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

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Example of evaluation completed by parents in one school using story sacksFigure 4. 1: Cover of the evaluation leafletFigure 4.2: Inside of the evaluation leaflet______________________________________________________________________________________Review of Strategies to 26 University of StrathclydeAddress Gender Inequalitiesand University of Glasgow
4.3 Self-concept and esteemA number of initiatives designed to tackle self concept and break down genderstereotypes, in parents as well as children, were identified in the pre-5 sector. Mostinvolved parents and were intended to tackle, gently, gender stereotypes within thecommunity. One local authority and one of its nurseries were included in the case studyphase.i. BackgroundOne city, with a history of deprivation and relative poverty concentrated in housingschemes and estates, had developed a general inclusion strategy which includedinitiatives to address parenting skills. Initially aimed at young parents and those living indeprived areas, the parenting initiative had progressively focused on the role of fathers.The key aims were to develop parenting skills and improve parent-child relationships,with issues of self esteem and confidence important, particularly regarding men. Thisprogramme, the Parents Services Initiative (PSI), is not linked directly to the schoolsystem, but operates on Saturday mornings and early evenings and tries to involveparents and pre-school children working on shared activities. It began in one, particularlydeprived, estate and was then extended city-wide.One nursery school within the same local authority was visited. In addition toinvolvement in the PSI, staff had developed a number of small strategies intended to openup choices and experiences to the pupils, particularly boys. It was in a council housingestate with high unemployment rates amongst fathers and a degree of deprivation.ii. Initial impetus and fundingWith a history of deprivation and disadvantage, the city established an Early Years andChild Care Team (EYCCT) to address aspects of the inclusion agenda and set up the PSIin 2000. The Initiative involves the education and social work services as well as thevoluntary and private sectors. There is a partnership steering group, chaired by theDirector of Education and with representation from all of the partners. TwoDevelopment Workers have been seconded from their posts in school and social work tosupport the Initiative. They plan, consult, generate ideas and carry plans through, oftenrunning the sessions and workshops themselves. They have begun to take on an advisoryrole, helping others to develop similar programmes of their own. It is funded by the city.While schools and nurseries made attempts to involve fathers in events such as inductiondays, few got involved. This was causing concern. At the same time, a male social workstudent was placed with the team and he was interested in working with the fathers inways that would support the development of parent-child relationships.The headteacher in the nursery school was aware of the PSI but described the initiativesthat she had taken within the school as being triggered by her observations of the childrenand how they played and inter-related. She noticed that they tended to play alongtraditional lines with, for example, girls rarely choosing to play with the constructiontoys. In role play and dressing up, they tended to conform to stereotypical heroes androle models. She had been further prompted to consider gender differences after sheattended a national seminar where the speaker had ‘touched on gender’, raising issuessuch as right and left side brain dominance.This had made her, and subsequently the rest of the staff in the nursery, more consciousof the criteria used in selecting and buying resources. They avoided buying toys andother resources which could be categorised as ‘women’s work’, e.g. ironing boards, andtried to be ‘gender neutral’ in their selections.______________________________________________________________________________________Review of Strategies to 27 University of StrathclydeAddress Gender Inequalitiesand University of Glasgow
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTSACKNOWLEDGEMENTSEXECUTIVE S
Page 5 and 6: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYIntroductionThe Re
Page 7 and 8: Staff and management in most school
Page 9 and 10: 6. Management and whole school pers
Page 11 and 12: CHAPTER ONE THE STUDYRecent researc
Page 13 and 14: CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF THE LITERATUR
Page 15 and 16: 2.3 Causes of gender inequalityA ra
Page 17 and 18: Archer and Yamashita (2003) argue t
Page 19 and 20: ii. Assessment practicesNational mo
Page 21 and 22: Further efforts to ensure ‘effect
Page 23 and 24: Skelton (2001) argues that the basi
Page 25 and 26: were still highly gendered. Further
Page 27 and 28: CHAPTER THREE SURVEY OF LOCAL AUTHO
Page 29 and 30: curriculum structures and lifelong
Page 31 and 32: ‘Getting the best out of Boys’
Page 33 and 34: 4.2 Early literacyLiteracy, or, mor
Page 35: that it was concerned, at least in
Page 39 and 40: to the boys, animal print designs a
Page 41 and 42: parents and what they wanted. Overa
Page 43 and 44: was a thrust in the policy towards
Page 45 and 46: School 1In the first school, non-de
Page 47 and 48: For pupils, there were some common
Page 49 and 50: Staff interviewed thought that a pa
Page 51 and 52: The initiative had not been evaluat
Page 53 and 54: indicated that he believed there wa
Page 55 and 56: CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSIONThe review o
Page 57 and 58: Pupils were particularly aware of g
Page 59 and 60: differences in the ways that boys a
Page 61 and 62: Burn, E (2001) Do boys need male pr
Page 63 and 64: Lloyd, G (ed.) (2005) Problem Girls
Page 65 and 66: Rowe, K, Nix, PJ and Tepper, G (199
Page 67 and 68: APPENDIX 1 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR LOCAL
Page 69 and 70: 6. Would you expect any written pol
Page 71 and 72: C. Strategies to address gender ine
Page 73 and 74: Local authority161718Strategy/Area
Page 75 and 76: Focus group schedule: pupilsThe the
Page 77 and 78: 4. ImpactHas the project made any d
Page 79 and 80: Policy origin of the initiativeLoca
Page 81 and 82: Relationship with other strategiesE
Page 83 and 84: Section 4Focus Group - ParentsGener

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