Gender Responsibility

Introduction

A gender-responsive approach addresses the particular Graphic quote stating With girls it can be harder to tell because it is more rumors and gossip than physical bullying. Most girls will tell their close friends but not teachers or parents and they tell their friends not to tell anyone. Grade. 8 Studentissues, problems and assets of girls and boys separately, beginning as early as age six. Quality programs are founded upon specific principles rooted in the uniquely different developmental, physiological, psychological, and social needs of girls and boys. There are a number of key reasons why gender-specific activities are important. The reasons are addressed here as: Gender Differences and Gender of Staff. This is followed by a list of resources.
 

Gender Differences

Developmental pathways for high-risk girls and boys into frequent bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination are distinctly different. Risk and protective factors for students frequently involved in long-term peer relationship problems vary greatly by gender. These differences are not as large for students involved infrequently in these problems.¹ There are important differences in the process by which girls experience and perpetrate harm, the context of their behaviour, and the types of harm they commit. Males and females differ in the forms, level of participation, and context of their bullying. Harm committed by girls is usually masked and difficult to detect (i.e., social forms of bullying), whereas bullying by boys is primarily physical (and easily identifiable). Girls’ frequent aggression is closely related to abuse and trauma suffered at home, whereas boys’ frequent aggression is most closely linked to involvement with peers and activities involved in anti-social behaviour.

The general program needs of girls differ from those of boys. Interventions must reflect an understanding of the different realities of girls’ and boys’ lives and be responsive to their needs and strengths. Gender role socialization is very different for boys and girls, and contributes to complex cultural messages regarding the appropriateness of gendered behaviour. In general, masculinity is associated with power, independence, aggression, dominance, and heterosexuality. Femininity is related to dependence, nurturance, passivity, serving others, and maintenance of social relationships. Females are more attuned to connection and males are more attuned to differentiation.² Throughout history in the Western World, men as a group have had higher status and more power than women both in and outside the home. They have traditionally held the legislative and normative authority to control their wives and children, and females in general. Women still face multiple sources of discrimination in Canada. Despite recent gains, men still have greater income, status, expertise and authority in most sectors of society.

Young women are much more likely to experience depression, negative self-concept and body image, and eating disorders compared to young men. This relates to the tendency for young females to internalize distress and problems, whereas young males exhibit these problems in externalizing, disruptive behaviour. Programs must be responsive to these differences (e.g., boys’ programming addresses issues related to independence and separation, whereas for girls there is a focus on their sense of connection with others) and ensure that activities are safe (given the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault in middle and high schools, it is likely that victims and aggressors will be in the same class; therefore, the safety of girls and boys cannot be guaranteed in mixed-gender discussions).
 

Gender of Staff

The gender of staff is a key determinant of success. Given the importance of modeling in cognitive-behavioural instruction strategies, female students will relate best to strong and assertive female teachers who have had similar experiences in adolescence.³ Likewise, successful approaches for boys employ sensitive male teachers who can help unravel masculinity and its connection to toughness, aggression and code of silence around expressing emotions.⁴

Girls respond differently to interventions compared to boys. Girls are more receptive to anti-bullying and harassment programs than boys, and girls demonstrate a higher level of empathy and support for victims.⁵ However, there is evidence that girls’ social bullying is difficult to address. In part, this relates to a general lack of awareness and intervention models on this issue.⁶
 

Resources

Useful resources for teachers include Barrie Thorne’s Gender Play, Allan Creighton’s Helping Teens Stop Violence, Jonathan Salisbury and David Jackson’s Challenging Macho Values, Anita Roberts’ Safe Teen: Powerful Alternatives to Violence, Mark Totten and Perpetua Quigley’s Mind Over Violence Everywhere, the American Association of University Women’s report How Schools Shortchange Girls, Carol Gilligan’s In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development (1982), Lyn Mikel Brown and Carol Gilligan’s Meeting at the Crossroads: Women’s Psychology and Girls’ Development (1992), Mary Pipher’s Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls (1995), Peggy Orenstein’s Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem and the Confidence Gap (2000), Marion Underwood’s Social Aggression in Girls (2003), and Myra and David Sadker’s Failing at Fairness: How America’s Schools Cheat Girls (1994).