The Gender Socialization Process in Schools: A Cross-National Comparison

Abstract

This monograph reviews key findings in the international research literature from 1995 to the present on five dimensions of the gender socialization process in schools: (1) Teacher-based dynamics such as teacher attitudes and expectations and their interactions with students in the classroom evince different patterns toward boys and girls, generally to the disadvantage of girls. (2) Within the formal curriculum, sex education continues to miss important aspects of sexuality affecting adolescent students, despite changes in social mores. (3) The school environment contains aspects of gendered violence that are slowly being recognized as contributing to polarized conceptions of femininity and masculinity. Single-sex education is found to play a positive role if designed with explicit gender transformational objectives. (4) Peer influences play a significant but not easily visible gate-keeping role in reproducing gender ideologies. (5) Teachers—key actors in the everyday life of schools—do not have access to training in gender issues and, consequently, tend not to foster gender equity in their classrooms. While the studies were conducted in different countries, with varying levels of economic development and modernization, the findings do not show major differences across world regions. Implications from the research findings suggest a much more proactive engagement by educational decision-makers if gender practices in schools are to be substantially modified.