. With this brings stress and insecurity that can take away from the student’s education.

 

              Another influence of gender is the social side of the child’s life. This includes gender roles and common perceptions of proper behavior for both male and female students. A common gender role would be that males are typically strong and assertive where as women are weaker and more mild mannered. A student that does not fit into these norms may find themselves in an awkward spot. In fact some students may find these norms to be uncomfortable, and unbefitting of their character and self image.

 

                Parents also play a huge role in defining a student’s gender by introducing and reinforcing, through action and example, what may be deemed as gender appropriate practices. In fact parents help to stir on socially accepted gender definitions simply by the actions they take toward their children. For example the majority of sons are given much more independence than of daughters of the same age, and daughters are monitored much more closely. This is due to the common perception of men being strong and women being weak. As the student’s sexuality matures parents tend to believe that daughters will not be able to keep themselves out of harm’s way due to their weakness.

 

                It is important to understand that there are other influences to a student’s gender, but to understand how gender plays a role in the classroom is even more important. Typically, due to the fact that males are more assertive, male students will be more likely to speak out in class. Female students are more affiliative and cooperative so females may not participate in class discussions as often. With this said the above qualities give female students an advantage in group activity where as male students find confrontation in groups.

 

                According to the Education Research Center males have a 66% high school graduation where as females have a 73.6% graduation rate. This is a very strong difference between genders, and there is no simple answer to this. Once one adds in the variables of maturity, socioeconomic status, and intellectual ability there is no clear cut answer. There is an interesting contrast to this statistic though. A recent longitudinal study that followed valedictorians after high school found that there was a, “steady lowering of women’s aspirations and goals, accompanied by a drop in their self-esteem” (Aldridge).  This could be due in part by the effect of gender role and the corporate glass ceiling that is still in place in many professions.

 

                The effect of gender in the classroom can be a murky one because gender is not defined by the sex of the student. Students identify their gender by identifying their characteristics and behaviors. The further various levels of such behaviors can make it confusing even for the student to identify their gender as some may be sexually confused. As the teacher it is important to put these confusions to ease in the classroom by involving all students as often as possible in classroom activities to insure an equal and unbiased education.