GENDER AND SOCIETY – MODULE 12 WEEK 14 1

WOMEN AND EDUCATION

A. INTRODUCTION:
Education is a basic human right, one that is essential for the progress of society.
Many Filipino parents see education as a way out of poverty, and thus strive to send their
children to school in hopes for a better future. This chapter explores education in formal
institutions. It tackles gender and education both theoretically and in practice.
B. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Explain the value of equality in education for women
2. Name the policies that protect the rights of women in education
3. Identify the major problems women face in the education sector

C. TOPICS
1. Gender and Education
2. The Importance of Education: An International Perspective
3. Education and the Beijing Platform for Action 1995
4. Philippine Laws on Gender-responsive and Gender-fair Education
5. Gender Issues in Education
a. Stereotyping as Violation of Human Rights
b. The Multiple Burden of Women as a Factor
c. The Necessity of Material Support
d. Inhibited Access to Education
e. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
f. Gender-fair Textbooks and Programs
g. Inclusive Education and Alternative Learning System
h. Male Performance in Schools
i. Gendered Education and Gendered Curriculum
j. The Unspoken Curriculum: Campus Culture and Gender
i. Microaggression and Educatio
ii. Bullying and Relational Aggression
iii. Campus Culture
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D. CHECKING WHAT I ALREADY KNOW

E. LET’S EXPLORE
Gender and Education
In the past decade, the United Nations incorporated education as the second
Millennium Development Goal (MDG). The right to Universal Primary Education hopes
to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education. In fact, gender parity
has been achieved in primary education in most parts of the world, including the
Philippines. The battle continues, however, because much has to be done in terms of true
gender equality in education.
The positive effects of education on girls create a more just and equitable society. The
benefits include better economic opportunities, delayed marriage, reduced fertility, better
sexual and reproductive health and rights, and equality and empowerment.

The Importance of Education: An International Perspective

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stresses that education is
everyone’s fundamental right; it is something necessary to fulfill one’s human potential.
Specifically, primary education is a non-negotiable right that must be free for all, while
technical and professional education, along with higher education should be accessible
and based on one’s merit and skills.
Education’s power lies in the fact that it “is the only formal institution (aside from
the family) that all individuals in societies are required to pass through.” School systems
determine who is important and worth listening to, which persons should have influence,
and who should be real in history. In schools, students are taught what jobs will generate
more money, who has power in the current shape of society, and how to be that person.
Education is also a powerful tool for socialization. A school teaches what is important,
such as an individual’s responsibilities in a society and one’s potential. Education
policies must then reflect the values of the society one wishes to see. In this respect,
education helps create a just and fair society.
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Philippine Laws on Gender-responsive and Gender-fair Education

The Filipinos’ high regard for education comes from the view that education is a
pillar of national development and a primary avenue for social and economic mobility.
The importance of education is ingrained in the Philippine Constitution. The state shall
protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall
take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all. Education in the Philippines is
a constitutional right, regardless of one’s status in life.

Gender Issues in Education

Currently, gender parity is present in the Philippines, with girls outperforming
boys in terms of test scores and degree completion. However, equal access does not mean
that discrimination has been eliminated from, education. The Beijing+20 non-
governmental organization (NGO) report shows that issues surrounding education have
more to do with discrimination caused by cultural beliefs and gender biases.
Thelma Kintanar in har 2013 text, Gender Concerns on Campus – An Information
Kit for College Administrators and Educators, highlights the gender gaps in higher
education. Kintanar believes it is necessary to analyze the quality of education given to
women. Gender concerns in education, she notes, should include the following issues:
gender balance in the curriculum, sexual harassment on campus, sexism and sexist
language, violence against women on campus, and concerns on sexuality and sexual
orientation.
a. Stereotyping as a Violation of Human Rights
Education can be used as a tool to eliminate harmful gender stereotypes.
However, it can also serve as an instrument to keep the status quo because it
may be used as a tool for external regulation in how a specific gender acts.
Gender equality cannot be achieved if these stereotypes are perpetuated in this
form.
One key term that has risen from the BPfA is the need to eliminate
stereotyping in gender and education. A 2013 report by the Commissioner for
human rights declares gender stereotyping as a violation of one’s human
rights.
 GENDER AND SOCIETY – MODULE 12 WEEK 14 1

This chapter merits an additional discussion of stereotypes as institutions of

education often normalize roles. Gender stereotypes add to how people
perceive themselves, how they act and reveal their abilities, as well as what
job they may have in the future. Education is regarded as one of the key
factors that may either strengthen or break gender stereotypes.
Gender stereotyping occurs when different institutions such as the family, the
church, the school, the state, and the media reinforce a biased perception of a
certain gender’s role. Note that stereotypes include what roles and attitudes
women and men must possess as well as the assumptions on how certain
groups act.
The Women’s EDGE plan shows that gender stereotypes are found not just in
textbooks, but also in the classroom through teaching strategies, including
teachers’ use of sexist stereotypes in language and the design of classroom
activities.

