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Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

MY INVESTIGATION MEDIA, EDUCATION AND GIRLS Pelin Sevi September 2015

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

MY INVESTIGATION MEDIA, EDUCATION AND GIRLS Have you ever wondered how media stereotyping can influence our attitudes and expectations? Today education opportunities for girls are enormous, compare with the past. Education opportunities for girls is as equal as it can be with boys, and we believe that there is nothing stopping our girls!.. Or is there? Media stereotyping can influence girls about what they should think is important. So how does media stereotyping influence attitudes today? In order to find the answer, I did research in the internet to find articles and newsletters, books, etc. related to this topic. I also did an interview with Queen Margaret College Junior School Principal Ms. McDonnell. The message most girls are exposed to at the present time is that everything is based on beauty, and looks. This is because, even in toy shops, there are makeup toys, and Barbie's that are in very ideal body forms. Girls, just like boys, are supposed to play, get dirty, and be active. But even the toy industry is shaping the consciousness of girls and giving them the idea of a girl with the best body and best hair, and so on. But we know this is not right for a healthy and balanced development. We should celebrate differences. Children need a safe and secure environment where they can learn to be happy with their own means. These kind of toys, which are so colourful, so charming are interrupting our celebrations. In this sense, the toy industry, intentionally or unintentionally, is blocking the creativity and freedom of girls even in their very early ages. Just like the toy industry, press, like magazines, journals are full of images that stereotype a girls mind-‐set. Children, and mostly girls, can be highly effected from this, and start at a really early age on reading fashion magazines such as Fashion Quarterly, and putting on makeup, as they see other girls/women do it. Some girls are highly affected by the `perfect` looks of the girls and they follow a very unhealthy diet to look like a pop star or a model. 5

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

Similarly, it is a proved fact that the chemicals in the beauty products and nail-‐polishes effect the timing of your period. These chemicals lead to signalling your hormones that (even if you are for instance; eight years old or younger) now, you have grown up, and so the hormones get moving and this may hinder your normal body and mental development. Stereotyping from various sources puts a lot of pressure on girls and teenagers. (http://www.healthychild.org/is-‐your-‐nail-‐polish-‐toxic/) Gender stereotyping in TV programmes effect women's career choices. In a report prepared for National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women (NACEW) titled ‘Employment Choices for Young Women’ it is highlighted that women in TV programs are mostly shown in their generally accepted gender roles, like caregivers to their children as mothers. In contrast to this, men are generally portrayed as having good jobs with high salaries. This type of gender stereotyping influences the choices of girls. As a result, when it comes to choosing their jobs, even girls who are good in maths and sciences at school are being hesitant about being scientists and they opt for the jobs that require less competition. When I interviewed the Junior School Principal Ms. McDonnell, she asked me a very thought provoking question. She said, “When you go into a toy shop, what do you see when you look around? On the boy’s side there are Legos, building blocks, toy vehicles, and on the girls’ side, there are Barbies and lipstick and all sorts. So that is why education is so important, because it makes you think more clearly what influences us...” “Superman” is the famous cartoon character, along with Batman, Spiderman, etc. There are women heroes too, but they don’t normally get the main roles. This is a demonstration of gender stereotyping, but this is about to change, by the addition of “Superwomen”. Superwomen displays the increasing awareness on gender stereotyping and struggle against this phenomenon. Superwomen is introduced as Superman’s cousin, and travels to earth, and uses her super powers against evil. She tries to hide her abilities at first, and be normal. She saves a plane from crashing, and this makes her want to share her abilities. Everyone calls her SuperGirl, but she wants to be called "SuperWomen". This

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

new development is very promising, because it signals that there’s an increasing awareness about gender stereotyping.

