♀ 10 Reasons Why Women Are Better At Teaching Than Men
This article is not meant to put down men in any way. Generally, there are reasons as to why one gender will be a lot better at a certain subject than another. Of course, there will be exceptions and a lot of the time it is important not to generalise. Most women may have certain qualities when it comes to teaching than men do, but the opposite is also true. The importance is finding a balance.
Both genders can also learn from one another, and therefore it is important to take a look and see why certain traits are more prominent in one sex than the other. Below is a list of the stronger points that women seem to have when it comes to teaching.
Are Women Really Better At Teaching Than Men?
1
Caring Nature
It is often thought by many that women will tend to have a more caring nature. In this way, it is true and can be very useful. The student needs someone that they can rely on, someone they feel will listen to them and whatever worries they have. Men can be a lot harder to approach on this subject, and therefore female teachers tend to be preferred in this regard. Of course, there are going to be exceptions but this would tend to be the general impression that many will leave behind.
2
Empathy
It is true that many more women will also appear more empathic than men do. This isn’t always the case, of course, but it is for the majority of teachers. Empathy is important when it comes to teaching, and therefore one must be able to emotionally connect with the students. Sussing out their mood will also help one to tailor the class accordingly. Having high emotional intelligence, of course, is important for anyone who works within the teaching industry. Knowing how to help the student overcome thoughts of whatever problems they are having will be key in getting them to focus on the task at hand.
3
Dealing With Children
A lot of the time, in many Western countries, there may appear to be more female teachers than male when it comes to teaching elementary school. Often this is because many women are viewed as having an innate maternal instinct. Not every woman is going to agree with this, but overall women will have a much different method to dealing with children than men will. A lot of kids might even consider their teacher to be something of a mother figure, and therefore this can be very important.
4
Dealing With Teenagers
The same can be said in the case of dealing with teenagers. Women can have very strong disciplinarian tendencies and be able to keep teenagers in check. Of course, they will also be able to sympathise a lot more with their students, and therefore take a much more balanced approach which may not be the case with male teachers.
5
In the Context of Language
When it comes to the actual understanding of language, humans in general are obviously going to have a good grasp of it. Of course, some genders are viewed as having more competency in certain subjects than others. Often, it is seen that men tend to go for the more logical aspects of learning. This includes the likes of science, engineering and mathematics whereas women tend to be more interested in abstract arts, such as history and language. Then again, there is a lot of logic involved in the teaching of grammar itself. Women might be more able to teach abstract concepts to students.
6
Offering Help
Once again, this is linked with empathy. Males might want to make their students work mostly by themselves, and therefore could be somewhat hesitant than their female counterparts. Females, on the other hand, might feel the need to help a lot more and would often guide their students through a particular process if they find they are having difficult.
7
Intimidation
When it comes to the areas of discipline, often male teachers can be seen as being stern authority figures. Women might be a lot more approachable in this regard and it will allow the students to relax more. Being comfortable with the class as a whole, the students will then be able to focus on the task at hand and not feel intimidated when they put up their hand to ask a question.
8
Teaching and Gender
It may be that women are a lot better at explaining certain things than their male counterparts. A lot of the time, men like to follow a more methodical approach to doing things and therefore many of them are going to be somewhat stiff in their teaching methods. Women are often seen has having a better command of flowing and tuning into students’ needs.
9
Alternative Methods
Being more open to new ideas, women will also be likely to try out alternative methods. This is particularly useful for those who are finding it difficult to reach certain students.
10
Corrections
Whilst correction is important, it is also important to be sensitive. In this regard, women are also seen as being a lot more sensitive and once against this ties in with the likes of empathy and being able to connect emotionally with their students.
As one can see, there are many strong points that women have as opposed to men.
Of course, one’s teaching ability cannot be solely based on gender. It is important to realize that at the end of the day, we are all individuals and all of us have various traits which make us great teachers.
Do you agree with the reasons above? Are women really better at teaching than men? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please let us know in the comments!
I actually have thought about all of this before, especially the maternal aspect of teaching.
So I agree.
My question, why do want to be the mothers of society?
It's no secret these fields are old stand bys for women, why do you think they offer so little reward(that can actually be placed in one's wallet)?
I see so many women go into teaching and social work who expect absolutely nothing in return and this as actually valued a positive trait.
Why do you want to be the best at something that offers you no opportunity to get ahead in life? These are the careers men flock to and they're labelled ambitious. A woman actually prides herself on being 'selfless" when striving for these low paying careers.
