The word ‘gender’ is often used in the same way as ‘sex’. Yet they are not synonymous.
The term ‘Gender’ emphasises the biological differences between men and women. Gender’ refers to cultural and social connotations with the sexes, including identity and expression. Many differences between male and female behaviour are socio-culturally determined. When framing gender thinking, we take into account both biological and socio-cultural aspects. To lose sight of the latter would mean that male and female behaviour is unchangeable. However, history teaches us that the way we behave as men and women is temporary and context-dependent.
It is impossible to imagine life without the gender theme. Statistics indicate that boys do less well at school than girls. The gender gap in school education is often seen as a “boy problem: boys fail more often than girls, more often leave school without qualifications, are over-represented in special needs education and have smaller numbers of applications for higher education.
The gender gap in school education is often seen as a “boy problem”. From a musical point of view, we need to approach the gender gap in a slightly different way.
From a musical point of view, we need to approach the gender gap in a slightly different way. Unfortunately, the music industry skips a beat when it comes to gender equality. If you analyse the ratio of women to men in the compositions performed and awards won, the man (still) has the advantage. Reputations are forged by repeated recognition. By repeatedly performing their works, composers are placed on a pedestal and the (male) reputation is further forged. Nevertheless, figures show that in Flemish music classes 60% of the pupils are girls and 40% are boys.
which histories are missing? Which pieces of history slipped through the cracks and are therefore absent from the archives? How did the patterns shift over time? Where are we now? Better still, where do we hope to end up in the future?
Read more about gender sensitivity in music class? Then also read this article:
