DALILA ROSE GHONEIM ASSIGNEMENT 1/ 102083

Gender a Social Justice Issue impacted by the Media

In a diverse society where change, modernisation and equitable practices are at their peak,
one very important social issue remains harnessed by patriarchy. Gender equality. The
challenge to redeem gender equity over gender stratification inside and outside the
classroom, has been a key issue highlighted by feminists for decades. From a social
constructionist theory, gender is characterised by social, cultural and psychological traits
linked to males or females, through social contexts (Ferfolja, Jones-Diaz & Ullman, 2015).
Even though each of us constructs their own gender identity, options are limited by
dominant discourses of gender that circulate around us; religion, school, family, media and
the community. They teach acceptable ways of being and not being a certain gender (kehily,
2003). These gender binaries, critique individuals as superior or inferior respective to certain
qualities or traits, empowering one over the other, thus, creating social and gender capital
inside and outside the classroom. The purpose of this essay, is to examine the social justice
issue, gender equality, through the social theories of feminism and post structuralism. First,
feminist perspectives will be used to examine the power of the media on gender roles and
life chances. Then, how gender discourses are portrayed in sporting activities globally,
generating segregation of the sexes. Last, identify teachers as critical researchers to identify
with dominant discourses within the classroom, their impact on student’s performance and
the curriculum policies that support equity.

Gender stereotypes in the mass media

The media plays a crucial role in affecting people’s lives, as noted by the communication
theorist, Marshall McLuhan (2008), it shapes their opinions, beliefs and attitudes. It has this
invisible effect in relaying the dominant hegemonic ideology to the masses, creating the
elites and alienating the subordinate groups. In the case of gender roles, male hegemony
rises to the surface. Feminists, Clare Short, Gaye Tuchman, and Angela McRobbie
condemned unfair representations of gender in media. A classic example is the reality TV
show, The Bachelor, portraying unfair representations of gender, whereby females are
stereotyped against in the media, as ‘not good enough’ for the bachelor in focus. During the
DALILA ROSE GHONEIM ASSIGNEMENT 1/ 102083

episodes, a collective group of females put their emotions forward on TV, to gain
acceptance and be rewarded a rose, at the elimination ceremony, by one bachelor. It
conveys anti-feminist discourses, such as, women are desperate and in need of a man to
fulfil their whole life happiness, all single women are lifeless and unhappy, marriage the key
factor to a female’s success, male portrayed as the shining white knight and finally the
anticipation of the marriage proposal. Such a perception of achieving a married status, has
been unravelled through the media for decades, pushing females into thinking and believing
that it is the common way of life, housewife duties and raising a family.

Germaine Greer, Australian-born author of The Female Eunuch (1970), reflected on how
women assume submissive roles in society, to satisfy and align with dominant discourses to
fulfil male fantasies on how a woman should be. Furthermore, she mentions how women
are targeted in marketing, using their image to sell products, and setting standards on how a
typical female should be. These stereotypes marginalise females from achieving in schools
and in attaining higher education qualifications, terming the latter as ‘unfeminine’ and not
appealing to the opposite sex. Gaye Tuchman (1979) feared that stereotypes would
discourage young women from professional ambitions, which are essential for the economy.
On the Contrary, research shows that there have been major improvements over the last 40
years in many countries (Archer et al., 2013), with greater number of females now taking
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) qualifications, entering STEM
careers and contributing to the wealth of STEM knowledge and research (Archer et al.,
2013). Yet, females remain under-represented in physical sciences and engineering (Smith,
2010), males exhibiting more positive attitudes to science than females, particularly in
physical science (Scantlebury and Baker, 2007). In a study, which used data of 10-14-year-
old students, questioning their science aspirations, it revealed how girls’ responses to
categories of aspiration were evoked by dominant discursive associations between
femininity and ‘caring’ (Archer et al., 2013), choosing teaching and/or childcare as their
most popular ‘nurturing’ aspirations. As Francis (2005) mentions, notions of care, whether
for others or of the self, are integral to dominant constructions of femininity. Interestingly,
the girls in the study indicated underlying constructions of science careers as ‘masculine’.
The research suggested that even though some girls enjoyed taking part in science in and
out of school, they still adopted a ‘not for me’ approach, so they won’t be portrayed as
DALILA ROSE GHONEIM ASSIGNEMENT 1/ 102083

geeky. Here, peer approval plays a crucial role in the life-long decisions made by these
students; whether to pursue a career in science or physical science, based on socially
constructed discourses of what commonly identifies as feminine or masculine.

