How Does the Current Education System Reinforce Gender Roles?

Education, in the modern world, is associated with empowerment. Higher literacy (and education) rates indicate a more developed society and economy, as seen in Europe, Japan, South Korea, and other regions, particularly the Global North. However, the system within which we study manufactures and fabricates our minds to accept stereotypical gender roles. From the perspective of radical feminism, education is designed by patriarchal systems and is flawed as a result. It is crucial to understand that education itself is not the problem; the system is. The first step toward addressing this issue is to recognize that the problem exists and how it is reflected in our educational institutions which are an integral part of our daily lives. By examining what we learn, who teaches us, and how we are taught, we uncover how even well meaning education systems can subtly reproduce inequality.

Curriculum Bias

Let us consider a common riddle: a daughter is seriously injured in an accident and rushed to the doctor by her father. The doctor says, “I cannot operate on her as she is my daughter.” How is this possible? The answer is because the doctor was her mother. How many of us could think of it when we listened to this riddle for the first time? Hardly any! But let us not feel guilty for it as all of us are products of a patriarchal system. This bias does not end at perception, it extends deep into the curriculum itself.

School textbooks are gender biased, as personal observation reveals. Social science textbooks portray men as doctors, firefighters, and engineers, while women are portrayed as nurses, housewives, and mothers. Students internalize these roles from continuous exposure unknowingly. Ironically, the same textbooks often have chapters on gender equality, creating an illusion of social progress while simultaneously reinforcing stereotypes.

In moral science classes, boys are taught to be protectors and take up leadership roles, while girls are taught to be nurturing and kind. Role models like M. K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. are often introduced for masculine traits and Mother Teressa for feminine traits. These are obviously not immoral virtues in themselves, but they should not be gendered. When civic lessons themselves become gendered, students begin to associate empathy or strength with one gender instead of viewing them as universal virtues.

Phrases like “first woman to...” turn achievements masculine, unintentionally making them seem exceptional for women rather than simply human accomplishments.

Schools' Expectations

Teachers often call boys to help with heavy stuff and encourage them for leadership positions. Girls are praised for neatness, discipline, and modesty rather than intellectual capability or leadership potential.

Boys' disruptive attitudes are often dismissed because “boys will be boys”, while girls may get detained for so called revealing clothes and immodesty, becoming the only victims of moral policing. Comments like “sit properly, you are a girl!” reinforce these double standards. This is not universal, however, and gradual changes are observable in certain educational settings.

In the Indian subcontinent, high school girls in some schools are made to wear the traditional “salwar kameez” instead of western skirts. Boys are exempted and can come in shirt and trousers, not “dhoti-kurta.” The burden of traditions is imposed on girls under the excuse of modesty.

Subject Segregation

From an early age, boys are subtly pushed towards careers in STEM, while girls are nudged towards humanities and social sciences. 

This is a brutal and unsettling truth, but boys who are already socially conditioned into being aggressive need subjects like psychology more for developing emotional intelligence. Such subjects should, in fact, be compulsory for all students regardless of gender for a healthy society.

Gendered Representation of Teachers

We all must have observed that in higher classes, colleges and universities, the number of female teaching staff reduces significantly. The word "teacher" has become associated with women, while "professor" has become associated with men. In nursery schools, male teachers are almost zero due to concerns about the possibility of aggression and potential abuse. These are not baseless and invalid concerns, but it can be solved by thorough background checks, CCTV monitoring, and other safety protocols rather than blanket exclusion.

Final Thoughts

If you are a teacher reading this, be more inclusive in your approach. For example, instead of asking only boys to lift heavy stuff, call girls and boys alternatively, or even together. Understand that morality is not reserved for one gender. Give up the "boys will be boys" attitude, as it is fatal in the long run and enables harmful behavior.

If you are a student, call out the gender biases you observe, but do so politely. Develop consciousness about subtle gender biases present in your educational environment. Make your friends aware of these patterns. However, understand that these biases are not intentional but a result of our own internalized conditioning.

Remember, change comes when everyone changes. Let’s collectively work to dismantle patriarchal systems, starting from our classrooms!