GENDER AWARENESS IN THE CLASSROOM & STAFFROOM
By Dr Stephen Whitehead
By Dr Stephen Whitehead
Unless you’ve been living on another planet for the past two years, then you’ll know all about #MeToo.
But have you prepared for it in your school?
If not, then you really should, because this is now a global phenomenon and no organisation, including yours, is going to be left out.
There is now increasing evidence of a fairly wide gap between men’s and women’s understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment. For example, a recent survey by the University of Houston found that a significant percentage of men would increasingly monitor their behaviour towards women but at the same time be more reluctant to engage with women on a one-to-one either at work or in social interactions.
In turn, 74% of women interviewed said they would be more willing to speak out against harassment, while 56% expected men would continue to harass, but would take more precautions against getting caught.
The idea that men don’t know what constitutes sexual harassment is nonsense and not one that any self-respecting Principal or school senior manager should countenance.
Similarly, for men to deliberately retreat from professional and social interactions with women, merely indicates their unwillingness to reflect on and change their behaviour, preferring instead to isolate women, thereby reinforcing their marginalisation.
‘Most men know what sexual harassment is, and most women know what it is. The idea that men don’t know their behaviour is bad and that women are making a mountain out of a molehill is largely untrue. If anything, women are more lenient in defining harassment.”
So, what steps can an international school take to raise gender awareness throughout the organisation, ensuring staff and students are not subjected to discrimination, bullying or harassment?
Photo by Delia Giandeini on Unsplash
Create at least two gender-neutral toilets — one for staff, one for students. This sends a very clear physical message to everyone connected with the school.
Establish an LGBT+ group. This should be led by senior students but with staff members in attendance.
Ensure that gender awareness raising studies and practices are integrated throughout the K-12 curriculum.
Employ school counsellors trained to deal with sexual harassment issues arising from either staff or students.
Ensure the school has clearly defined HR policies on sexual harassment and circulate the main points to all staff. Similarly, such points should be signed up to by all incoming staff.
Have professional development sessions for all staff on gender/sexual awareness raising, including identifying what behaviours constitute sexual harassment.
Establish codes of behaviour regards use of language, explaining why certain terms are unacceptable.
Give guidance to staff on use of social media in relation to inappropriate messaging, communication, etc.
Explain to parents the importance of gender/sexual awareness raising for children and give them guidance on how to spot potential problems, e.g. regards misuse of social media, bullying, racism, sexism.
Finally, and most importantly, do not assume all your staff or students are fully on board with this, nor that they understand and are sensitive to the complexities surrounding gender and sexual diversity.
They need to be trained. Therefore, ensure professional training does take place, starting from the most simplistic basis. E.g. recognising that gender is a social construct; that sexuality is not a binary identity; and that everyone, regards of their sex, gender, religion, race or ethnicity, should be treated with respect and in accordance with the values your school is trying to promote.
Dr Stephen Whitehead (opinions are author’s own)
This article originally appeared in EDDi: Educational Digest International. For those interested, Dr Whitehead’s latest book, Toxic Masculinity, can be found here.