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From Karnataka Open Educational Resources
Sexism in education and amongst teachers (view source)
Revision as of 16:34, 10 January 2023
, 16:34, 10 January 2023→What is sexism? What is a sexist story or joke?
===== Analysis =====
===== Analysis =====
==== Mother is best / knows best / cares best. ====
After his father's death, the Son decided to leave his mother at old age home and visited her on and off. Once he received a call from old age home....Mom very serious ..... please come to visit. Son went and saw mom very critical, on her dying bed. He asked: Mom what can I do for you.
Mom replied... "Please install fans in the old age home, there are none.... Also put a fridge for betterment of food because many times I slept without food".
Son was surprised and asked: mom, while you were here you never complained, now you have few hours left and you are telling me all this, why? Mom replied....."it's OK dear, I've managed with the heat, hunger & pain, but when your children will send you here, I am afraid you will not be able to manage
"Truth" - Truth no 1 : '''Nobody is real in this world except Mother.. No one can replace mother in this world'''
===== Analysis =====
# '''Mother stereotyping''' is common in India, and we need to conisder its huge costs on women's aspirations and choices.
# No doubt mothers love their children. But fathers also do. And we can see children who do not have mothers being taken care off well by fathers. So it seems that there may really not be much biological justification to think mothers have to love their children more than their fathers.
# Secondly, if we do believe in gender equality, then all responsibilities of the home must be divided equally - this includes both cooking/care work as well as child care.
# What the 'mother is best/ only mother can care most' kind of thinking does is, it puts TREMENDOUS PRESSURE on women post childbirth. They have to do most of the child care and their husbands can focus on their career/ work etc. Post pregnancy/childbirth/ initial child care period, many women find it very difficult to resume their work lives. (This is much more a problem for private sector employees, government employees maybe can join back where they left, after 6 month maternity leave).
# This kind of Mother is best thinking also makes it more difficult for girls to get jobs... in the interview, the interviewer may think - if I hire this young woman, she will marry, have children and not be able to give as much time and attention to the job. So let me hire this young man instead.
# On the same lines, motherhood is supposed by patriarchal folks to be the most important aspiration for women. So women who do not have children or do not want to have children are looked down upon... In North India 'Baanj' बांझ (baren woman) is used as an insult, do not know about the South.
# Is this just and fair? As teachers, we have a moral role to play. What would we desire for a just society? Basicaly our biases can be quite harmful and we need to be aware of them
==== Men are promiscuous and women are loyal ====
==== Men are promiscuous and women are loyal ====
===== Analysis =====
===== Analysis =====
=== Sexist beliefs ===
==== Men and women have to be complementary each other ====
Men and women are equal halves of a sphere...when the two halves revolves equally the round is completed. Men and women both are an acme of the future race... Both have to be complementary each other. We should have mutual understanding. Indeed he is the wind to push the family into heights.
===== Analysis =====
The belief in 'complementary nature of men and women' is an essential ingredient of sexism - that is what supports a culture where women labour in the kitchen and are shut off from many opportunities that men get easier access to.
One image we may have seen in teacher workshops and meetings, when we reach the closing time of say 4 or 5 pm, many of the women teachers are tense, looking at their watches, clutching their handbags, taking furtive glances at the exit ...... while the men are relaxed, eager to continue discussions and willing to wait longer ..... the reason is simple - almost all women have their second duty waiting for them at home, getting the dinner ready for the family and associated home tasks. (There may be cases where men are sharing the homework equally, but we know these to be exceptions to the rule)
As teachers, we need to ask ourselves - is this the society we want to build? or do we aspire for a society where any 'complementing' is not defined by gendered roles, but by any of us being able and willing to take on any role as the situation requires, which is just and fair.
Also, will such beliefs influence our teaching practice and if that is being fair to the girls in our classrooms ...
=== Readings, resources ===
[https://yourstory.com/herstory/2019/02/sexism-at-work-10-subtle-ways-women-can-combat-sexism Sexism at work: 10 subtle ways women are treated differently and how to deal with it]
[[Category:Gender]]
[[Category:Gender]]
