BEYOND THE BINARY: HOW TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT GENDER ASPECTS CAN HELP REDUCING THE LEVELS OF SEXISM

Abstract

The article examines the sexist attitudes of teenagers from a sociological point of view. The purpose of the article is to theoretically substantiate the importance of teaching teenagers about gender issues in order to overcome sexism. It was found that there are differences in the approval of sexist attitudes depending on the social characteristics of adolescent boys and girls. It was found that the endorsement of sexist attitudes was less likely for girls who were not in a romantic relationship than for girls who were in a romantic relationship. Social characteristics are of particular importance in explaining differences in sexist attitudes in girls and boys. Gender equality education should start from the moment children enter school and continue throughout their education. Sexism is a normalizing ideology related to gender that devalues the attributes of women and the work that women do. By glorifying the qualities and achievements of men and demeaning women, sexism contributes to inequality between the sexes. Sexist social attitudes assert masculine norms and dictate what behavior is considered “normal” for both boys and girls. This dyad permeates all other social differences, including disability, determines the priority of interests in educational activities. Creating a gender-sensitive environment based on the idea of gender equality consists in avoiding sexism, overcoming existing gender stereotypes, forming the experience of a partnership between the sexes on an equal basis, minimizing facts of opposition based on gender, creating equal conditions and opportunities for realizing creative potential, opportunities for personal development of everyone a teenager. Parents are one of the earliest and most important socializers of gender ideas. Keywords: training; education; gender; teenagers; sexism; gender equality; gender stereotypes; gender roles