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

Pupils were particularly aware of gender. Girls were of the view that boys got moreattention, and both groups thought that girls were better learners than boys. Evenamongst the youngest children interviewed, there was already evidence of stereotypicalviews of what constituted ‘boys’ or ‘girls’ activities, in school or in later life. However,some children were prepared to challenge these. In order to break down some of thebarriers that result from stereotypical images, children should be encouraged to reflect onand challenge such stereotypes – and to consider whether they really reflect what happenswithin their own families.Parents tended to think that gender was not as important as achievement – and most didnot seem to see a link between the two, although some parents were concerned aboutissues relating to perceptions of underachievement by boys.. They were rarely aware ofany specific strategies to address gender inequalities operating within the school buttended to be more concerned that it was, broadly speaking, a ‘good school’. The overallethos was more important. Parents tended to be more aware of, and involved in, genderrelatedstrategies in the pre-5 and primary sectors than in the secondary, whereachievement and behaviour were the key issues.It is easy to forget, in all the discussion on gender inequalities, that, broadly speaking,boys and girls tend to be more similar than different in a range of characteristics such asattitudes, abilities, dispositions and behaviours.ii. Strategies to address gender inequalitiesStrategies identified by authorities and schools were intended to address perceiveddifferences in achievement, behaviour, self-esteem, confidence and career aspirations.The literature identified a danger in adopting a strong stereotypical identity as the modelof the male pupil in selecting resources, teaching styles and reward systems. Suchapproaches are typified by contexts traditionally associated with boys (action adventures,football and machinery), by requiring short concentration spans and changing the pace ofactivities. While this may be effective in managing those boys who conform or aspire tosuch a model of masculinity, it ignores, if not disadvantages further, those boys who donot. Neither does it address the issue of whether this is an appropriate, accurate or evenhelpful image to promote in schools, either for girls or for the wider community.There was little evidence of specific strategies to address gender inequalities invocational education through, for example, support for pupils to pursue non-traditionalsubjects or career choices.iii. Staff development and researchMost local authorities identified at least one gender-related strategy adopted by a schoolor schools in their area, but few indicated that any staff development had been undertakenprior to its implementation. However, staff in several of the schools visited had attendedseminars and workshops on themes that included aspects of gender, such as differences inlearning styles. These had been delivered by external consultants and their practicaladvice had been valued and adopted in various ways. Some of those interviewed hadfollowed up the sessions with personal research, were knowledgeable about some of thekey literature and were working to address issues within their own classroom orinstitution, guided by what they had learned.5.4 Effective strategies to address gender inequalitiesFullan (2005), in reviewing a number of large-scale initiatives, identifies a series ofcharacteristics that contribute to effective strategies for change and, importantly,sustainability. These include:• the acknowledgement of poor performance and the need to seek solutions;______________________________________________________________________________________Review of Strategies to 47 University of StrathclydeAddress Gender Inequalitiesand University of Glasgow