I’ve always been interested in thinking about issues such as racism, patriarchy and other social problems. Challenging yourself to think about these issues can help you to create a different outlook on life, which I think is extremely important today considering they are still a huge problem – even in 2017. With this in mind, I was looking forward to learning how these issues are very relevant in education and to hopefully stretch my mind further when considering racism and patriarchy.
It surprised me to learn just how ingrained racism is in many aspects of everyday life. Segregation used to oppress people of colour, primarily in America, and although it was made illegal, it does still exist. In some ways, it has just become more subtle, hiding within a cycle of poverty and a poor distribution of wealth and goods. This being said, there are improvements being made everyday which help people in this situation. I think that everyone should challenge their mindset and think further into these issues because, even if they don’t directly effect you, people speaking up and fighting for equality is the only way to change these stereotypical social constructs.
Other social issues are still very relevant in today’s society, such as patriarchy. Patriarchy is the dominance of males over women, leading to the oppression and control of females. There are many issues surrounding gender inequality that remain today. With the rise of the Suffragists and Suffragettes in the mid 1900’s, many believed that the gap in gender would lessen, however it is still very much an issue. Women’s suffrage groups have moved on slightly, now coining the name ‘feminism’. This has gained a lot of opposition as many think it is about women fighting against men, when in reality it is about equality for all people, of any race, gender or ethnicity.
As I already mentioned, I’ve always been interested in these subjects of thinking, so I had a lot of previous knowledge of the issues. However, it was incredibly eye opening to find out how these problems can impact a school environment. I can already find myself noticing inequalities in my everyday life and I know this will greatly benefit me in a teaching environment and will hopefully help me in becoming a more competent and inclusive teacher.