How do education opportunities in NZ differ from other countries? Awareness about our lives comes with good education. NZ offers a lot in education. The level of education in NZ is high. Comparing with other countries that I lived so far, I tried to display, the difference of education in NZ from these countries. Allthough, I am only eleven years old, I had to live in several places and I have attended a number of schools in a number of countries, because of my mother and father’s profession. So from my experience in my schools that I have been to till now, I have written out a case study. I was 4 years old when my mother and mother was posted to NY. Before that my grandmother was taking care of me and I did not go to school. In America, I have been to two different schools, the first one was a private pre-‐school. The first primary school I've been to was PS 59, a public school. I liked this school. It was a co-‐educational school and there were equal opportunities for boys and girls. The subjects always got you thinking, as if you were in university, and not in year two. In maths we always learnt new strategies and methods, and new ways of solving basic math problems, turning education into interactive games. It is very important to have patience. There can be good and talented teachers in every school, and these were just the elements the teachers had in PS 59. The whole class was very playful, and when they saw me, they always met me with a cheer. After America, I went to Turkey, and my first school there was a public school, Ayten Saban Diri, and in this school, by comparison to the precious one in America, you were very limited. Most of the teachers were almost at retiring age, so they let the students do whatever they 7

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

wanted, be naughty, and all sorts. This school was also a co – educational school, so there was not a big difference between girls and boys. However, the attitudes of girls were different from the attitudes of boys. The girls always had their nose in the air, and try to look their best to the other children in the class, while the boys were in a totally different world of fighting, and arguing. Almost everyday someone from the class had their arm bleeding, a scrape in their knee, or a pocked eye. The boys even messed with the girls sometimes. And when the boys were playing fighting games, the girls always encouraged one of the boys. As for the subjects, you always did writing, almost the whole day. Maths, in the whole of Turkey was the key to perfection. If you weren't good at maths, you were not good at anything. And you never got the chance to learn new strategies either. You always sticked to the same one. So, I did not find this kind of math technique thought provoking enough. During my second year in Turkey, I went to a private school, Ankara Üniversitesi Gelistirme Vakfi (ANKÜ). This school was also a co -‐ educational school. Comparing to the other school, the girls and boys respected each

other a lot more. They interacted with each other, and they played together most of the time. Maths was of the same quality as Ayten Saban Diri, because again, maths was very important. We could copy the maths problems on the board, and solve them after we learned how to solve them. There were special occasions where we would go on a field trip, to see what we learnt in school, in reality.

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

After Turkey, I came to New Zealand. I came here almost at the end of the year, so I went to Karori West Normal School just for the fourth term. This school was very similar to Ayten Saban Diri, because the boys and girls were

very separate. In class, the teacher would just pass out pieces of paper to the class, and tell us to do what is on it. The main subjects were, writing, art, and technology. In writing, we worked on hand writing, and write what we have done through the day, and writing a short story was always a treat. In technology, we would do what we do in writing on the school laptops. The second school I've been to in New Zealand is Queen Margaret College. It was a one gendered school and in this respect, it was a new experience for me. In QMC, you know you have every modern education opportunity to expand your knowledge. You know you can do whatever you want -‐ nothing can stop you. The teachers are very encouraging, and it is easier with a personal laptop, because it makes it so much easier to find material to support the work you are doing. You are always encouraged and supported for more, and the teachers believe that everyone can reach the highest level in anything,

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

with only a bit of work, and thinking. You are never expected to fall, you are expected to rise. The subjects always get you thinking. Maths is quite demanding, because it introduces brand new techniques and strategies, and investigating new things in inquiry is always something to look forward to. There is R.E., which is Religious Education, where you learn more about Christianity and other religions, and do interactive activities. It can be a little challenging when you are all girls, and there are no boys to say, "come on, I'm bored!". There can be a few arguments, but when the end of the day comes, you forget it all anyway, after a busy day. There was another school called Holy Cross School that is a Catholic school, also in New Zealand that I have been to for a visit to interview a year six class, and learnt about what they are doing, and asked them if they could inform us about it. Holy Cross School is a religious school, so like Queen Margaret College, it has R.E. hour. By talking to the school principal, I have learnt that they try to include R.E. in most of the subjects they offer for students. The principal also mentioned that she didn't want the students to think that what is taught in R.E. stays in R.E. They also have prayers in the morning, before lunch, and at the end of the day, before leaving school. As far as I understand from my dialogues with other students and as far as I observed during this daily trip, they combined R.E. with other education topics. Holy Cross School is also a co-‐educational school, so there are boys and girls in the school. According to the principal, there can be some divisions in certain games, but over all, there aren’t many. As a result, from my own experience, compared to others, I find education in NZ as

