Sexism in Schools

School is one of the primary agents of socialization and development in a child’s life. The experiences and values that children learn in school usually go with them for their lifetime and form a big and inseparable part of their identity. Sexism is a term used to refer to discrimination based on sex. Sexism in a way has existed since civilization itself, changing its form and intensity over the course of history.

Efforts have been led most notably since the mid-20th century to fight back against the sexist and patriarchal society and secure equal rights for women. These movements have come to know as Feminist Movements giving birth to an ideology or perception called Feminism. Feminism as per definition seeks equal rights for both sexes. Despite this, the problem of Sexism continues to this day in various forms all over the world and in nearly every social setting or institution.

Sexism in schools is a problem that has not been tackled enough in these past few years. Given the immense role, schools play in the development of a child, flowing from both Bronfenbrenner and Durganand Sinha’s theories, the presence of sexism at schools makes it so that the problem will never be solved. It is only when we form better humans that we can transform society and eradicate this problem from our lives.

As per some recent statistics around 40 per cent of women have been harassed, 20 per cent have been stalked and nearly 33 per cent have been abused at least once in their life. The situation is such that at least 1 in every 5 women face physical or sexual violence from their partner, 49 countries lack domestic violence law, and 39 countries lack inheritance laws for women. The gender equality index measures how each country is doing concerning gender equality. A higher value indicated a worse position. India is currently on 123rd rank.

We come to know that there exist various loopholes in the existing policies on this subject, both in theory and practice. We understand that the issue of sexism in schools is of immense importance and needs our urgent attention and focus.

We at the VONG movement conducted a panel discussion session on the topic ‘Sexism in Schools’ and discussed the same. We delved into the effects of this sexism, and how we can work towards reducing and eventually eradicating it. We understood just how urgent the situation is and how we need to work towards it.

First, it is important to educate students, teachers and parents about this issue. Research indicated that there is a lack of awareness about this topic at the moment. We also need to realize sexism in both its direct and indirect forms. Secondly, we look towards the aspect of Sex Education. This is something lacking in the Indian education system and whose importance could not be more pertinent. It paves the way for students to develop a positive and accepting attitude toward both themselves and those around them. This also makes them less vulnerable to aspects such as sexual harassment and sexual abuse. We also need to develop, maintain and foster a safe environment where students feel safe to report sexism at school. Only as little as 14% of students felt safe reporting incidents of sexual education at their school as per a study. By enabling this, students will know when to report, how to report and whom to report such instances and incidents that they may face in their schools. Another aspect that needs to be focused upon to improve the current situation is to improve the implementation of pre-existing policies. Study after study has shown that in most cases, the policy is not the problem, but the implementation is. This includes policies meant to empower students and treat them on an equal footing. This also includes adjusting the implementation of existing policies to new and changing circumstances. What is another need of the hour is a gender-aware and inclusive curriculum. This is of utmost importance for promoting a safe learning environment devoid of any gender bias. This provided a way to change and mould the mindset of students from the beginning making sure they grow to be responsible citizens of the world. There is also a call for reservations for women in the legislatures and whilst this has its different aspects, it is certainly something that needs to be discussed. This would increase women’s representation in key positions and possibly make the world a better place.

We see how action must be taken to improve the current situation. It is high time that we take action to make this world a more equitable place to live in. We need to make sure that gender equality is not just another goal but the reality of tomorrow. SDG 5 shall soon be a reality and not a goal!