ASPECTS OF DIVERSITY

SEX/GENDER

JOB SEGREGATION BY GENDER

GENDER INTEGRATED FEMALE DOMINATED MALE DOMINATED

Mail carriers Teachers Architects
Nurses Electrical engineers
Bartenders
Secretaries Airplane pilots
Bus drivers
Librarians
Real estate agent
GENDER PAY GAP IN AUSTRALIA

 AUSTRALIA HAS A PERSISTENT GENDER PAY GAP. IN MAY 2013, THE AUSTRALIAN
GENDER PAY GAP WAS 1 7.5%.

 WESTERN AUSTRALIA HAS THE LARGEST GENDER PAY GAP OF ANY STATE OR TERRITORY
IN AUSTRALIA. AS OF AUGUST 2010, IT WAS 24 PERCENT, REPRESENTING A GAP
BETWEEN AVERAGE WEEK LY ORDINARY TIME MALE AND FEMALE EARNING S.

CULTURAL BACKGROUND (‘RACE’/ETHNICITY)

EFFECTS OF RACISM

 DIMINISHED MORALE

Unwilling to participate or take risks in learning for fear of retribution or ridicule if they
make a mistake.

 LOWER PRODUCTIVITY

Unable to concentrate in class

 INCREASED STRESS AND ABSENTEEISM

Students who are disaffected with school are less likely to attend school regularly and are
likely to drop out of school earlier. Alienation & disengagement from schooling and
absenteeism & attendance will increase significantly in schools with a high incidence of
racism/s

SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND (SES)

BASED ON:

 INCOME
  EDUCATION

 OCCUPATION

CONSEQUENCES OF SOCI AL STRATIFICATION

A PERSON’S SOCIOECON OMIC CLASS AFFECTS:

 SCHOOLS THEY ARE ABLE TO ATTEND

 ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE

 JOBS OPEN TO THEM

 WHO THEY MAY MARRY

 TREATMENT BY POLICE AND THE COURTS

LANGUAGE, RELIGION, CUSTOMS

SEXUALITIES
ABILITY/DISABILITY
LEVEL OF EDUCATION
PHYSICALITY, ETC.
EQUALITY ≠ SOCIAL JUSTICE

 Equal Opportunity concentrates on treating all people equally and providing people
with equal rights.
 Treating everyone the same ≠ equitable treatment.
 Social justice recognises that there are situations where application of same rules
can generate unequal results.
 Equity requires us to think in terms of different treatment

EQUALITY VS EQUITY

Equality Equity
everyone is treated the same people are treated according to their needs

WHAT CAN TEACHERS DO?

1. DECONSTRUCTING THINKING ABOUT DIFFERENCE

 Lack of success is ‘their’ own fault and the result of low aspirations
 Intergenerational failure is to be expected
 Reason for students’ disaffection is that they are simply troublemakers who are
insolent and talk back
 Students are uneducable and incapable of academic abstract learning and suited
only for unskilled menial, insecure and poorly paid work.
2. AVOID DEFICIT THINKING

 Focus on what students CAN do and know, rather than what students lack.

3. AVOID ESSENTIALISING

 Aboriginal kids are ‘hands-on’ learners

 Working class kids don’t want to go to university
 ‘Asian’ students prefer rote learning
 Boys are naturally more aggressive than girls
 Muslim girls are naturally shy
 Aboriginal families don’t value education

4. HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS

 Expect all students to be able to learn what you teach

 Remember that all students learn differently
 Treat students respectfully
 Have high expectation and don’t accept second-rate work
 Work with students to think critically