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Publicatie

Gender Under Pressure: The Construction, Evolution and Measurement of Early Adolescent Gender Role Attitudes in School.

Boek - Dissertatie

Obstacles to participation in education based on gender have been virtually eradicated within Western societies. However, gender role attitudes (GRA) still limit freedom of choice in study careers. A glance at the study tracks chosen, and the subject areas they adhere to, suggests that the structure of education remains highly gendered. In her dissertation, Myriam Halimi shows how young adolescents’ GRA are dynamically shaped. Three key elements were explored. First, the dissertation gives a deeper understanding of the construction of GRA by identifying predictors. The results demonstrate that adolescents’ GRA are influenced by socio-demographic characteristics (sex, importance of religion, socio-economic status), family socialization (parental gender role attitudes), and school gender cultures. Secondly, the results show that these attitudes not only change over time, but also reveal how GRA grows inversely for girls and boys during the first years of secondary education, and that both groups respond differently to the gender views of peers and teachers. Thirdly, the research casts a critical eye over how GRA is measured. Commonly used scales were reviewed, and the extant critiques were discussed. The dissertation critically evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of GRA scales and develops a framework for the critical assessment of other scales. The dissertation strongly advocates investment in egalitarian environments for youngsters. It argues that explicit targeting of gender equality at all educational levels is necessary, not only to challenge traditional GRA, but also to contribute to a more gender inclusive learning environment.
Jaar van publicatie:2019