Various groups in the UK want the government to rein in the ideas and language used in schools that can reinforce stereotypes in society.
The campaigners have written a letter to the country’s education secretary in this regard. They argue that even using the word “mate” for boys and “sweetie” for girls in schools can perpetuate stereotypes.
They believe that using such labels creates inequalities, stifles students’ aspirations and may contribute to gender-based violence.
Apart from books and curriculum, language can also perpetuate ideas about how each gender should look and behave, says the letter, signed by several groups, including the National Education Union, the Fawcett Society, and Girlguiding UK.
Therefore, gender trends should be challenged by schools at an early stage before they become entrenched, the campaigners say.
“Evidence shows us that gender stereotyping is everywhere and it causes serious, long-lasting harm,” says Fawcett Society CEO Felicia Willow. “These stereotypes are deeply embedded, they last a lifetime and we know they are one of the reasons we see violence against women and girls.”
The current debate over a culture of sexual exploitation in schools has been reignited in recent months after a website named Everyone’s Invited was set up to give sexual abuse survivors a platform to share their stories.
As many as 16,000 posts were published on the website from victims, some of whom were kids as young as nine years old.
In the letter, gender-equality campaigners have asked the government to allocate more resources to fight this culture and arrange training in primary schools as well as nurseries. They have also urged schools to play a key role in this regard.
These steps can also help improve other aspects, such as increasing children’s well-being, polishing boys’ reading skills and encouraging more girls to take subjects like math, science, and technology.
Impact of language
Language has a strong impact and can assign gender roles to girls and boys even if there is no sexist intent, says Caren Gestetner, chief executive of Lifting Limits, a charity that helps teachers and students to find and challenge stereotypes. The group has also signed the letter.
She says addressing girls as sweetie and boys as mates can also have a negative impact. Other examples include phrases like “Make sure you ask Mummy to sign the form” or “We need a strong man to open that.”
Megan Quinn, a teacher at Gospel Oak Primary School in north London, says the students and staff have spotted examples in the curriculum that are based on stereotypes. This came after the whole school started “questioning things together, looking and thinking like gender detectives.”
The letter also asks the government to fully implement Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), a new compulsory curriculum introduced in England last fall.
However, schools were allowed to delay rolling out the curriculum until summer amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The RSE curriculum teaches relationships to primary-school students and sex and relationships to secondary-school students.
“Schools should be places where all pupils feel safe and are protected from harm,” a Department for Education spokesperson said. “Important issues such as personal privacy, consent and challenging stereotypes about gender are part of our guidance to ensure more young people have a better understanding of how to behave towards their peers, including online.”
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