A Feminised sporting arena

Another, internationally visible phenomenon that identifies with the segregation of the
sexes, is sport (Dworkin and Messner, 2002). Within the sporting industry, equipment, rules,
clothing and remuneration for the opposite sexes is all constructed in a way to distinctly
segregate the males from the females, and conceptualise the normality of the socially
constructed discourses, of which sporting events are fitting for females or males. This,
generates the able-disabled binary, positioning women as less capable than men, as Sailor
(2014) mentions, women therefore considered not as worthy as men of sporting attention
or equal reward. Also identifying the sporting culture, in its entity, as reinforcing hegemonic
masculinities. Supporting this is Miller’s (2010) work with young girls, showing interest in
single- and mixed-sex wrestling in the US, the obstacles and social pressures they needed to
overcome to take part in the sport, because it wasn’t considered feminine. An individual
should be able to participate in anything they showed interest in, regardless of their gender.
The sporting arena remains a site where gender norms are challenged and others
reinforced, feminists would argue, it relays traditional gender hierarchies, which impact on
society.

A research conducted by Anderson (2009) on a group of men exhibiting inclusive

masculinities, suggested that if males were to work alongside female teammates, it could
influence those men to distance themselves from hegemonic masculinity. McDonagh and
Pappano (2008) also exhibited this ideology, and suggested mixed-sex sporting activities, to
combat gender inequality within sport and challenge traditional ideas of male superiority,
through teamwork and collaboration of both sexes. Such suggestions not only hope to
reflect on sport, but reflect on and educate men and women globally in working together
irrespective of gender. If we could reinforce the idea of mixed-sex sporting activities to
students in schools, it could possibly challenge their misconceptions of what is considered a
feminine or masculine sport activity. Also, provide non-stereotypical activities in PE,
DALILA ROSE GHONEIM ASSIGNEMENT 1/ 102083

engaging males and females working as a cohesive group, instead of ‘girls versus boys’
approach, or girl activities and boy activities.

Teachers as critical theorists

Stereotypical patterns are difficult to break, unfortunately, it requires more than just
engaging in mixed-sex sports to convey gender equitable outcomes. It calls on all teachers,
especially PE teachers, to endeavour more training and preparation at the University level,
to be equipped with the necessary knowledge for creating a positive non-gendered teaching
habitus within the classroom. Gibson suggests, teachers be critical theorists. Critical theory;
questions taken for granted assumptions and familiar beliefs and challenges many
conventional practises, ideas and ideals’ (Gibson, 1984), it can aid teachers to critique
gender-based practises within their classroom. Curtner-Smith (2002) supports this idea,
encouraging the need for teachers to be critical researchers in their classroom, documenting
the dominance of one group over others, and create change for greater social justice.
Teachers should promote gender-inclusive strategies and provide awareness of successful
sport personnel’s crossing the gender divide, to give females within the classroom role
models to associate with, other than the typically portrayed blonde, slim, small physique
female, one example that comes to mind, the famous female tennis player, Serena Williams.
Also, teachers could reinforce the potential for gender co-operation and change through
visual aids; posters and videos of women competing in male-dominated games and males
competing in female-dominated games. Choose appropriate kit to accommodate both
genders equally and avoid the use of gendered terms or phrases: man to man, sportsman,
man of the match, don’t run like a girl, girls need more time in the change rooms. Also, for
teachers to develop gender-equitable programmes, schools and training institutions need to
reflect upon their own contribution and responsibility in developing well- trained unbiased
educators who will provide equality of education opportunities to all students. Providing
programs that support the different needs of both sexes without having to alienate one
from the other.

Education departments are becoming more aware of gender-based practices in Australian

schools, providing curriculum content that reinforce the application of equity in education.
There are many departmental policies that support the ideology of equity. The Australian
DALILA ROSE GHONEIM ASSIGNEMENT 1/ 102083

Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is dedicated to the development

of a high-quality curriculum for all Australian students that promotes excellence and equity
in education. It states that all students are entitled to rigorous, relevant and engaging
learning programs drawn from a challenging curriculum that addresses their individual
learning needs. The Australian Curriculum recognises that the needs of all students
encompass cognitive, affective, physical, social, and aesthetic curriculum experiences.
("ACARA - Student Diversity", 2017). So, female and male students, according to ACARA are
given equal chances to participate in and achieve irrespective of their gender, but in saying
that, they fall short on specifically addressing the social justice issue, to attain equity in a
mixed sex classroom. In Victoria, the Respective Relationships curriculum was introduced to
schools this year ("Are fairy tales sexist or is political correctness complicating good
stories?", 2017). Part of the curriculum taught students to think critically about traditional
fairy tales: Snow white, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella. This task was assigned to engage
students in recognizing the gender roles that were portrayed by the characters; female in all
cases needy of rescuing by the male character. Then, students were asked to swap roles;
females as the heroes rescuing the males in need. Such a task would prove beneficial from a
feminist’s perspective, it acknowledges the students that there are no gender-based roles to
adhere to, and dismantle the common discourses of the female in need scenario, or the
literature loving Belle stereotyped by her entire village as ‘weird’ because she wasn’t the
typical beauty falling for the typical hegemonic male, Guston. But rather, she loved to read
and showed interest in her father’s inventions. Once again, media portraying the typical
female (the village women seeking Guston’s attention) versus the out of the ordinary
stereotyped, Belle.