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

innovative and mind enriching. In NZ, there are lots of education opportunities that are offered to you. It is good that, these opportunities are not just only for boys, they are also for girls. There are some deficiencies that needs to be improved as well. For example, in my previous school in NZ, students did not have so many different facilities and opportunities offered to them. This may create an unbalanced situation. But, in general, in NZ, everybody is aware of the fact that education is very important.

Do every girls has the right to education? Why is education for girls so important? What is the first thing that comes to your mind when education is mentioned? What I think of is developing awareness, improving on your confidence level, expanding on your skills, basically every element a human being must have. But for some reason, this right has been left out in many countries and in some regions. The most important issue here is that, the right to education hasn't been blocked out for both genders, this is something specifically focused on girls. Did you know there are more than 62 million girls around the world that aren’t in school? These girls are our future. These girls must pass on the importance of education to the future generations. But this will not be possible if such a huge number of girls don't have education. We should not forget that, `when you educate a girl, you educate the whole humanity`. Educated girls and young women become more aware of their rights, gain confidence in themselves since they can make their own choices. However, in some traditional societies, girls are leaving school early. Some of the are being forced to get married in very early ages, like fifteen, or sometimes even earlier. The reason of early marriage in some places, can be a result of tradition. I read a biography of Malala. Malala, a Pakistani girl, who was a Nobel price winner, struggled to get a good education in her country. But some other girls In the same society had to leave school and cut their education early ages, because of traditional reason. But, Malala struggled to continue her education and 11

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

she succeeded in doing this. She showed a great personal dedication. Her parent were very supportive of her. She was very decisive but she was also lucky for having the support of her family. Unfortunately, in these kind of traditional countries not all of the girls are as lucky and as strong as her. Conflict is also another very important cause of girls leaving their schools in their early ages. For this investigation, I interviewed Cyntia Dolakh, a Syrian refugee in Wellington, who fled the conflict in her country. When I asked her how conflict affected her education, she told me very openly that `It stopped my education.’ She also told me that, in her district where she was living, they had equal education opportunities for girls and boys. But conflict was the reason that kept her from her right to education. Again in traditional societies, parents sometimes think they are protecting their daughters by making them marry early. However, these girls become mothers also in their very young ages. They spend their time for taking care of their children. As a result of leaving school early, they don't have any opportunity to work and to earn money for their living, so they become dependent on their husbands. There are some men who use violence against women. If their husbands are one of these men, in this case uneducated women would feel that they are obliged to endure these painful situations. Women are approximately fifty percent of the world population. So if women are uneducated, they can't contribute to the economy. Women being out of work will not only affect their personal lives, but also have negative implications for the economic development of their countries. Furthermore, educated women are less likely to die in childbirth: If all mothers completed primary education, maternal deaths would be reduced by two-‐thirds, saving 98,000 lives. In sub-‐Saharan Africa, if all women completed primary education, maternal deaths would be reduced by 70%, saving almost 50,000 lives.

