Gender and Literacy

I perceive gender to be a continuum and that it is unique to the individual. Gender “norms” are socially and culturally constructed within a given society. The gender dichotomy which exists in the United States is a false construction of gender when you reflect on and think about it. Think about your own experiences, how do you feel your “gender” is? Did you fit the gender dichotomy? Further, it is very intriguing to bring literacies and the construction of literacies into the mix because I didn’t think of gender and literacy as being related. However, it is clear to see the relationship between the two, simply because a person’s gender construction and how they view their gender and others gender is intimately related to the types of literature that they have been exposed to.

Literature can cause both the acquisition and reinforcement of the gender dichotomy and it can also encourage and facilitated critical thought about socially constructed gender issues. Which is critical to remember as a teacher, literature has a profound impact on the gender development of children; for example, in “What they Don’t Learn in Schools” by Jabari Mahir in the chapter “Negotiating Gender Through Academic Literacy Practices” by Amanda Godley, two female students who had lived in other countries were case studies about how literature influenced their views on genders practices in the United States. At first one student described how she was “free” in the United States to wear makeup and dress provocatively unlike in her native country. However, after reading “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison the students had begun to reflect on, particularly one of the students in the case study, about how being “free” in the United States is really not being “free” at all. How women in the United States are enslaved by the ideals of beauty, the standard that a women will be more successful if she projects the culturally constructed ideals of beauty. This is an example of literature influencing critical thought and reflection on the issues of gender and its social construct.

However, this is not always the case, as in the same text by Jabari Mahir in the chapter “Practicing for Romance: Adolescent Girls Read the Romance Novels” by Jane Stanely, Stanely poignantly discusses to problems with girls reading romance novels. At first the thought is that “it’s better than reading nothing”, but is it really. No, these girls are reading these books essentially to try and understand male behaviors and how to be “good” girlfriends; however, these books have false information and greatly reinforce the gender dichotomy as right, when it is not. Furthermore they do not promote critical thinking skills or a reading challenge for these girls. As an educator, it is important to think why, why do girls read these books? In the chapter, it was pointed out that literature in schools centered on male characters mainly because the teachers thought that the male students will not be engaged if the reading is about a female character. But, what about the female students, do they matter? Or is it that only if you fit the feminine ideal of beauty as a female is the only way that you will be successful. It’s sad but true and as a female teacher I will always be mindful about the appropriate and correct ideas about gender and the affects that gender in literacy has on all of my students.