Gender Equity in Education

Gender equity in terms of education is about the socialization of men and women and the results of this process on the life outcomes of the two genders (Husen & Postlethwaite, 1994). In the United States, the education system is required to treat males and females equally. There has been much research done to compare the genders in all areas. In the past, research has found that women fall far behind men in many areas such as math, and science, but men lag behind women in certain areas as well. Over the years, many provisions have been made with the goal of equalizing the treatment of girls and boys in public education. These improvements are proven successful as women, as well as men, are advancing in areas where they tend to lag behind. “ ‘If you look back 30 years, there has been significant progress in all areas.’ she [Sundra Flansburg, director of the Women’s Equity Act Resource Center] said ‘But we have to recognize that a huge amount of work needs to be done before we have gender equitable education’ ” (Isherwood, 2002) The purpose of this research paper is to examine the improvements made for gender equity in education and the gap that remains.

The Past of the Gender Equity Battle

The battle over gender equity in education is not a new issue, but has been a continuous fight for well over a century. In 1881, a group of college graduates met in Boston to discuss enhancing the opportunities for women in America. This group formed the American Association of University Women, or the A.A.U.W. Over the years, the A.A.U.W. has worked for the equal education of both girls and boys. Their first big success was the Education Amendments of 1972, which included Title IX (Lawton, 1994). Title IX stated that “No...

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Isherwood, D. (2002, June 21). 30 years later, tile IX remains controversial; gender equity law has created thousands of success stories, but some see much more to be done. The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis on November 18, 2002.

This article concentrates on how the National Coalition of Women and Girls in Education grade the progress of Title IX every 5 years. It provides excellent statistics on improvements made for women’s education.

Mancini, F. (1994, February 17). You can’t fool mother nature. The Providence Journal company, 14A. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis on November 15, 2002.

This article provided insight into the subtle discrimination against females, and the effect this has on them. It is a good source for information on how girls are more advanced then males are in certain areas. Good for getting the opposing viewpoint.