El manejo de la locura en los establecimientos de beneficencia

FIGURE 5.30

Statement 109: Women are better at looking after sick people than men.

RESPONSE PERCENTAGES FOR CATEGORIES: AGREE GIRLS % BOYS %

Grade 7 60.9 70.1

Grade 8 54.3 60.8

Grade 9 43.3 48.8

In the Grade 7s’ response to the statement, an average of 60.9% of the girls and 70.1% of the boys agreed that women are better at looking after sick people. The pattern of responses to this statement for all three grades is similar and shows a strong agreement, as is indicated in Figure 5.30 above. The statistics indicate that the stereotypical image of women looking after the sick is fairly rooted in girls and boys. The intensity of the responses, and thus the stereotypical perception, is strong in Grade 7 but decreases to the lowest percentile in Grade 9. This is in keeping with the apparent growth, also revealed in the in-depth interviews, in empowerment, especially of girls, away from society’s stereotypical images, roles and careers of caring and nurturing, to a more equitable, shared responsibility for this type of pursuit.

LEARNER’S GENDER

% LEARNERS WHO SELECTED WOMEN % LEARNERS WHO SELECTED MEN Statement 127 GIRLS 53.8 3.7 BOYS 68.2 4.6 Statement 129 GIRLS 54.3 3.7 BOYS 49.6 7.5

5.3 Concluding remarks

The findings from the quantitative analysis presented in this chapter clearly indicate that gender and particularly gender stereotyping play a role in learners’ perceptions of, interests in and attitudes and exposure to science and science careers. Learners’ reported parental perceptions also show evidence of gendered perceptions regarding science and their children’s interests. Further, there is a definite shift in attitudes and interest as learners progress into higher grades and this is shown to be gendered. As boys get older, they develop a stronger interest in how science applications work. There is a concomitant intensifying disinterest from girls from Grades 7 to 9. Boys are tuned into the symbolically masculine need for a sense of technical mastery. This appears to be due to the impact of socio-cultural effects. The impact of the media cannot be discounted since learners perceive the media as gendered and their expectations of what will appear in the media are clearly gender-stereotyped. The closer an activity is to what is viewed as ‘hard core’ applied science (like automotive engineering, which already has a masculine image in society because it has to do with cars) the more gender-stereotyped the activity is categorised to be.

There are, however, indications that the influence of gender equality policies and practices in social, public service institutions like government, as well as the rhetoric of women’s empowerment, are having an effect on the perceptions and attitudes of especially girl learners, but also the more mature Grade 9 boy learners, as they express their views on the expectations of gender representivity in science and science careers. However, whilst boys and men appear to want to maintain the gender stereotype with regard to tasks and careers traditionally practised by women, girls are moving away from this stereotyping and becoming more aware, possibly owing also to the messages received from women’s empowerment voices, of their equal rights in this modern society. There is nevertheless a tendency, even amongst girl learners who are more vociferous of women’s rights, to stay close to the gender stereotype when the roles, tasks and careers come closer to the primordial task of women as ‘givers of birth, caregivers and nurturers of infants’.

Where an activity is linked to women’s physiological and reproductive role, and especially where this role involves caring and nurturing, most learners tend to gender-stereotype the activity in favour of women. Grade 9 girls, being in the throes of physiological development to full womanhood (as in able to reproduce), are showing a stronger inclination towards categorising activities that are linked to caring and nurturing commensurate with their age into the arena of mainly women’s activities.

Learners’ perception of science is also mediated, across gender and grade boundaries equally, by socio-economic factors like the financial status and social class of families, especially where these affect the geographical location of the home and the school that the learner attends. An aspect like

access to the Internet is an important aspect of these socio-economic factors. It is also clear that, across gender and grades equally, the shortcomings in learners’ reading and communication abilities affect the level and quality of their access to science and science education. The findings indicate that parents reportedly follow the gender stereotypes in their aspirations for their children: fathers are keen for their boys to follow science careers and for their girls to follow non-science careers whereas mothers, on the other hand, are keen for both genders to pursue non-science careers. There are thus clear gender differences in the interests and activities of GET learners with regard to science.

It would appear that the popular print media, and more so electronic media, play a role in the space of gender representivity in science and science careers and are impacting on learner opinions as access to technology becomes more widespread. The gender images that are utilised by the media in advertising especially appear to have an impact on learner perceptions of stereotypes in science and science careers – learners internalise these gender and race stereotypes and certainly expect to see them in the media. As learners progress in school, mature and become more experienced, they appear to be becoming more discerning, and the effects of gender-stereotyping through the media appears to weaken. Much needs to be done in families as the core social unit where young people’s attitudes and perceptions are shaped and nurtured, especially also by using popular media channels that appeal to young people, to break down stereotypical perceptions of gender roles, in pursuit of a society where there is equal treatment of and regard for women in the domain of science and science education. Formal education has a vital role to play here as well.

CHAPTER SIX

Gender and science education at school 6.1 Introduction

In focusing on the school and educational context of science learning, Chapter Six continues the analysis of the survey questionnaire data, focusing on how the larger school contexts and the dynamics in science classrooms are reportedly interceded by gender. Learners were asked to respond to questions about how they perceived themselves in science classrooms; their enjoyment and general feelings, including expressed anxiety, in science classrooms; what they thought about their own as well as the other gender’s performance in science classrooms; and their perceptions and views of science teachers in their science classrooms. Learners’ reported involvement in extra- curricular science activities were also analysed for any indications of a difference in responses based on their gender.

The themes of the research questions cover the impact of gender on learners’ perceptions of science and science education during the GET Phase of their education and how socio-economic and cultural forces in society, mediated by gender, impact these perceptions.

Formal schooling, and interaction in science classrooms in particular, play a pivotal role in forming, nurturing, enhancing and advancing learners’ science interest and activities. The actions of science teachers, their pedagogical methods and personal perceptions of science and science education, are crucial, as these intercede in the way that gender mediates the science experience of learners in formal schooling. The importance of the role of formal schooling in countering the effects of gender stereotyping in society is well put by Arnot (2000, p.300) who argues that:

“In the twenty-first century, school systems across the world will have to address highly complex sets of gender relations which, having been released from the straight-jacket of nineteenth century values, are likely to find global forms of expression.”

6.2 Learners of science in school classrooms

The statements grouped in Figure 6.1 below attempt to establish how learners perceived themselves in science classrooms, their levels of enjoyment of science in school and how these feelings manifest in their behaviour in science classrooms. Learner enjoyment of science lessons ranged from how much fun they had in science to their anxieties in their interactions in science classrooms. The statements also elicited responses from learners about their emotional experiences in science classrooms, how they express these feelings and the extent to which they act out in science classrooms. Figure 6.1 below also provides a picture of the distribution of Grades 7, 8 and 9 learners’ responses. Except for responses to Questions 88 and 92, there is no significant difference in

the statistics of the responses of the girls and boys generally. This means that boys and girls are experiencing largely similar feelings towards various issues and situations in science classrooms.