b. The Multiple Burdens of Women as Factor

Women often have to juggle multiple roles, depending on where they are
in society. At a very young age, some girls are already mothers. Those from
marginalized sectors need to work harder, albeit informally, to supplement
their family’s meager income. Other girls do chores or take care of their
younger siblings while their parents are looking for economic opportunities.
Young mothers who have yet to finish schooling have to prioritize the
well-being of their child, making the completion of their studies difficult to
fulfill. In addition, the government must build facilities that can help young
mothers – and children who provide care for their younger siblings – attend
and finish school.

c. The Necessity of Material Support

While there are public schools and other forms of free education in various
parts of the world, the cost of school supplies, transportation, and other factors
affect the ability of girls to attend school.
 GENDER AND SOCIETY – MODULE 12 WEEK 14 1

d. Inhibited Access to Education

Special issues affect a child’s access to education, namely urban relocation to
communities outside of Metro Manila, natural disasters, and the encampment
of military forces in school sites of indigenous peoples. Some families are
relocated to far-flung areas where there is no nearby school, and children have
to walk for hours just to get to school. Girls walking long distances especially
on dimly lit streets as part of their commute face higher risk for street
harassment and VAW.
e. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
The increase in teenage pregnancy in the Philippines is a major factor for the
high drop out rate of female students. While the Magna Carta for women
prohibits the discrimination against pregnant women from accessing
education, pregnant students are still victims od cultural discrimination in
their institutions.
The responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 requires
public academic institutions to teach age-appropriate sexual and reproductive
health topics.
f. Gender-fair Textbooks and Programs
According to the 2015 PCW report for the 20th anniversary of the Beijing
Platform for Action, DepEd makes numerous efforts to correct gender-biased
textbooks, teaching materials, and methods in accordance with the MCW and
Women’s EDGE Plan.
One of DepEd’s plan is to incorporate gender-sensitive principles into
teaching guides for primary and secondary education. However, DepEd has
not introduces a core subject on gender and socialization, gender and
development, and the like.
g. Inclusive Education and Alternative Learning Systems
DepEd recognizes the need for alternative learning systems to help out-of-
school youth and older students who have yet to complete their basic
education. DepEd also pushes for the creation of Madrasah Schools for the
education of Muslim students and the indigenous peoples. This flexibility is
 GENDER AND SOCIETY – MODULE 12 WEEK 14 1

necessary for students who were not able to complete their primary education
due to circumstances such as the financial issues, early pregnancy, relocation
and displacement, and natural disasters.
Several agencies have also heightened their call for the integration of women
and girls with disabilities in regular schools. This plan can be achieved
throught the institutionalization of a Leadership Training Manual for female
PWDs developed by the National Commission of Disability Affairs.
h. Male Performance in Schools
Statistics show an increase in female participation and a decrease at male
performance in schools. This disparity calls for a need to find out why there is
a larger percentage of male students who drop out of school or do not enroll in
the first place. What are the issues affecting boys in education? Part of the
female agenda is to increase men’s – not just women’s – participation in
education.

i. Sexual Violence in Education

One marker of a gender-responsive university is a clear protocol for sexual
harassment, including mechanisms for addressing sexual harassment cases on
campus. Sexual Violence is a form of discrimination against mostly women.
Sexual violence inhibits women and girls from participating in the education
sector and accessing and continuing their education. It must be noted,
however, that sexual harassment happens to men and members of the LGBT
as well.
The Philippines’ Anti-Sexual Harassment Law of 1995 defines sexual
harassment as the demand of a sexual act or favor in an institution, wherein
the person who demands the act in is moral ascendancy or influence over the
person being solicited.
Sexual harassment in education can be committed if the person soliciting the
sexual act is taking care of, supervising, training, or tutoring the person being
solicited. In case of students, it covers the following persons: teacher,
instructor, professor, coach or trainer. The request for a sexual act is
 GENDER AND SOCIETY – MODULE 12 WEEK 14 1

