Exploring the Pros and Cons of a Gender Based Education

Segregating the genders in schools is nothing new. We've been doing this for centuries from the primary grades on. In the United States, this policy is largely limited to private schools, however, there are a few public and charter schools that do have separate classrooms for males and females. In other countries, separating the genders is standard procedure. The people who are in favor of this believe that single gender classrooms are beneficial for several reasons: • Eliminating distractions that can occur when members of all genders are taught in the same classroom; • Giving the teacher the freedom to use teaching styles that have been proven to be the most effective for that specific gender; • Providing male and female students with environments where they can learn without being pressured to display enough masculinity/femininity for the opposite sex; • Insuring that girls will have the opportunity to shine in STEM classes; • Establishing an environment in which males and females can discuss their experiences and feelings without fear of embarrassment from members of the opposite sex. While it is clear that there are many people who are in favor of gender based education, there are just as many who oppose the idea. They believe that students will be better adjusted and prepared for the real world when they learn alongside members of the opposite gender.

Here are the key issues that these folks see with educating individuals separately based on gender: • Students who have no experiences with working and learning alongside members of different genders will have a hard time adjusting when they are forced to do so; • Boys and young men won't develop the self-discipline to behave respectfully around girls and young women if they are constantly sheltered from being exposed to them; • Young women and girls will not receive messages of empowerment if they are told they can only lead and succeed in the classroom if boys are not there; • Students who do not conform to gender norms will still be at risk of not having their educational needs met; • Gender based success strategies can be employed without segregation. Ultimately, measuring the benefits of gender segregated education boils down to exploring these claims and deciding which claims have merit. So, let's look at some of the basic concepts behind the arguments for and against gender based education and see how things stack up.

Separating the Genders will Give all Students a Safe Learning Environment

Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. For example, students who don't conform to gender norms may feel even more isolated if they are forced into gender divided classrooms. In addition to this, supposedly safe classroom environments don't guarantee that students won't face problems elsewhere on campus or deal with sexist thoughts and attitudes from staff members. Most importantly, many of the arguments in favor of this point assume the worst of members of both genders. Boys are often, not so subtly depicted as predatory and incapable of controlling their impulses. Girls are often not so subtly depicted as manipulative and attention seeking.

Gender Based Education Means More Opportunities for Girls and Young Women

Statistically, this is something that has merit. Females do fare better in math and science classrooms if they are not competing with members of the opposite sex. Some people may assert that young women and girls only shine because they do not have to compete with boys. In reality, even the most talented future scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who happen to be female face an unfair battle when it comes to having their scientific skills noticed. Until significant changes are made in the way that girls are treated in math, science, and technology classrooms, this could certainly count as a pro for separating kids based on gender. The only downside is that if STEM classrooms are segregated, there is little to no motivation for instructors to change the way they teach young women, and there is no guarantee that young women won't have to deal with sexist attitudes about their roles in the science community.

Teachers can be More Effective in Single Gender Classrooms

To start, this assumes three things. First, it assumes that the teacher will only be dealing with students who conform to traditional gender roles. It also assumes that every student in the classroom has a learning style that works well in a gender restricted classroom. This will rarely be the case. Finally, this assertion only holds true if it can be proven that teachers can only apply these teaching strategies if they instructing students of the same gender. Teachers have been employing multiple teaching techniques in classrooms for years in order to effectively teach all students. There is no reason to believe that they couldn't do so with gender based teaching methods.