Course: GEE 3 (Gender and Society)

Topic: Gender and Education

I. Learning Outcomes

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. Show appreciation and understanding of the intersectionality between gender and
education
2. Discuss how and why gender lens is necessary in understanding issues in
education and within academic structures
3. Propose ideas and solutions regarding existing issues on gender within the
academic institution

II. Core Values / Biblical Principles / Inspirational Quote / Life Application

“Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation

rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human
development.”

– Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary General

III. Learning Activities and Resources

This material discusses the intersectional issues in gender and education – the gender
differences in the attainment and participation, achievement, and fields of study taken by
women and men. Through these, it also gives foundational knowledge on how academic
structures and practices affect gender inequity and inequality
A copy of the worksheet will be provided for the assessment and found at your
Canvas account.

IV. Introduction

Education is defined as receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at

school or university. Now when it comes to the Filipino culture it is ingrained to us that
education is a necessity, this also includes the fact that majority of our lives is spent
studying at school. We are taught that we won’t obtain success in life if we do not
complete or participate in obtaining education.

V. Discussion

Education as a Social Institution

As a process of socialization, education informally starts at home and then
formally in academic institutions. Education as an institution helps develop knowledge,
skills, attitudes and understanding of the people and strive to make them competent
members of the society.
 Sociological Perspectives on education
 Functionalists suggest that education contributes to the maintenance of society
and provides opportunity for upward social mobility, and meritocracy.
 Conflict theorists argue that education perpetuates social stratification.
 Symbolic interactionists focus on classroom dynamics and the effect of self-
concept on grades and aspirations.

Gender differences in educational participation and attainment:

Education Participation refers to enrollment and completion at key milestones.
Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education that a person has
successfully completed. Historically, the rates of education participation and the levels of
educational attainment were areas wherein boys and men have had a more favorable
position. Current continuing trends however show that girls and women are shifting this
notion.

Gender differences in educational achievement:

When it comes to educational achievement there are factors that contribute to the
disparity between man and woman and their degree of achievement in the academic
sector. Listed below are factors that contribute to said achievements obtained by gender.

External factors and Gender Differences in Achievement

 The impact of feminism

 Changes in the family
 Changes in women's employment
 Girls' changing ambitions

Internal factors and Gender Differences in Achievement

 Equal opportunities policies

 GCSE and coursework
 Teacher attention
 Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
 Selection and league tables

Gender differences in field of study or course choice:

In the tertiary level, young women are over-represented in the fields of
humanities, arts, education, health and welfare while young men are over-represented in
mathematics and computer science, engineering, manufacturing and construction (OECD,
2004).
Challenging the Need for Gender Comparisons:
Learner achievement is more greatly influenced by other factors beyond gender.
Positioning boys and girls in opposition to each other turns the issue of boys’
underachievement into a “war of the sexes.” Instead of pinning them against each other,
more focus should be shed upon the overlapping factors they experience such as their
socioeconomic status and ethnicity.
 Challenging the Gender Regime in Schools:
Schools are where gendered practices are reproduced, reinforced, and maintained.
Identify ways schools perpetuate gender inequality & stereotypical notions of what it
means to be a female/girl, male/boy, and take steps to remedy these notions and
inequities

VI. Summary and Conclusion

Education, as a social institution, contributes to the maintenance of society.

Through it, current systems and norms may persist. In this way, gender norms and
expectations may also be reinforced or strengthened through education. But in the same
vein, education, as a social institution may widen the mental horizon of people and make
them receptive to new ideas – which may in turn foster change in the preconceived
notions regarding gender and its accompanying expectations in a much larger scale.

VII. References

Fontanos, Naomi & Ocampo, Dina Joana. (2019). Re-framing gender disparities in
basic education in the Philippines. 10.13140/RG.2.2.32006.73285.

Paqueo, Vicente B. & Orbeta, Aniceto C. Jr., 2019. "Gender Equity in Education:
Helping the Boys Catch Up," Discussion Papers DP 2019-01, Philippine
Institute for Development Studies.

Smyth, Emer. (2007). Gender and Education. 10.1007/978-1-4020-5916-2_6.

https://www.slideshare.net/farzana0596/gender-differences-in-education