Review of Strategies to Address Gender Inequalities in Scottish ...

Further efforts to ensure ‘effective’ role models by providing male teachers teaching boysand female teachers teaching girls may only serve to reinforce gender stereotypes(Kenway et al, 1998), particularly reinforcing a ‘laddish’ culture in boys-only classes(Mills, 2000) and further disadvantaging girls. Jackson (2002: 44) discerned a number ofdifferences between all-girls classes and all-boys classes: ‘... girls are liberated by girlsonlyspace’ and there was a more relaxed and supportive environment while, in contrast,‘…the climate of boys’ groups was reported to be more competitive and aggressive’.While there is evidence that single-sex classes can be beneficial for both boys and girls,for some subjects (Younger et al, 2005), these need to be accompanied by a criticalstance and to challenge practices that reinforce stereotypical gendered roles.iii. Subject-specific single gender classesThere are examples of single gender classes used in relation to specific areas of thecurriculum, e.g. personal development, sex education, physical education and, to a lesserdegree, evidence of schools working on gender awareness as part of the development ofgender equity.The findings, however, are not always clear. In a recent survey on sexual health inScotland, it was found that some children and young people would prefer single genderclasses, while others felt they learned more from mixed classes, especially on relationshipissues (Children in Scotland, 2003). In a case study conducted by Airnes (2001) on theuse of single gender classes in biology, boys reported there was no difference in workingin single gender classes, whereas girls reported that they found this a better workingenvironment. Airnes concludes that it may be of benefit for pupils to work separately incertain circumstances, for instance on practical work or sensitive topics in the syllabus.2.7 A whole school perspectiveAddressing gender inequality is a whole school issue. A key question therefore is: how,within the organisational context of a school, can changes in practice be introduced andsustained to reduce inequality? Four specific areas for attention were identified in theliterature: school effectiveness and improvement; school evaluation/inspection; policydevelopment; and role models and mentoring.i. Gender and school effectiveness and school improvementSchool effectiveness and improvement has been a dominant theme in Scottish educationfor some years. The research in this area has, however, paid little attention to the issue ofgender in relation to the features of effectiveness (Duffield, 2000). While issues of‘school mix’ (or social class) have been considered in sampling procedures, they have notbeen used to investigate inequity across social groupings. Indeed, one of the criticisms ofthe school effectiveness and improvement movement has been the lack of attention toequality issues. For example, Rea and Weiner (1996) are critical of school effectivenessresearch upon which policies about school evaluation are based, because gender, alongwith other social factors, is rendered invisible.ii. Managing changeMyers (1992), in reviewing the range of national and local gender-related initiatives sincethe passing of the Sex Discrimination Act in 1975, stresses the importance ofunderstanding how change can be brought about if we wish to reduce gender inequalities.Myers identifies four basic aspects of managing change: leadership; staff development;policy making; and monitoring and evaluation.Regarding leadership, Ofsted and the EOC (1996) found that schools successful inproviding equal opportunities for both boys and girls were characterised by a headteacherwith strong commitment to developing equal opportunities initiatives. Senior______________________________________________________________________________________Review of Strategies to 11 University of StrathclydeAddress Gender Inequalitiesand University of Glasgow