Feminists desire nothing more than a transformation of the social patriarchal social system,
at the school level and globally, to provide females with equal rights. They believe, social
media generates gender binaries at any opportunity given, whether through marketing,
reality TV shows, cartoons or sports. Providing the nation with a sense of definition of what
defines a female or male, producing an individual who is a product of combined discourses.
There are policy frameworks and guidelines to incorporate gender equity among individuals,
and, teaching goals and objectives (MCEETYA, 2008), but it is up to the teacher to ensure
these equitable goals and objectives are met, without segregating the sexes. Unfortunately,
DALILA ROSE GHONEIM ASSIGNEMENT 1/ 102083

there are no policies in place addressing the true diversity of gender, policies are
generalised to incorporate diversity as an entity and not post structurally. Awareness should
be implicated at the institution level to educate teachers on how to practise gender-equity
within the classroom without segregating the sexes (Curtner-Smith, 2002). Also, further
research in feminist pedagogy could enhance our understanding of the impacts it would
have on a larger scale; does it invite gender equity, and create awareness for students to be
active feminists, or will it alienate the hegemonic males?

REFERENCE LIST
DALILA ROSE GHONEIM ASSIGNEMENT 1/ 102083

ACARA - Student Diversity. (2017). Acara.edu.au. Retrieved 14 August 2017, from

https://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/student-diversity

Anderson, E. 2009. Inclusive Masculinity: The Changing Nature of Masculinities. New York, NY:

Routledge.

Archer, L., DeWitt, J., Osborne, J., Dillon, J., Willis, B., & Wong, B. (2013). ‘Not girly, not sexy, not

glamorous’: primary school girls’ and parents’ constructions of science aspirations1.

Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 21(1), 171-194. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2012.748676

Are fairy tales sexist or is political correctness complicating good stories?. (2017). ABC News.

Retrieved 14 August 2017, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-06/fairy-tale-sexism-and-

political-correctness/8420948

Cranford, V., Tuchman, G., Daniels, A., & Benet, J. (1979). Hearth and Home: Images of Women in

the Mass Media. Social Forces, 57(4), 1426. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2577298

Curtner-Smith, M. (2002) ‘Methodological Issues in Research’, in A. Laker (ed), The Sociology of Sport

and Physical Education: An Introductory Reader, London: Routledge: 36-57.

Dworkin, S., and Messner. 2002. “Just do What…? Sport, Bodies and Gender.” In Gender and Sport: A

Reader, edited by S. Scraton and A. Flintoff, 17-29. London: Routledge.

Francis, B. 2005. Not knowing their place. Girl’s classroom behaviour. In ‘Problem’ girls:

Understanding and supporting troubled and troublesome girls, ed. G. Lloyd, 9-21. London:

Routledge.

Ferfolja, T., Jones-Diaz, C., & Ullman, J. (2015). Understanding Sociological Theory for Educational

Practices. West Nyack: Cambridge University Press.

Gibson, R. (1984). Structuralism and education. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

Greer, G. (2014). The female eunuch. [Place of publication not identified]: HarperCollins e-Books.

Kehily, M. (2003). Sexuality, Gender and Schooling: shifting agendas in social learning. Education For

Health: Change In Learning & Practice, 16(1), 95-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09511920210143408

McDonagh, E., and L. Pappano. 2008. Playing with the boys: Why Separate is Not Equal in Sports.

Oxford: Oxford University Press.

McLuhan, M., Agel, J., & Fiore, Q. (2008). The medium is the massage. [S.l.]: Penguin.

Miller, Shane Aaron 2010. “Making the Boys Cry: The Performative Dimensions of Fluid Gender.”

Text and Performance Quarterly 30 (2): 163-182.

Sailors, P. 2014. “Mixed Competition and Mixed Messages.” Journal of the Philosophy of Sport 41 (1):

65-77.
DALILA ROSE GHONEIM ASSIGNEMENT 1/ 102083

Scantlebury, K., and D. Baker. 2007. Gender issues in science education research: Remembering

where the difference lies. In Handbook of Research on science education, ed. S. Abell and N.
Lederman, 257-86. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Statement of Equity Principles - Board of Studies Teaching and Educational Standards NSW. (2017).

Boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 10 August 2017, from

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabuses/syllabus-development/statement-of-equity-
principles.html

The Problem. (2017). Womensmediacenter.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017, from

http://www.womensmediacenter.com/pages/the-problem