Learning to be Violent: The role of the school in developing adolescent gendered behaviour
By F. Leach. 2003
118 citations recorded by the source corpus.
This paper examines the role of the school, and of the peer group culture in particular, in constructing male and female identity among adolescents within the context of high levels of gender violence. It draws on a DfID-funded study into the abuse of girls in schools in three African countries (Zimbabwe, Malawi and Ghana). This study documents incidents of male teachers and older male pupils aggressively propositioning female pupils for sex, 'sugar daddies' preying on schoolgirls in the vicinity of the school, and generally high levels of corporal punishment and bullying. The abusive behaviour of boys towards girls (and also towards younger or more vulnerable boys) in school is in part the product of a peer culture which stresses male competition and sexual prowess as part of the process of learning to 'be a man'. Alongside other studies (Wood & Jewkes, 1998; Leach & Machakanja, 2000; Human Rights Watch, 2001) it reveals a worrying sexual socialisation process in which male violence is accepted as the norm in adolescent relationships while obedience and tolerance continue to be expected of girls. This can lead to aggressive male behaviour being normalised and perpetuated in adulthood. Schools and education authorities are guilty of contributing to this socialisation as long as they fail to take vigorous measures to stamp out all forms of violent behaviour and to actively promote constructive adolescent relationships. Lessons can be learnt from those few innovative programmes with adolescents which provide genuine examples of the promotion of equal gender relations, personal responsibility, respect for others and cooperation between individuals. It is part of the school's mission not just to foster academic learning but to teach life skills which include supporting adolescents in developing constructive relationships.
Subfields: Gender Studies, General Health Professions, Safety Research
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/c9b926ce1e9598a739cb62ccd6ce229d4cb6a51e
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In Gender Studies
In General Health Professions
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Citations in the corpus
- A review of research on bullying and peer victimization in school: An ecological system analysis☆ (2012, background): “aggression, and oppression among the students in relation to their race/ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic background (Leach, 2003).”
- Ecological Theory: Preventing Youth Bullying, Aggression, and Victimization (2014, background): “Sociological theorists assert that school norms can perpetuate inequality, alienation, aggression, and oppression among the students in relation to their race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic background (Leach, 2003).”