Why?
Personally I don't have a lot of these traits so I wouldn't be a good teacher anyway, although I am a woman. If I did though, I would apply myself elsewhere. There are other fields that utilize the same kind of skills and pay you in, uh, I don't know, actual money?
Not sure why everyone is getting so riled up about this. Seems to me there's no reason to loose your temper. Maybe women are just more emotional than men... ...
Additional to the previous comments, even if this kind of gender stereotyping was acceptable, the arguments are very weak and it seems that the ten points have been stretched out from about two or three traits per gender, so aren't really separate points at all.
It would be much more useful to write a comparison of the effectiveness of the 'feminine' traits (e.g. adjusting to the class, flexibility of method, guiding Ss versus making them do it for themselves) and 'masculine' ones (approaching grammar logically, being a disciplinarian) and evaluating them both to create an ideal (but individual) balance. An article like that would be been much more valuable to teachers than this vague, attention-grabbing piece of 'controversy'.
These are absolutely ridiculous and disgusting posts (I'm including the one about men being better than women). I'm thoroughly disappointed in this organization for perpetuating such falsehoods, and even more so for writing them.
I have to disagree with so many of the points made in this article. Not only to they perpetuate outdated cliches about the role of women in society, but they inaccurately simplify the practice of teaching into gender boxes. What, because I'm male I'm not caring? The methods I use to "keep teenagers in check" are therefore invalid? The sentences you have put in bold in each point are the most stereotypical pieces of garbage I've ever read! The one about men thinking logically and women being better with abstract concepts is horse dung, honestly! You have based none of your outlandish and childishly simple arguments on any research. Oh, and that thing about men being more intimidating... some of the most intimidating and bullish teachers I had as a student - and many I've had as teaching colleagues - have been female. In the words of my students: FAIL!
I think this article makes a lot of sweeping generalizations and assumptions that are in no way accurate. Firstly, you are assuming that there are only two genders and that sex and gender are the same thing, which they are not. But more importantly, it's these kinds of attitudes that are part of the reason I want to be a teacher - so I can stop them from being perpetuated. We tell children they can be anything they want to be, but the attitudes that there are "male" and "female" jobs is just as strong.
There was recent study that showed that as young as second grade, stereotypes about math being for boys have already formed. I've talked to many people who were hesitant to go into fields they really wanted to because of such stereotypes. Women who have left fields like engineering and chemistry because they were harassed and undermined for being a women, men who have decided not to be nurses or teachers because of the reactions of society/their family and friends.
By publishing articles that attempt to correlate someones' success as a teacher to their gender or sex, you are making these stereotypes seem okay. It's saying "We know this might be wrong, but here is some evidence as to why it might be right sometimes." It's like saying it's wrong to call all cheerleaders dumb, then giving a bunch of examples of stupid things you've heard girls who cheer say. Telling people there are certain traits that are more common in one gender than another is only keeping the stereotypes alive.
There are plenty of female teachers I've had who were completely unapproachable, just like there are plenty of male teachers I've had who were exceptional at explaining things. As someone who is female and has a very low emotional intelligence, having to fight against the stereotype that because I am a women I am empathetic has been an incredible struggle. Instead of looking to point out why women could be "better" teachers than men, you should be focusing on ways to eliminate those stereotypes in the classroom, so we can work towards a society where "male jobs" and "female jobs" don't exist, and people are free to do whatever jobs they want without being told that they probably won't be as good at it as someone of a different gender.
When you say that there are traits which are "more prominent in one sex than the other" you are defining a gender identity, you are saying that the majority of men/women behave in that specific way. This is not true. Gender studies have shown that gender characteristics are unclear, contradictory and most individuals can't fit in a simple dichotomy man/woman. What you show in your article are the common sense stereotypes related to women and teaching.
Even though you claim you are not making generalizations, you end up doing it. And when you generalize, you creating a norm in which a whole diversity of people are excluded.
Try to think again about your article because even if I'm mistaken about it, my opinion reflects what most people understood with it.
joeduq, thank you for your opinion. Please read this again: 'Both genders can also learn from one another, and therefore it is important to take a look and see why certain traits are more prominent in one sex than the other.' Have a great day! Best wishes Andrew BusyTeacher.org Team
Ridiculous post. We really don't need gender representations to be put into boxes. We don't need oppositions men/women other than those necessary to show the oppression of one to the other. This post reinforces gender stereotypes and does not consider that unfortunately teaching is widely regarded as "something feminine".