Conroy, M. (1988, February). Sexism in our schools: Training girls for failure? Better Homes and Gardens.

OVERVIEW

It is believed that girls today are not being treated equally in the classroom. New studies show that girls are cheated from kindergarten to college.

DIFFERENCES

Girls are given less attention in the classroom. Both male and female teachers interact more with boys. Classroom scales tilt firmly in favor of boys; this hurts girls. Girls start school with higher test scores but, by high school graduation, boys are getting better scores (an average of 57 points) on standardized testing such as the SAT. As a result of lower test scores, girls are less likely to be accepted by prestigious colleges. Boys receive more scholarships.

HOW IT HAPPENS

Teachers do not deliberately favor boys. Teachers praise and criticize boys more than girls. As a result, they learn to handle criticism better, and they get more encouragement. Teachers supposedly give boys more detailed directions. Children’s books still show a lopsided world. Schools still discourage girls from taking "boy" type classes such as drafting or power mechanics. Girls and boys in grade school usually compete (such as in spelling bees), instead of working together as equals. Boys with learning or behavior disorders usually get special help sooner than girls. This unbalance leads to lower levels of self-confidence in girls and less motivation to succeed.

WHAT CAN BE DONE

Teachers can promote equality by displaying both male and female athletes and politicians on bulletin boards; this way, girls feel they can be successful too. A "mixed" teaching staff also helps to balance this problem of sexism in the classroom. Teaching girls at home that they are just as good as boys and encouraging them to work hard can also help. Parents usually underestimate their daughters’ math and science skills, saying that they are male fields. Teaching girls and boys as early as grade school to work and play together is vital.

ALL-GIRL SCHOOLS

In coed schools, women speak two and a half times less often in class than do boys. In all-girl schools, girls are less fearful of showing their intelligence. They feel that they are free to take risks; therefore, they develop better leadership skills. New studies show that today’s graduates of women’s colleges are tomorrow’s leaders. In single-sex schools, girls become players instead of observers.

IMPLICATIONS

• Sexism is something that has been going on for a long time. The only way we can cure it is to realize when it happens and confront it. Sexism wastes many talented and intelligent women.
• We, who work among teens, need to listen for the signs of sexism and create arenas for kids to balance this type of favoritism where all succeed or fail in a safe environment.

Anne Montague cCYS