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

Girls with higher levels of education are less likely to have children at an early age 10% fewer girls would become pregnant under 17 years in sub-‐Saharan Africa and South and West Asia if they all had a primary education Almost 60% fewer

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

girls would become pregnant under 17 years in sub-‐Saharan Africa and South and West Asia if they all had a secondary education. Girls with higher levels of education are less likely to get married at an early age If all girls had a primary education, there would be 14% fewer child marriages If all girls had a secondary education, there would be two-‐thirds fewer child marriages Education narrows pay gaps between men and women. In Pakistan, women with a primary education earn 51% what men earn. With a secondary education, they earn 70% what men earn In Jordan, women with a primary education earn 53% what men earn. With a secondary education, they earn 67% what men earn Educated women are more likely to find work: In Brazil, only 37% of women with less than primary education are in work. This rises to 50% if they have a primary education, and 60% with a secondary education.(http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/G MR/images/2011/girls-‐factsheet-‐en.pdf) In 10 countries around the world, about half of the poorest girls go to school, and in 10 countries, ‘nine out of ten of the poorest young women have not completed school’ If governments of these countries don't give these girls a second chance, ‘they will be denied equal opportunities in work and life forever.’

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

(http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/GMR/images /2011/girls-‐factsheet-‐en.pdf)

Percentage of poorest females aged 7 -‐ 16 who have never been to school

Average years of education for the poorest 17 -‐ 22 year old females

Rank

Country

Rank

Country

Years

Somali

95%

Somalia

O.3

Niger

78%

Niger

0.4

Liberia

77%

Mali

0.5

Mali

&5%

Guinea

0.5

Burkina Faso

71%

Guinea-‐Bissau

0.8

Guinea

68%

Yemen

0.8

Pakistan

62%

Central African Republic

0.8

Yemen

58%

Burkina Faso

0.9

Benin

55%

Pakistan

1.0

Cote d'lvoire

52%

Benin

1.1

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

Conclusion: In conclusion, firstly, education of girls which constitute fifty percent of the global population is essential not only for the own interests of girls, but also for their countries and for the world. Deprivation of girls from education while boys are getting education can also be considered as a human rights violation. Then, when it comes to education, especially girl's education, New Zealand is a developed country and people are sensitive for girl’s education, as much as the education for boys. It's good that in New Zealand, education system is inclusive, and progressive. Finally, from my information I gathered, I learned that media stereotyping has considerable negative impacts on the psychology of girls, harming their self esteems. And sometimes, leading impact on the youth today. I believe that improvements in education for girls should continue hand in hand with efforts for exhibiting the right messages to girls to improve their lifelong choices.

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

Bibliography: • Countries Around The World Afghanistan • The Story Of The Women's Movement • A Life Like Mine -‐ How Children Live Around The World • Malala • http://deeperweb.com/results.php?cx=%210044155385546216 85521%3Avgwa9iznfuo&cof=FORID%3A11%3BNB%3A1&ie=U TF8&q=women%27s+rights+afghanistan+pakistan&as_qdr=&sit eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdeeperweb.com%2F • http://www.amnesty.org.uk/womens-rights-afghanistanhistory • http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ • Te Karere December 1930 Vol. 1 No. 1.

Wellington: Harry H. Tombs and Publishers 22 Wingfield Street. 14441. • http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/people/kate-‐sheppard • Malala • https://www.tki.org.nz/tki-‐ content/search?TKIGlobalSearch=1&SearchText=stereotyping& filter[]=language:en&activeFacets[language:Language]=en&acti veFacets[learningarea:Learning%20area]=English&activeFacets[ intended_end_user_role:Audience]=Teachers&activeFacets[us erlevel:TKI%20level]=Primary&filter[]=learningarea:%22English %22&filter[]=intended_end_user_role:%22Teachers%22&filter[ ]=userlevel:%22Primary%22 • http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/ GMR/images/2011/girls-‐factsheet-‐en.pdf • http://womenatwork.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Files-PDFsDocs/gender-representation-television-children.pdf • https://www.usaid.gov/letgirlslearn 17

Pelin Sevi – Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights

• http://www.healthychild.org/is-‐your-‐nail-‐polish-‐toxic/

• • • • •

Community; Ms. McDonnell (Queen Margaret College Junior School Principal). Ms. Craymer (Queen Margaret College Principal). Cyntia Dolakh (Syrian Refugee). Thomas Hunecke (Ministiry of Justice guest speaker). Ms. Wood (expert on humanities and Queen Margaret College year nine teacher).