PRINCESSES EVERYWHEREGender Bias in International schools

WHEN I’VE DONE THIS BEFORE…

WHERE I COME FROM….

TESTS

From: Beyond Dolls and Guns: 101 Ways to Help Children Avoid Gender BiasBy Susan Hoy Crawford

RACISM TEST

Substitute characters or terms that apply to different racial groups

Girls Boys JewsChristians

WORKPLACE TEST

Would it be legal in the workplace? Phone lists separated by gender

ROLE REVERSAL TEST

Does the meaning change if the gender role is reversed?

Does reversing the characters make it seem odd or ridiculous?

QUANTITY TEST

Girls are often omitted in Books TV shows Movies

Winnie the Pooh CharactersPooh bear

TiggerChristopher Robin

RabbitEeyorePigletOwlRoo

Kanga

GenderMaleMaleMaleMaleMaleMaleMaleMale

Female

ISOLATION TEST

Are genders separated for reasons other than toileting privacy or discussing reproduction Boys line/ girls line Girls – birds; Boys - squirrels

SEXUAL STEREOTYPE TEST

Are certain stereotypes perceived as better? Boys are stronger Girls are quieter

Positive ones can hamper growth of individuals

MISOGYNY TEST (HATRED OF WOMEN)

Are men or boys the norm? “Throws like a girl” “Sissy” “Drives like a woman” Kill the girl

Almost no words for a girl to equate her with a boy

APPLICATIONS OF GENDER BIAS

LANGUAGE

Try using words inclusive of all humans Mankind Humanity Man-made Synthetic, manufactured, artificial Manpower work force, staffing Manhole utility hole Man the phones Staff the phones Man-sized big, large

Words

LANGUAGE

Children understand male-gender language to mean male Cave men Cave people

GENDER DOMINATION

Can be visually observed Prerogatives one gender takes over another

Football field Computer House area/blocks

WORD ORDER

“Boys and girls” “Mr. and Mrs.” “he/she” “Ladies and Gentlemen”

Non parallel terms Chivalrous/chaste

Unequal parallel terms Bachelor/spinster Housekeeper/butler

TEACHERS CAN

Teach respect

TEACHERS CAN

Let boys cry

TEACHERS CAN

Encourage manual dexterity

TEACHERS CAN

Avoid comments about clothes in greetings Fashion

Pink/blue

TEACHERS CAN

Toys

TEACHERS CAN

Work to change school policy

Change Policies

TEACHERS CAN

“It for animals”

WE ALL WANT THE SAME THING….

For children to be.. happy

healthy

balanced

able to reach their potential