A* EPQ - Which Aspects of School Life Cause the Continuation of Sexism in Adolescence?
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Which Aspects of School Life Cause the Continuation of Sexism in
Adolescence?
Introduction
Sexism is defined as the prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination
typically against women based on sex. (Campbell, 2014). Sexist attitudes
stem from a range of experiences and behaviours present in our society.
It is important to acknowledge that most mindsets regarding issues such
as sexism are formed from a young age when individuals are most
impressionable and learning from the environment in which they develop.
This is also where they observe societal norms and imitate behaviour
witnessed in the adults and community they are surrounded by, such as
parents, teachers, and peers.
Adolescents are defined as people aged 10-19 which is a critical period of
rapid physical and psychosocial changes (Kågesten, 2016) and within this
period, school plays a critical role in almost every aspect of life.
Adolescents become more receptive to gender inequalities and
stereotypes as well as social expectations, many of which branch from
their genders such as gendered jobs, sports, clothes, subjects, and
attitudes. It is evident schools are critical in the upbringing of adolescents
as here, adolescents spend 30 hours a week and meet the majority of
people who play key roles in their lives such as their friends whom they
surround themselves with, and teachers who are portrayed as role
models, people who are to be followed and copied. Here they are
expected to develop into healthy active members of society. If sexist
attitudes exist within schools, this may unintentionally create an
environment in which sexism can flourish. The result would be a
continuation of sexism in society as it is imprinted onto the next
generation, creating a vicious cycle of long-lasting attitudes based on
gender. Many features of school life will be explored throughout this
paper, such as broad stereotypes, gendered subjects, physical education,
the effects of mixed schools compared to single-sex, sexual language and
abuse, dress codes, the institution itself and a mention of university. This
study explores the most influential elements of school life which, during
my research, displayed themself as distinct potential causes of sexism.
Although there may be other general causes of sexism, this project will
specifically investigate the broad spectrum of aspects within schools and
whether this results in sexism in adolescents.
Stereotypes
Stereotypes are arguably the most important factor in the creation of
sexist attitudes. Stereotypes and gender norms are socially constructed
ideas of how people are expected to act, speak, dress, groom and conduct
themselves based on their biological sex. These expectations can be
detrimental to society by reinforcing ideas upon adolescents. Stereotypes
begin from childhood where traditional society has the view women are
the weaker, less capable, and the submissive sex (Smith, 2016). This
, affects how children are raised and treated, for example in various
expressions and phrases like ‘that’s too girly’ immediately creates the
impression that women are somehow weaker or less forceful. These
phrases are commonly used amongst school children, creating an
internalized association between girls and weakness, contributing to more
misogynistic attitudes as children reach adolescence. In teenage years, as
hormones change, more explicit connections are made between females
and sexuality or promiscuity, as gendered stereotypes shift in a critical,
sexualised direction (Moyer, 2017). Research suggests these stereotypes
significantly affect boys and result in more sexually discriminating
language directed towards women, as well in some cases the threat or
application of physical violence.
Stereotypes, which initially were ambiguous connections made by
younger children, for instance, women being weaker, or girls preferring
specific colours or toys, these stereotypes (Martin, 2015) broaden during
adolescence to include sports, personality traits, and subjects and can
become more detrimental as they become set views in schools. As
children grow into their teenage years, there is increasing pressure and
awareness to conform to gender roles and comply with societal behaviour.
General gender stereotypes cast men as more assertive, strong, and
competitive (Sadker, 1975) whereas women are presented as emotional,
caring, and weak. This, therefore, leads to some sports such as rugby to
be seen as ‘manly’, and others such as netball to be seen as ‘girly’. This
has a negative impact on girls competing in traditionally male sports as
50% have reported gender discrimination within academic or athletic
domains (Martin, 2015). This may result in a reduction of female
participation, which demonstrates the damage these basic stereotypes
can cause. This initial introduction to basic stereotypes is further
represented in other topics which will be explored; however, it is a clear
route issue because these introductory views are what causes girls to be
seen and treated differently in schools by peers and teachers. These
stereotypes are so ingrained in everyday life that students feel pressure
to fit in, creating a larger, more widespread issue amongst these
teenagers (Sundaram, 2006).
Gendered subjects
Gendered subjects are specific subjects which are identified by
adolescents as girls or boys’ subjects. This influences the subjects
selected by students for GCSEs and A levels and it will set male and
female students on a different path from an early age. In a survey I
conducted, 80% of teenagers believed subjects were gendered,
presenting a strong majority view.
A commonly gendered area of subjects is visible in STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects (Women, 2019), in
which women are underrepresented in both university courses and
occupations. This is a result of stereotypes (Reporter, 2020) which
portrays the concept women should take creative subjects such as Art or
English, whereas boys are expected to take technical and ‘harder’
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