Gender Inequality and Post-Secondary Education in Canada
Gender Inequality and Post-Secondary
Education in Canada
INTRODUCTION Historically, gender differences have been at the core of social and economic injustice and women have faced fundamental disadvantages (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 351). Despite recent changes in formal equality – the introduction of protection for women in the Constitution Act, 1982 and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, for example - informal barriers are still present which lead to the discrimination of women (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 89). The Canadian education system has not been immune to the effects of discrimination towards women; in fact, some argue that schools have been a vessel for inequality (Knudson-Martin & Mahoney, 2009, p. 45). This paper will argue that discrimination toward women in post-secondary education has led to social and economic inequality that reaches much further than just educational institutions. The first section of the paper will outline current scholarly literature on education and specifically gender inequality in universities. This paper will then discuss why gender inequality in schools and education is a social problem. Finally, the essay will conclude with a discussion and commentary regarding the issue of social and economic inequality between genders as an educational system failure.
WHAT DO WE KNOW? Many structural functionalists suggest that education is a fundamental way that socialization occurs (Tepperman and Curtis, 2001, p. 347). Furthermore, that our society is obsessed with assigning social statuses to people based on their perceived level of ‘success’; this method of placing individuals or groups into social statuses is often referred to as ascribed status (Sasaki as cited in Tepperman and Curtis, 2011, p. 347). The emphasis placed on social status is reinforced by individuals desire to gain upward social mobility – a process by which one moves up a perceived social or economic hierarchy in
Education in Canada
INTRODUCTION Historically, gender differences have been at the core of social and economic injustice and women have faced fundamental disadvantages (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 351). Despite recent changes in formal equality – the introduction of protection for women in the Constitution Act, 1982 and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, for example - informal barriers are still present which lead to the discrimination of women (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 89). The Canadian education system has not been immune to the effects of discrimination towards women; in fact, some argue that schools have been a vessel for inequality (Knudson-Martin & Mahoney, 2009, p. 45). This paper will argue that discrimination toward women in post-secondary education has led to social and economic inequality that reaches much further than just educational institutions. The first section of the paper will outline current scholarly literature on education and specifically gender inequality in universities. This paper will then discuss why gender inequality in schools and education is a social problem. Finally, the essay will conclude with a discussion and commentary regarding the issue of social and economic inequality between genders as an educational system failure.
WHAT DO WE KNOW? Many structural functionalists suggest that education is a fundamental way that socialization occurs (Tepperman and Curtis, 2001, p. 347). Furthermore, that our society is obsessed with assigning social statuses to people based on their perceived level of ‘success’; this method of placing individuals or groups into social statuses is often referred to as ascribed status (Sasaki as cited in Tepperman and Curtis, 2011, p. 347). The emphasis placed on social status is reinforced by individuals desire to gain upward social mobility – a process by which one moves up a perceived social or economic hierarchy in
References: Banks, T. L. (1988). Gender bias in the classroom. Journal of Legal Education, 38(2), 137-146. The Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c 11 Cool, J Connell, R. W. (1996). Teaching the boys: New research on masculinity, and gender studies for schools. Teachers College Record, 98(2), 206- 235. Fausto-Sterling, A. (2009). Dueling dualisms. In A. L. Ferber, K. Holcomb, & T. Wentling, Sex, Gender & Sexuality (pp. 6-21). New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. Knudson-Martin, C., & Mahoney, A.R. (2009). Couples, Gender, and Power: Creating Change in Intimate Relationships. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. MacNeill, T. (2011, November 23). Schools and education [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from University of Ontario Institute of Technology WebCT site: http://www.uoit.ca/connect Stratton, T.D., McLaughlin, M.A., Witte, F.M., Fosson, S.E., & Nora, L.M Tepperman & Curtis. (2011). Social Problems: A Canadian Perspective, 3rd Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press. Williams, C. (2010). Economic Well Being: A Gender-based Statistical Report. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11388-eng.pdf GRADING RUBRIC SSCI1300U FINAL PAPER