What is gender equality and how teachers can promote it? There has been a rise in awareness levels about gender equality in recent times. Teaching gender equality from a young age can help in breaking typical gender stereotyping. 

Avoiding gender specific communication

Using gender-neutral communication is a good way to start. One of the simplest ways in which teachers can promote gender equality is by consciously avoiding gender specific communication. For example, instead of the standard “boys and girls”, they can use “dear students” or “attention students”, or simply “students”. This will ensure that they are addressing all the members in a class and not just students belonging to a specific gender.

Administrative tasks to girls

Through mixed gender activities is another way to teach about gender equality. Whenever teachers are planning activities, then can have teams with both the genders participating. Stereotyping is something that needs to be avoided. For example, giving administrative tasks to girls saying that “it suits them better “while assigning a bit more physically demanding work to the boys since they are “strong” should be avoided. Remember, girls too can take on tasks like cleaning up the school ground, making it ready for a sporting event.

Excelling in the sport and other activities

Speaking about sports, they offer a great way to promote gender equality in schools. Girls these days have started to excel in almost every sport that boys play. From cricket to soccer to basketball, you name it and they are excelling in the sport.

There are also opportunities available during certain projects or activities for teaching children about gender equality. For example, if you are planning a skit, you can try and avoid stereotyping genders. For example, a girl can be cast in the part of loco or fighter pilot, roles which are so typically played by boys.

Awareness about gender equality

There are also other ways of creating awareness about gender equality among students. Debates on the topic are a good way to teach. In fact, teachers can think of having mixed groups participating in these debates. Similarly, essay writing contests on the topic is a good idea. Story telling session featuring stories of top women achievers in fields, hitherto considered male domain, for example, is another idea that can be implemented by teachers.

As one of the top CBSE schools in Coimbatore we are always looking for ways to improve. It is this drive to improve that has made the school so popular among parents looking for quality education for their children.