Study On The Reproduction Of Gender Inequality In The Curriculum

Course is the main carrier of the implementation of school education. In the horizon of the traditional curriculum theory, the contents of the curriculum are viewed as something totally objective and value-free. However, as a significant tool passing the culture of human society, curriculum must reflect the values and interests of the social mainstream classes and groups, and reproduce their culture through its own function, to maintain the hierarchical structure existed in the society. In this process, the reproduction of gender inequality is one aspect which is very important but often overlooked. Numerous studies indicate that there are indeed some gender inequalities in our curriculum, and these have exerted an influence on the ultimate achievement of education equality in China. Consequently, to study the issue of gender inequality in the curriculum, and especially to understand the rule and operating mechanism of the curriculum in the process of the reproduction of gender inequality, will have an important significance to the re-construction of curriculum culture and the achievement of gender equality in education.With collecting and analyzing to the problems of gender inequality in the course, this paper indicates that there is a tendency of cultural and social reproduction in the school education. And it also makes an analysis to the operating mechanism of the reproduction of gender inequality with the theories of knowledge-sociology and feminism. On the basis of above, and associating with multicultural concepts, this paper puts forward an assumption to overstep the reproduction of gender inequality, and to construct a curriculum culture of gender equality.This paper is divided into five parts.The first part, introduction. This part describes the paper’s research background, the purpose and significance, the relative research status at both home and abroad, and the methods and innovations.The second part, theory basis of the research. It mainly includes several types of reproduction theory such as the theory of economical reproduction, social reproduction and cultural reproduction. In addition, this part also analyses the applicability of the theory of reproduction of education to curriculum study.The third part, showing the problems of gender inequality in the present curriculum. In this part, we will disclose the tendency of cultural and social reproduction through the description and analysis to the phenomenon of gender inequality existed in the curriculum.The fourth part, the implementation mechanism of reproduction of gender inequality in the curriculum. Through the processes of selection, allocation, evaluation and conversion to the curriculum knowledge, school education transfers and copies the gender cultural values of "patriarchal" in the society, and promotes a large number of women to be eliminated layers in the education process, thus it also maintains and extends the existing inequality social hierarchical structure.The fifth part, the practical strategies of overstepping the reproduction of gender inequality. On the basis of the reflection on the reproduction function of the curriculum, we suggest that we should take the concept of multicultural in our consideration, adjust the supply system of curriculum knowledge, improve the compiling, reviewing and selecting work on the school’s textbooks, implement the education of gender equality. Only in this way, should we can overstep the reproduction of gender inequality, and construct a curriculum culture system without gender inequality.