Definition Essay: How Gender Identity Is Formed?
What is Gender Identity?
Gender Identity is how someone perceives themselves, mentally or physically. This can include males feeling or acting more feminine, females feeling or acting more masculine, even males and females acting in stereo typical ways. There are many times in a child’s pre-school years they are exposed to different gender identities, for example a masculine stereotypical father figure or a hands on an affectionate father figure. This is a long way from the binary thinking which suggests males are masculine and females are feminine. (REF TOPIC 5. This does not mean someone is straight, gay, lesbian, or transgender, it only forms part of the gender equity that’s is used to create an individual gender identity.
How gender identity is formed?
Gender identity is formed from various areas a child’s life. From birth a child is nurtured by their mother and predominately female nurses, (STATS REF HERE) this could form the start of a child building gender equity, showing females in nurturing and loving roles. In other stages of a child’s life they see men in construction roles and females in nurturing roles, while this stereotype is shifting, (Stat ref here) by the time a child reaches primary school their stereotypes are already formed, boys wear blue …show more content…
and girls wear pink, a predetermined colour assigned to a gender by parents. This is can help a child form gender identity through the sponging method ref, where a child absorbs the information of the world around them, through media articles and even through social media (media reports) in addition to the male and female role models in their lives this is also referred as “Social Duping” (Hekman 1991, p48). While the child is an active player in forming their gender identity, gender identity is still made up from their own selected messages from ideas and the world around them, what they see, what they hear, whom they are around and their personal interaction with others. It is not until a child reaches years five and six that the curriculum first mentions same sex attraction and gender diverse media representations (ACARA ACPPS057 REF). There is no singular gender identity for males and females, both males and females often feel obliged to fitting into one of the binary stereotypes of male and female. This negative impact can confuse a child as they are not expressing themselves, their desires or their wants and needs. This means it essential to provide an open environment, free of binary stereotypes. This can be achieved by introducing activities out of normal stereotypes, for example a female guest speaker in a powerful role such as a police officer or a male chef to show a cooking demonstration, breaking down the stereotypes of females in subservient roles and males in dominant roles.
Homophobia in Australia has changed from historical religious beliefs (REF), to a misconceived culture that does not fit modern society, taking the focus off the actual person and shifting the focus to the values and that the gay and lesbian culture is a threat to society (REF OUTRAGES!
READING P210); As shown from the largely publicised backlash from Playschool’s two mums episode. The episode depicts a family having two mums going about their daily lives with their kids as a functional family within society, however this was criticised as age-inappropriate. The backlash from this episode is the opposite of the shows aim, to encourage a child to wonder, to think, to feel and to imagine (Multiplatform,
2016).
. Existing policy and procedure
Most schools in the Northern Territory share a similar uniform policy, for example, Nightcliff Primary School which consists of boys and girls having the options of shorts, pants and polo style shirts in the same colour, with the girls having an additional option for skirts and check summer dresses (Primary, n.d.). This is offering girls equal opportunity to wear all clothing and on the other hand boys are not offered what is offered to girls. This is a social norm (REF) based on our current culture and society, therefore, would make it very challenging for a transgender male to fit in without a safe network or without challenging stereotypes and breaking down boundaries. Policies on this matter are not noted on the school’s website, the website states that the school expects all students to respect the right of all students to be treated with respect and dignity, as part of the “Bullying, No Way!” campaign, therefor, one would assume that any gender related issues would be represented. It is not until year four a child is expected to identify generalizations and gender roles (ACHASS1077REF), Whilst transgender children may not be that common, we live in an ever changing world where machinery has overtaken many masculine roles, and as a result, the biological difference between male and female are becoming less noticeable (“STEREOTYPES STOP YOU DOING STUFF,” p.3, 2013). With machinery doing more of the physical work, males are not required to be as physically strong, with a similar trend in women. As women enter the workforce in more dominate roles than previous generations, such as solicitors and even in the construction industry, girls are likely to sponge this information, leading to shifts in the classroom. These shifts can have both positive and negative impacts depending on the learning environment for example; the hidden curriculum is the experience students have that is not intended, that girls and boys are treated differently (Blaise & Nutall, 2011, p.90), therefore, if the educator tolerates bullying or harassment when students are role playing in what is considered in society as a dominant male or female role (REFNo point trying to change nature reading), students can learn that these roles are gender specific and teaching the students about social injustice (TOPIC 4 REF). If the educator can change this experience to the enacted curriculum (Blaise & Nutall, 2011, p.94), through engaging students and encouraging them, this will help educate them in a more positive way and achieve a constructive learning outcome. The need for reform.
