Zooming in on Gender in the Classroom

Since it’s March, the month of Easter, baby sheep and daffodils, I thought I’d talk about the importance of education, for women in particular. Oh, and also because of the minor detail of March being Women’s History Month and the month of International Women’s Day. Before we get going, to any guys reading this- please keep reading! Having a blog which talks mainly about women and girls in the education system concerns men as much as it does women. ​

Firstly, I think it’s important how lucky we are to have the education system we do. It’s super easy to complain about having to drag yourself to classes every morning, or make notes on the seemingly pointless theories of what an atom is made out of. However, even if you don’t see a point right now in the actual content you’re learning, the education process is a luxury that many around the world don’t have access to. Learning in the classroom, surrounded by the ideas of your peers and the support of a teacher, provides you with more tools than you may realise. From discipline, to communication, to sharpening those critical thinking skills, the list is almost innumerable. P.S: do these skills ring a bell? The reason why we are able to go so well equipped into jobs and have a sparkling personal statement is aided by what we develop from a very young age at school. There are so many forms of education and learning which don’t, unfortunately, get taught in school- like learning how to use the washing machine in a way that doesn’t turn all your jumpers peppa-pig pink. However, aside from these crucial life-lessons on the survival saga 101 of help, my parents have left me in a strange city and I don’t even know how to fry an egg without burning it, learning in a classroom definitely has its benefits. 

Ok, great, waking up at 6.30am to the increasingly jarring sound of birds singing on your alarm for 5 days every week is, in the long-term, beneficial. But why are we bringing women and girls into this? It’s important to educate both genders equally, both on a national and international scale. 91% of boys get educated on a primary level, but this is a pretty significant difference to only 88% of girls having the same level of teaching. Of course, it worsens drastically in areas such as Afghanistan where regimes like the Taliban have taken over, and actively restrict female education. Teaching women and girls is so important, because not only does it empower them on a personal level, but it also has ripple effects on the whole community around them. For example, learning about birth control and the options girls have helps prevent any unwanted choices being made for the individual. Think about how many times you’re able to come to your own decision and reasoning on something because of what you have been taught previously. There are so many instances around the world where women have choices made for them. Education helps you explore your own freedom- to stand up for yourself, empower yourself and create your own path. 

So, education is pretty crucial for making a better tomorrow. The freedom and change it brings truly does have the power to change the world. Feel free to have a little think the next time your alarm clock rings about how fortunate we are to have access to it all. 

Author

Anisha Minocha is studying English and Spanish at the University of St Andrews. She is a passionate writer and poet whose work has been published in anthologies, magazines, blogs and won competitions. Contributing to Sink Magazine, she is keen to utilize the voice of young people and share work through her creative writing blog.  As a climate activist, she has combined her love for words and the planet in a performance of spoken word at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 'Letters to the Earth'. She also co-runs Young Friends of the Earth: Manchester and has organised workshops, participated in panels and spoken at Manchester Cathedral.  about yourself.