Changing the lives of everyone through education; discussing intersectionality in education
Discuss the role of class, gender, and race/ethnicity in education. Consider both aspects below Explain the role of education in achieving equality. To what extent do you think this goal is currently being realized? Explain the role of education in social mobility. To what extent do you think this goal is currently being realized?
Every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place. (Braugher,2017)
This quote was from an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. This quote is simply stating that diversity should be accepted and encouraging a diverse background which we can start in the classroom which can eventually be practised in society but unfortunately, this cannot be a reality because of discrimination which is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex (Oxford, 2019). In education, it is quintessential to tackle inequality starting from education as education can be used to educate students on diversity and multiculturalism and the role it plays in our society. Modern-day education teaches on stereotypes and how we can combat these stereotypes through intersectional education which is the education of the interconnected nature of social categorisations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage (Oxford,2019).
Gender plays an important role in education because gender can encourage children to discover themselves as well as to make connections with other students by gaining self-confidence, well-being, peer acceptance and social support (Chi,2018) With teachers educating students with a gender-sensitive approach, the overall engagement amongst students has improved tremendously (Chi,2018). However, gender roles in education have also encouraged toxic masculinity as well as laddish behaviour which leads to boys slacking off and dropping out early. Education also perpetuates career choices in students through these gender stereotypes as girls enjoy stories and are more likely to pursue degrees such as Literature, English and languages while boys read more informative texts hence they pursue degrees such as Engineering and Science. Transgender and non-binary children are often discriminated in school due to them not conforming to society but now, teachers are combating these problems with gender in education by using genderless terms in the classroom as well as breaking free in gender stereotypes that have been formed in education through encouraging boys to cry and encouraging girls to be tough and resilient (Holyoke,2018). Teachers are also including feminism in their education system by teaching about womxn heroes and the importance of gender equality (Holyoke,2018)
Throughout history, we have seen race and ethnicity play a vital role in education like in America where segregation made minority students feel disadvantaged. Now, we can see these figures constantly changing due to education boards hiring teachers of different racial backgrounds as well as incorporating the importance of multiculturalism in education through cultural days and teaching a diverse education through bringing aspects of other cultures into education. Schools often take a nationalistic approach when it comes to education such as British schools where there is an emphasis on British culture in subjects such as History and Geography which leads to the unconscious as well as conscious racism amongst students and staff which is due to institutional racism as there are higher rates of exclusion amongst minority students particularly Afro-Caribbean students who are more likely to drop out of school (Hall,2020). One example is AJ Tracey (real name: Che Wolton Grant), a rapper from Ladbroke Grove, who dropped out of his criminology course at London Metropolitan University as well as Santan Dave ( real name: David Orobosa Omoregie) from Streatham Vale. He opted out of studying law in De Montfort University, Leicester but he opted out due to pursuing a rap career. His aspirations to become a rapper was because of his older brothers being in jail and his father’s absence so he had to provide for the family from a young age which was written in his song, Psycho. (Dave, 2019). Tracey and Dave are now making music but they used to deal drugs to make ends meet when they sang their song: Thiago Silva, in which the line ‘ but we used to eat of the pebs and the sandbags’ ( Dave,2016)
Social stratification refers to a society’s categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic tiers based on factors like wealth, income, race, education, and power (Oxford,2019). While everyone aspires to live in an equal society, this cannot be a reality because of stratification is a community problem as stratification is not about individual inequalities, but about systematic inequalities based on group membership, classes, and the like. No individual, rich or poor, can be blamed for social inequalities. The structure of a society affects a person’s social standing. Although individuals may support or fight inequalities, social stratification is created and supported by society as a whole (Anon, 2008).
According to Bowles and Gintist (1976), there is no correlation between IQ with educational and economic success as IQ tests have complex vocabulary which can only be taught through a better education system which is found in private schools. The scores for IQ tests are also higher because students practice improving their scores which can only be done by upper-class students due to their easier access to reading materials as well as the time needed, unlike working-class children who have to provide for their families.
According to Ferguson (2017). working-class parents would have an IQ no higher than 102, and fewer than two out of 10 of their children could be expected to have an IQ as high as the 109 required for middle-class entry and nearly six out of every 10 boys born to middle-class fathers made it into the middle class themselves, but this was true for fewer than two in 10 boys from the working class.
Based on research done in Nuffield College in the 1970s, middle-class children are thus three to four times more likely to succeed.working-class children get lesser opportunities especially when it comes to career choices as Ferguson has endured harsh criticism for her choice to pursue Political Science in LSE. ( London School of Economics) as she was told that it was not an appropriate career choice.
Students who come from a working-class background tend to have an ‘independent culture’ due to their upbringing and their culture which is needed to survive, especially massively disadvantaged students. The culture of independence is usually not very well received by teachers, as disadvantaged students may have more difficulty completing tasks, higher stress, and lower performance than similar students who are at universities that communicate an interdependent culture which is why students of upper classes can cope better in college and the working world.
Teachers are combating the problems of social class in education by rethinking how teachers group students as teachers are grouping students based on varied skills are children of working class have different skills compared to children of upper classes and teachers do this to not predetermine student’s achievements based on a student’s social class. Teachers also make the curriculum relevant to students by encouraging students of all social backgrounds to speak up on what is to be taught in the curriculum so that there is inclusivity in the curriculum.
With proper education, gender equality can be achieved through education. With girls being able to have the chance of receiving a proper education, girls can get tertiary education as well as getting better health care and family planning, especially among girls in developing countries. Not only that, but girls in developing countries also don’t need to face working underaged based on statistics done by the ILO ( International Labour Organisation) which states that in cultures in which a higher value is placed on the education of male children, girls risk being taken out of school and are then likely to enter the workforce at an early age.
The ILO report noted global estimates where more than 100 million girls were involved in child labour, and many were exposed to some of its worst forms. The World Bank estimates that one year of female schooling reduces fertility by 10 per cent, particularly where secondary schooling is undertaken. According to surveys done by the UN, there are significant inequalities in tertiary education in general, as well as concerning areas of study, with women being over-represented in the humanities and social sciences and significantly under-represented in engineering, science and technology.
Despite proper education, some people hold discriminatory ideas such as Richard Spencer, an American neo-nazi and white supremacist who obtained his degree from the University of Virginia and his Masters from the University of Chicago and almost obtained his PhD from Duke but dropped out to pursue ‘ thought crime’ and we can only blame the education system for enforcing that just because education encourages free speech, this allows certain students to raise bigoted opinions.
Policymakers are working towards creating and enforcing policies that ban discrimination and teachers are also being trained to teach students of all backgrounds. Governments, as well as civil services, are working towards banning segregated education in schools and are actively promoting equality and unity amongst races.
Social mobility is the transition of an individual from one position to another, in a constellation of a social group and strata (Sorokin). Starting in the 1950s, higher education serves as a vehicle of mobility for masses of people and becomes a mandatory stage in the trajectories of upward mobility (Burlutskaia 2014).
Not only that, but students from lower-class backgrounds can have a better standing in society by obtaining high-paid jobs as it is very evident that the more years one spends in education, the greater are one’s chances at getting a better job with higher pay and with education. disadvantaged, talented students can work hard and provide for their families as well as send their future children to receive a better education than they had.
We can conclude based on this essay that intersectionality does play a role in education but we can accept these differences and work on how to make everyone be treated fairly in education. This may be a work in progress…
This essay was for a Foundation year module; Principles of Education which was convened by Dr Micheal Hall.
