Gender Diversity Essay

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What is diversity? According to Merriam- Webster diversity is the state of having several different forms, types, and ideas. On the other hand, education defines diversity as anything that is different from what society has deemed customary. The classroom is the mecca for diversity amongst students, as each student is unique and different. Diversity in the classroom identifies several issues that all teachers should be aware of, they include race and ethnicity, socio- economic status, gender, age and exceptionalities, religion, language, and learning styles. This paper will focus on gender and socio- economic diversities, the negative impacts they can have on students, and positive reinforcements educators can use to correct the issues and …show more content…

Today gender diversity encompasses new component that deals with gender identity. An identity is the characteristics that make each person unique. However, society has created normalcies that distinctly separate “what is male” from “what is female”. Students who identify with characteristics of the opposite sex fit into this new category of gender diversity. For example, gender identity could include a young boy who plays with dolls and prefers to wear dresses, as opposed to Tonka trunks and sports jerseys (Gender Diversity).
Gender diversity can have a negative impact on a student’s education. Those impacts could include, decreased interactions with others students, increased feelings of inferiority, bullying from peers, and a lack of parental support. Research showed that 78% of students who struggled with gender identity were harassed in schools. The same study concluded that 35% were physically assaulted, and at least 6% were expelled from their schools (Kilman, …show more content…

These two types of diversity have similar negative effects on students, and they have created an even larger problem. Variation is not the problem with diversity, the problem is society’s need to mandate a normal. What was considered normal fifty years ago is different today, and will be something new fifty years from now. Individuals were created to express differences, and that is why diversity is so unique. If an educator takes the necessary steps to encourage positivity in differences society’s normalcies will vanish, and diversity will no longer be considered an issue but a welcomed

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