considered harassment if the act is necessary for a passing grade, a

scholarship, or certain benefits within the institution.
j. Gendered Education and Gendered Curriculum
The current curriculum was shaped by years of highlighting men’s experience
and feats, while making women’s experiences invisible. The resulting form of
education is based on how men were socialized to learn and experience life,
which promotes stereotypically masculine characteristics such as assertiveness
and dominance.
A gender-biased curriculum gives a one-sided view of the subjects being
taught. Students only learn the experiences and knowledge of half the
population, and may have skewed understanding of the world they live in.
One could say that women’s lived experience was not taken into consideration
when creating this curriculum as women’s work, experience, and contribution
to the society has continuously been ignored.
i. The Unspoken Curriculum: Campus Culture and Gender
a. Microaggression and Education
Microaggression is a subtle form of aggression towards a historically
marginalized social group which may be intentional or unintentional. It
may also apply to women who have been historically marginalized.
Women have been targets of different forms of discrimination, with
the school serving as a form of external social control that may
pressure a female student into pursuing a certain stereotype because of
her gender.
The microaggression theory frames the subtle biases students may
experience in their schools that have a large impact on how they act,
see themselves, and even their careers later in life. One’s race,
residence, religion, and even type of family are other subjects of
microaggressive comments.
b. Bullying and Relational Aggression
Bullying and corporal punishment are both issues in the Philippines,
especially in public schools. Yet, both issues have a gendered
GENDER AND SOCIETY – MODULE 12 WEEK 14 1

dimension that merits discussion. While women are traditionally

associated with being weak and docile, they also get angry and fight.
Bullying is also a general issue in schools. Bullying, as defined by RA
10627, is a physical, verbal, electronic gesture o act directed toward a
student that aims to place that student in a state of fear or panic., which
disrupts the students’ education. The republic act, however covers only
elementary and secondary education.
Typical examples of bullying are emotional bullying, unwanted
physical contact, shoving, kicking, and fighting. Emotional bullying
involves name-calling, tormenting or humiliating a person, or any act
that can cause the victim emotional distress. Technology is also a
means to perpetuate bullying through cyberbullying.
Examples:
1. Ellen is a girl who likes to talk about her boyfriend. She shares
that her friends do not like hearing about this, and walk away
when she starts talking about her boyfriend. It got to the point
where they would also walk away when she had something else
to sat, and looked away when she tried to speak with them. This
is a form of physical isolation.
2. Kaye’s classmate Pat was disliked by her whole class. The
class considered Pat crass because of her make-up and
clothing choices, as well as her loud behavior. The girls would
call her nicknames behind her back, until the whole class was
talking about her using that nickname. They would talk about
even if she was present, without her knowing. Kaye shared that
Pat was devastated when she found out, but could not do
anything about this. Kaye eventually apologized to Pat , but the
damage had already been done.

c. Campus Culture
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The compounded effect of relational aggression, microaggression and

classroom culture creates a campus culture. Culture can be defined as
“shared characteristics and norms of particular nationalities or sub- or
cross-national groups.” It also covers groups with identities such ss
religious groups, or LGBT communities.
Campus Culture – the culture formed within a school based on the
shared values of the institution. It is defined by those inside the school,
from the faculty, staff, teachers, and students present. The overarching
principles of the institution, the values it upholds, and the activities
held on campus contribute to the formation of culture given a certain
context or time frame.
Peer Culture – contributes to campus culture as it plays an important
role in gender socialization, from acceptable behavior and interaction
between the same and opposite sex.

F. Learning Activity.
Observe your teachers in the other subjects. Look for patterns of communication
between your teacher and classmates. Do teachers have special treatment for a certain
sex? Who do they call to recite often? Do they ask one sex to answer questions more than
the other?

G. Self-Check: Answer the following reflective questions concisely. (Minimum of 5

sentences, maximum of 7 sentences) 5 points per number
1. What feelings arise when you hear issues regarding violence in your campus?
2. Think of ways that could reform this campus culture. List down 3 ways.

Assessment Rubric

Above Expectations Meets Expectation Below Expectations

3 2 1
Reflective Thinking The reflection The reflection The reflection does
explains the explains the not address the
student’s own student’s thinking student’s thinking
thinking and about his/her own and/or learning.
learning processes, learning processes
as well as
implications for
future learning.
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Analysis The reflection is an The reflection is an The reflection does

in-depth analysis analysis of the not move beyond a
of the learning learning description of the
experience, the experience and the learning
value of the value of the experience.
derived learning to derived learning to
self or others, and self or others.
the enhancement
of the student’s
appreciation for
the discipline.
Making Connections The reflection The reflection The reflection does
articulates articulates not articulate any
multiple connections connection to other
connections between this learning or
between this learning experience
learning experience and
experience and content from other
content from other courses, past
courses, past learning
learning, life experiences, and/or
experiences and/or future goals.
future goals.

H. Feedback
Write your feedback on the lesson module on the space provided.
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I. Post Test.

Main Reference:

Rodriguez, A. & Rodriguez, A. (2019). Gender and society.Quezon City, C & E

Publishing, Inc.

Video Reference:
 GENDER AND SOCIETY – MODULE 12 WEEK 14 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibIuvJUvUk4

Catalino N. Mendoza, DMS, PhD, FRIEDr, LPT, TESOL, PQA