Which Aspects of School Life Cause the Continuation of Sexism in

Which Aspects of School Life Cause the Continuation of Sexism in Adolescence?Introduction Sexism is defined as the prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination typically against women based on sex. (Campbell, 2014). Sexist attitudes stem from a range of experiences and behaviours present in our society.It is important to acknowledge that most mindsets regarding issues such as sexism are formed from a young age when individuals are most impressionable and learning from the environment in which they develop.This is also where they observe societal norms and imitate behaviour witnessed in the adults and community they are surrounded by, such as parents, teachers, and peers.Adolescents are defined as people aged 10-19 which is a critical period of rapid physical and psychosocial changes (Kågesten, 2016) and within this period, school plays a critical role in almost every aspect of life.Adolescents become more receptive to gender inequalities and stereotypes as well as social expectations, many of which branch from their genders such as gendered jobs, sports, clothes, subjects, and attitudes. It is evident schools are critical in the upbringing of adolescents as here, adolescents spend 30 hours a week and meet the majority of people who play key roles in their lives such as their friends whom they surround themselves with, and teachers who are portrayed as role models, people who are to be followed and copied. Here they are expected to develop into healthy active members of society. If sexist attitudes exist within schools, this may unintentionally create an environment in which sexism can flourish. The result would be a continuation of sexism in society as it is imprinted onto the next generation, creating a vicious cycle of long-lasting attitudes based on gender. Many features of school life will be explored throughout this paper, such as broad stereotypes, gendered subjects, physical education, the effects of mixed schools compared to single-sex, sexual language and abuse, dress codes, the institution itself and a mention of university. This study explores the most influential elements of school life which, during my research, displayed themself as distinct potential causes of sexism.Although there may be other general causes of sexism, this project will specifically investigate the broad spectrum of aspects within schools and whether this results in sexism in adolescents.Stereotypes Stereotypes are arguably the most important factor in the creation of sexist attitudes. Stereotypes and gender norms are socially constructed ideas of how people are expected to act, speak, dress, groom and conduct themselves based on their biological sex. These expectations can be detrimental to society by reinforcing ideas upon adolescents. Stereotypes begin from childhood where traditional society has the view women are the weaker, less capable, and the submissive sex (Smith, 2016). This 1 / 2

affects how children are raised and treated, for example in various expressions and phrases like ‘that’s too girly’ immediately creates the impression that women are somehow weaker or less forceful. These phrases are commonly used amongst school children, creating an internalized association between girls and weakness, contributing to more misogynistic attitudes as children reach adolescence. In teenage years, as hormones change, more explicit connections are made between females and sexuality or promiscuity, as gendered stereotypes shift in a critical, sexualised direction (Moyer, 2017). Research suggests these stereotypes significantly affect boys and result in more sexually discriminating language directed towards women, as well in some cases the threat or application of physical violence.Stereotypes, which initially were ambiguous connections made by younger children, for instance, women being weaker, or girls preferring specific colours or toys, these stereotypes (Martin, 2015) broaden during adolescence to include sports, personality traits, and subjects and can become more detrimental as they become set views in schools. As children grow into their teenage years, there is increasing pressure and awareness to conform to gender roles and comply with societal behaviour.General gender stereotypes cast men as more assertive, strong, and competitive (Sadker, 1975) whereas women are presented as emotional, caring, and weak. This, therefore, leads to some sports such as rugby to be seen as ‘manly’, and others such as netball to be seen as ‘girly’. This has a negative impact on girls competing in traditionally male sports as 50% have reported gender discrimination within academic or athletic domains (Martin, 2015). This may result in a reduction of female participation, which demonstrates the damage these basic stereotypes can cause. This initial introduction to basic stereotypes is further represented in other topics which will be explored; however, it is a clear route issue because these introductory views are what causes girls to be seen and treated differently in schools by peers and teachers. These stereotypes are so ingrained in everyday life that students feel pressure to fit in, creating a larger, more widespread issue amongst these teenagers (Sundaram, 2006).Gendered subjects Gendered subjects are specific subjects which are identified by adolescents as girls or boys’ subjects. This influences the subjects selected by students for GCSEs and A levels and it will set male and female students on a different path from an early age. In a survey I conducted, 80% of teenagers believed subjects were gendered, presenting a strong majority view.A commonly gendered area of subjects is visible in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects (Women, 2019), in which women are underrepresented in both university courses and occupations. This is a result of stereotypes (Reporter, 2020) which portrays the concept women should take creative subjects such as Art or English, whereas boys are expected to take technical and ‘harder’

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