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Gender violence in schools in the developing world

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 04:50 authored by Mairead DunneMairead Dunne, Sara HumphreysSara Humphreys, Fiona Elizabeth Leach
This paper explores gender violence in schools in what is commonly known as the 'developing world' through a review of recent research written in English. Violence in the school setting has only recently emerged as a widespread and serious phenomenon in these countries, with the consequence that our knowledge and understanding of it is embryonic; much of it remains invisible or unrecognized. Informed by research from elsewhere, we use theories of gender/sexual relations to provide a more coherent understanding of the issues, to point to absences and open up spaces for further research with the potential to contribute to strategies through which it might be addressed. We start by clarifying the purposes and the broad position adopted in writing this paper. Then, we trace the conceptual connections between gender/sexual relations and gender violence in schools, acknowledging the importance of locating understanding of the phenomena within the context of the school's culture, its structures and processes. We organize the review using two overlapping categories: implicit gender violence, which relates to the everyday institutional structures and practices, and explicit gender violence, which relates to more overtly sexualized encounters. Both categories cover gender violence perpetrated by students on other students, by teachers on students, and by students on teachers. In the final section, the theoretical connections (and distinctions) generated by the research allow for a critical overview of the strategies that have been used to address the problem to date.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Gender and Education

ISSN

0954-0253

Issue

1

Volume

18

Page range

75-98

Pages

24.0

Department affiliated with

  • Education Publications

Notes

This artcle addresses a key Human Rights issue of violence. It provides a review of research on violence in schools in mainly anglophone countries in the 'developing' world. It engages in theoretical understandings of gender and violence which are developed into two analytical categories that are used to review the available literature. Its range includes verbal and physical violence of school diciplinary strategies to cases of sexual abuse. At the same time as highlighting the widespread use of violence in and around schools, it provides an overview of the kind of research completed. It also offers an important alternative way of understanding school practices that goes deeper than the quantiative data that characterised much research on school quality.

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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