The 2006 Australian census shows approximately 1.6% of the population between 15 and 24 years of age are in a same sex relationship, and the number of children with same sex parents is 6100, and others not included in the census due to age limitations (Australia, C. of, & Statistics, A. B. of. (2013, July 25). Main features - same-sex couples. Retrieved July 18, 2016, from Australian Bureau of Statistics). This is an example of how gender equity can be formed, with the children involved seeing same sex couples daily, some may see this as their “normal” and may absorb this as normal or form a different opinion. They may start to ask questions relating to the living arrangements, having two mums or two dads or about a transgendered parent. This builds the openness towards others and stop typical stereotypes however; when these children start their education they are faced with the fact that this is not the typical family, and faced with other challenges like bullying and humiliation from non-educated students. The Safe school initiative is set out to achieve a safe, accepting environment for these children, so they can be unique and be themselves, that is, safe to express their gender identity, whether that is gay, straight, bi, transgender or intersex. Safe schools strive to achieve this equality through educating the teachers in strategies and resources and can even be tailor made sessions for each school as per the schools needs and requirements. This is currently a voluntary service that is approved by the school’s principle and teachers, using their own professional judgement and Safe Schools material is free and accessible via the Safe Schools website; however, in the Northern Territory there are currently no schools listed as “Safe Schools” on the Safe Schools website, in comparison with Victoria with over 50 schools listed as members. This initiative has been caught up in the latest election campaign, with the Coalition vowing to scrap the initiative in favour of an alternative anti bullying policy (Gordon & Cook, 2016); however, with statistics showing even greater gender diversity in our community now than in the past, it is essential to have a safe, supportive and effective education system for all students and students should be able to identify this safe environment by the end of Foundation Year (REF CURRICULUM F10).
The education system in the Northern Territory is lacking a lot of information regarding sexual identity therefore a young student’s curriculum experience may be confusing if coming from a gender diverse family or be gender diverse themselves. The questions and information they want to ask may categorised into the null curriculum (Blaise & Nutall, 2011, pREF), confusing their gender identity formation. This can have a detrimental effect to the student’s learning and confidence, therefore it is vital in the Northern Territory to address the issues of diversity and understand the associated issues regarding gender and gender identity in a more interactive, compelling manner that incorporates all students, with the aim of understanding that all their students are different, they do not fit into a mold and come from many different backgrounds.
Gender Identity is how someone perceives themselves, mentally or physically. This can include males feeling or acting more feminine, females feeling or acting more masculine, even males and females acting in stereo typical ways. There are many times in a child’s pre-school years they are exposed to different gender identities, for example a masculine stereotypical father figure or a hands on an affectionate father figure. This is a long way from the binary thinking which suggests males are masculine and females are feminine. (REF TOPIC 5. This does not mean someone is straight, gay, lesbian, or transgender, it only forms part of the gender equity that’s is used to create an individual gender identity.
How gender identity is formed?
Gender identity is formed from various areas a child’s life. From birth a child is nurtured by their mother and predominately female nurses, (STATS REF HERE) this could form the start of a child building gender equity, showing females in nurturing and loving roles. In other stages of a child’s life they see men in construction roles and females in nurturing roles, while this stereotype is shifting, (Stat ref here) by the time a child reaches primary school their stereotypes are already formed, boys wear blue …show more content…
and girls wear pink, a predetermined colour assigned to a gender by parents. This is can help a child form gender identity through the sponging method ref, where a child absorbs the information of the world around them, through media articles and even through social media (media reports) in addition to the male and female role models in their lives this is also referred as “Social Duping” (Hekman 1991, p48). While the child is an active player in forming their gender identity, gender identity is still made up from their own selected messages from ideas and the world around them, what they see, what they hear, whom they are around and their personal interaction with others. It is not until a child reaches years five and six that the curriculum first mentions same sex attraction and gender diverse media representations (ACARA ACPPS057 REF). There is no singular gender identity for males and females, both males and females often feel obliged to fitting into one of the binary stereotypes of male and female. This negative impact can confuse a child as they are not expressing themselves, their desires or their wants and needs. This means it essential to provide an open environment, free of binary stereotypes. This can be achieved by introducing activities out of normal stereotypes, for example a female guest speaker in a powerful role such as a police officer or a male chef to show a cooking demonstration, breaking down the stereotypes of females in subservient roles and males in dominant roles.
Homophobia in Australia has changed from historical religious beliefs (REF), to a misconceived culture that does not fit modern society, taking the focus off the actual person and shifting the focus to the values and that the gay and lesbian culture is a threat to society (REF OUTRAGES!
