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- Title
KYNFERÐISEINELTI OG MÓTUN KVENLEIKANS Í ÍSLENSKRI SKÓLAMENNINGU.
- Authors
GUÐJÓNSDÓTTIR, RANNVEIG ÁGÚSTA; PÉTURSDÓTTIR, GYÐA MARGRÉT
- Abstract
Most research on violence and harassment in schools revolves around physical or mental bullying with a more recent focus on cyberbullying as well. There has, however, been much less research and coverage on sexual harassment and gender directed bullying within schools (Helseth, 2007; Witkowska, 2005). Gendered bullying has the focal point that a person is not considered to show acceptable femininity or masculinity. The aim of this article is twofold; on the one hand, to develop and clarify the concept gendered bullying and, on the other, to map the experience of nine young people who experienced gendered bullying in Icelandic school culture. This article seeks to answer the following question: What is gendered bullying, how does it manifest itself in the Icelandic school culture and what are its consequences? Qualitative methods were used and interviews taken from August to November 2016. Participants were nine young people, from 18 to 25 years of age, who had experienced gendered bullying in elementary and/or upper secondary school. The participants were six women and two men, and one participant who did not identify within the male- female binary but did, however, use female pronouns. This made it vital to refer to participants who used female pronouns instead of referring to women. There was a certain saturation of the participants' experience of gendered bullying in the school culture, even though they had experienced different manifestations of gendered bullying that created a comprehensive view, so a need for more participants was not perceived. The aim of qualitative research is, moreover, not to generalize from the results, but to gain a deeper understanding of social phenomena and the community at large (Esterberg, 2002). The conclusions show that gender inequalities seem to be normalized in the school culture of some Icelandic schools and that bullying directed towards gender and sexuality does not seem to be taken as seriously as other bullying. Gendered bullying is an umbrella concept, covering various manifestations. Here the focus was on sexual harassment and slut-shaming. Sexual harassment and slut-shaming seem to be the most common manifestations of gendered bullying among cis-gendered, straight, non-disabled girls. Being loud, independent, tempered or prominent did not seem to fit ideas of acceptable femininity and gendered bullying seemed to be the school culture's way to silence those who disobeyed and shape them into acceptable femininity. Sexual harassment was perceived as normal in most participants' school cultures, with the consequence that those who experienced it rationalised their experience. The conclusions indicate that adolescent girls can gain a certain status by being able to laugh at their experience of gendered bullying. The findings show that there is a certain status connected to being considered attractive, for girls in particular. This seemed to result in the interviewees accepting the school culture as it was, belittling their experience and accepting the "attention" they could get, even if it involved sexual harassment and slut-shaming. The interviewees all spoke of being lucky, especially with having had friends or some sort of social network which they thought protected them from more severe consequences. Their experience of feeling lucky indicated that they felt responsible, or that they had made a mistake, and were lucky that nothing worse happened. Having a boyfriend and being in a heterosexual relationship seemed to free girls from slut-shaming. In heterosexual relationships, they seemed to be feminine enough to attract a man, but not too sexual or sluts. The conclusions further indicate that being with a slut is not acceptable masculinity for boys. Bullying does not occur in a social vacuum which makes it important to consider the surrounding power structures, such as sexism, in any coverage on bullying. It is necessary to face the responsibility that adults have to prevent and deal with harassment and bullying in schools. The conclusions further indicate that since gendered bullying has its roots in the school culture, the whole school culture must change to prevent it. Further research is required to shed light on other manifestations of gendered bullying and its connections to other power structures, such as class and race.
- Publication
Icelandic Journal of Education / Timarit um Uppeldi og Menntun, 2018, Vol 27, Issue 1, p43
- ISSN
2298-8394
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.24270/tuuom.2018.27.3