Think about a newborn baby boy. If you decide to buy a gift, what color would it be ? Pink or blue ? The blue suits boys more,right? This is what society wants humans to be socialized into. Because we are so socialized into gender stereotypes, it would be inappropriate for a boy to wear pink which may cause him to be “feminine” in the future. We are stuck in a world in which colors define who we are . Moreover, since gender stereotypes require us to be the same, we can not stand diversity. Therefore, the ones who are “different”,described as freak. As another example, would you choose a male or female doctor for a surgery? Because the role of a women is staying at home, she is not qualified enough to perform a surgery,right ? Men should work, real men do not cry, women do not play football, women are dependent, women are fragile so they need to be protected, act like a lady , talk like a girl etc. Feelings, colors, actions, jobs have no gender. These are the effects of gender socialization which is a process of learning how to act, talk, behave based on your biological sex. That is why, the life we live is shaped by society’s expectations.
There are many reasons behind the gender inequality such as tradition, culture, misinterpreted religion, ignorance etc. However, the portrait of society push people to think that the actual responsibles of inequality are males-which is wrong. Evil is evil, it has no gender. That is why, all men should not be seen as a potential criminal. In some cases, males are even used as scapegoats in order not to see the big picture. For instance, one of the most tragic mistakes that girls do in today’s modern life is accepting being under the power of a boy which normalize the inequality. What is worse is that considering it as true love. It is not. It is an unhealthy and disrespectful scene created by society in which women are seen as slaves of men. If you are not questioning the statements-“You will stay at home!, You will not talk to other boys!”, it is probable for you to feel like a bird in a cage. Yet, you are not a bird. You are an individual who have the capabilitiy to make her own decisions. In addition, to crown it all, when boys cross the line, girls start complaining and become “a feminist who hates all men(!)” without knowing the real meaning of the term. I think, this is the point that we should focus on. Change is impossible for the society if we continue to blame someone or something. If we want to change the world we must start with ourselves because we are the starting point of it. When you are reading this, in somewhere, a 10 years old girl is forced to get married, a girl goes to field instead of school or a woman is raped or beaten. We are the ones who will stop this injustice and inequality by spreading love, respect and education.
The education is a crucial element that a society needs for development. Besides academic subjects,there are other concepts that education provides in classroom environment such as hidden curriculum which reinforces students’ moral and social perspectives in terms of norms, values, behaviour, world view etc. If we consider classroom environment as an iceberg, the hidden curriculum would be the unseen part of the iceberg. Since everything is internalized and imitated by students in a classroom, what happens in this environment should reflect “good and right.”. Simply, a teacher’s democratic and equal approach to students would promote their sense of equality for good. Additionally, because group tasks and cooperative activities creates a sense of belonging, they may be pretty appropriate activities to improve the relations and respect between girls and boys.A divide created between girls and boys may lead them to be adults who do not know how to relate to each other which is a scenario that “sounds familiar.”
Additionally ,in 1930s, Turkish women were granted the right to vote thanks to one of the greatest leaders that the world has witnessed,Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. It is an honor for Turkish people to have such a great milestone in terms of equality. No words can explain how grateful we are to have Mustafa Kemal as a savior, leader and a teacher. Thank you for your care and respect.