READING P210); As shown from the largely publicised backlash from Playschool’s two mums episode. The episode depicts a family having two mums going about their daily lives with their kids as a functional family within society, however this was criticised as age-inappropriate. The backlash from this episode is the opposite of the shows aim, to encourage a child to wonder, to think, to feel and to imagine (Multiplatform,
2016).
. Existing policy and procedure
Most schools in the Northern Territory share a similar uniform policy, for example, Nightcliff Primary School which consists of boys and girls having the options of shorts, pants and polo style shirts in the same colour, with the girls having an additional option for skirts and check summer dresses (Primary, n.d.). This is offering girls equal opportunity to wear all clothing and on the other hand boys are not offered what is offered to girls. This is a social norm (REF) based on our current culture and society, therefore, would make it very challenging for a transgender male to fit in without a safe network or without challenging stereotypes and breaking down boundaries. Policies on this matter are not noted on the school’s website, the website states that the school expects all students to respect the right of all students to be treated with respect and dignity, as part of the “Bullying, No Way!” campaign, therefor, one would assume that any gender related issues would be represented. It is not until year four a child is expected to identify generalizations and gender roles (ACHASS1077REF), Whilst transgender children may not be that common, we live in an ever changing world where machinery has overtaken many masculine roles, and as a result, the biological difference between male and female are becoming less noticeable (“STEREOTYPES STOP YOU DOING STUFF,” p.3, 2013). With machinery doing more of the physical work, males are not required to be as physically strong, with a similar trend in women. As women enter the workforce in more dominate roles than previous generations, such as solicitors and even in the construction industry, girls are likely to sponge this information, leading to shifts in the classroom. These shifts can have both positive and negative impacts depending on the learning environment for example; the hidden curriculum is the experience students have that is not intended, that girls and boys are treated differently (Blaise & Nutall, 2011, p.90), therefore, if the educator tolerates bullying or harassment when students are role playing in what is considered in society as a dominant male or female role (REFNo point trying to change nature reading), students can learn that these roles are gender specific and teaching the students about social injustice (TOPIC 4 REF). If the educator can change this experience to the enacted curriculum (Blaise & Nutall, 2011, p.94), through engaging students and encouraging them, this will help educate them in a more positive way and achieve a constructive learning outcome. The need for reform.
The 2006 Australian census shows approximately 1.6% of the population between 15 and 24 years of age are in a same sex relationship, and the number of children with same sex parents is 6100, and others not included in the census due to age limitations (Australia, C. of, & Statistics, A. B. of. (2013, July 25). Main features - same-sex couples. Retrieved July 18, 2016, from Australian Bureau of Statistics). This is an example of how gender equity can be formed, with the children involved seeing same sex couples daily, some may see this as their “normal” and may absorb this as normal or form a different opinion. They may start to ask questions relating to the living arrangements, having two mums or two dads or about a transgendered parent. This builds the openness towards others and stop typical stereotypes however; when these children start their education they are faced with the fact that this is not the typical family, and faced with other challenges like bullying and humiliation from non-educated students. The Safe school initiative is set out to achieve a safe, accepting environment for these children, so they can be unique and be themselves, that is, safe to express their gender identity, whether that is gay, straight, bi, transgender or intersex. Safe schools strive to achieve this equality through educating the teachers in strategies and resources and can even be tailor made sessions for each school as per the schools needs and requirements. This is currently a voluntary service that is approved by the school’s principle and teachers, using their own professional judgement and Safe Schools material is free and accessible via the Safe Schools website; however, in the Northern Territory there are currently no schools listed as “Safe Schools” on the Safe Schools website, in comparison with Victoria with over 50 schools listed as members. This initiative has been caught up in the latest election campaign, with the Coalition vowing to scrap the initiative in favour of an alternative anti bullying policy (Gordon & Cook, 2016); however, with statistics showing even greater gender diversity in our community now than in the past, it is essential to have a safe, supportive and effective education system for all students and students should be able to identify this safe environment by the end of Foundation Year (REF CURRICULUM F10).
The education system in the Northern Territory is lacking a lot of information regarding sexual identity therefore a young student’s curriculum experience may be confusing if coming from a gender diverse family or be gender diverse themselves. The questions and information they want to ask may categorised into the null curriculum (Blaise & Nutall, 2011, pREF), confusing their gender identity formation. This can have a detrimental effect to the student’s learning and confidence, therefore it is vital in the Northern Territory to address the issues of diversity and understand the associated issues regarding gender and gender identity in a more interactive, compelling manner that incorporates all students, with the aim of understanding that all their students are different, they do not fit into a mold and come from many different backgrounds.