Reflection over the significance of the process of feminization of the
professions linked with education
Alžběta Klímová
In my effort for a closer encounter with the subject matter of talented children and the
possible risks, which can lead to failures in educating talented children I noticed that
feminization of the professions linked with education and professions, which target at
managing failures of the aforesaid children is a phenomenon, which could have a hidden
potential and a closer research of it which could lead to the possibilities of positive usage of
this up to now, in my opinion, not satisfactorily researched phenomenon. It seems that
women successful in these professions can invest their emotional capital when focusing on
help and support of development of talented children.
When studying various approaches and conceptions of everyday reality, I have
noticed one thing. Men, who, in their profession, deal with the reflection of the world
and want to explain the mechanisms on the basis of which it works, try to understand
social reality logically and rationally. Their theories frequently lack faith in any
intention of the individuals to deal otherwise than in their own profit.
Such an approach to reality shows a disconsolate depiction of our world. In the
review of the history of sociology as well as other disciplines, such as, for example
philosophy or psychology, I cannot recall almost any respected female names, which
would have a significant impact upon these disciplines. In the last decades there are
more female names appearing in the above mentioned research fields.
When I wanted to get to know the approaches of various scientists to talented
children, I was most inspired by texts of those women, speaking mainly about the
field of psychology, who had deep clinical experience. These texts illuminated for me
the efforts for searching and researching the possibilities of positive approach, which
could contribute to practical solutions of problems linked with the problems of
talented children. I noticed something I would characterise as the female way, which
comes from the specific role of a woman, which is most probably conditioned by her
natural biological disposition.
In contrast to many women, who nowadays fight for positions connected with
aggression of conquering sources and power, women who deal with the subject
matter of talented children, whatever viewpoint they take, for example their teachers
or psychologists are looking at the ways to help the children to orientate in the
complex world. They are searching for routes how to help them how to manage and
understand frequently powerful emotions connected with the confrontation of their
inner world as well as the outer world that surrounds them. They are trying to help
them to cope with the difficulties their life brings. They help talented children when
searching for the way to fully understand their creative talents and then how to use
them in a creative and positive way. They, together with the children, are looking for
a way to shift the boundaries of knowledge positively. They are trying to help them to
find courage and self-confidence, which will enable them to find their place in life and
find their way to themselves as well as to people in their surroundings. Concurrently,
they emphasize the imperative need for the children to become fully emotionally and
psychologically developed personalities.
Recent research studies in the field of professional success of talented children in the
market as well as private life, conducted in the last decades, clearly show that
healthy psychological and emotional development is the prerequisite for the success
in later life. It is not solely the talent, which, without the aforesaid prerequisites, can
lead to disappointment and frustration.
Therefore the efforts of women who are looking for practical solutions and recipes
how to help children who were not so fortunate to get the impulses that would help
them start the process of the integration of their personality as well as start the
creative process of aimed and persevering activity to use their own potential from
their immediate surroundings, I consider it to be a very significant contribution to the
expert discussion looking for the answers regarding any questions connected with
the process of education. I perceive their activity as an effort for help, support, and
enable, which cannot be implemented without the emotional investment and faith
based on the experience that such trying is sensible.
The aforementioned brought me to the idea where to find the impulse for coordinated
implementation of unselfish emotional investment common to the women working in
the process of education or support of a talent. We can find this mode of fulfilment in
women working in any of so-called helping professions including doctors, naturally
we can look for the presence or absence of it in any women in any professions. One
of the intuitive explanations could be the so-called “female attitude” the origin of
which could be found somewhere close to the “maternal instinct”. In my opinion the
driving motive of the instinct is the powerful need of unselfish implementation of their
own emotional investment. I think that the need of handing over emotions is inborn
with women and emotionally mature women can implement the said need in any of
their acting.
An influential study researching the phenomenon of maternal love from the long-term
perspective in France, the author is a woman, bears an eloquent title “Love extra –
history of maternal love between 17th
and 19th
centuries“; the author reached the
conclusion that maternal love is a social construct, which changes its form as well as
its meaning in the course of time, it can be absent, if it is not socially supported. (E.
Baditnter, 1998)
I feel that the meaning and real influence of the phenomenon of maternal love with all
its impacts as well as possible consequences has not been researched satisfactorily
and its influence is in the theories endeavouring for the “impartial” illumination of
social relationships, trying to describe or even explain human acting in the process of
socialisation completely neglected. I find it quite logical that I came to this idea when
studying texts written by women who work in the field of talented children and I also
find quite logical that those women were able to use their biological predetermination
(“maternal instinct”) creatively for searching how to implement their emotional
investment. .(Where else than in contact with the children who have the potential to
be developed, it would be more natural to implement the said “maternal Instinct” and
use it creatively to the maximum.) The results of their acting fill me with hope that it
might be purposeful to work on this phenomenon.
I dare to utter a hypothesis that gradual development of some professions to their
feminisation – for example education or medicine as well as other professions that
are either directly or indirectly linked with support or help is caused by the completely
natural (more or less reflected) need for application of the above stated archetypal
female instinct.
I find it natural that women who work in these fields more or less identify themselves
with the said aspect of their personality depending on how much they succeeded in
internalising their female identity. That is why each of them acts individually and
implements the said original instinct according to her possibilities. (By the way, it
seems that nowadays many women perceive searching their identity as a conflict and
they do not always succeed in finding a satisfactory solution.)
Another question is to what extent is this acting conscious, intentional or if they feel it
as natural. And why other women involved in care or help or education do not have
such an attitude?
Of a certain influence seems to be the prevailing concept of femininity in our
contemporary multidimensional world. The resulting identities of individual actors
can differ from each other enormously. There is a wide choice, which depends, in my
opinion, on the level of the total maturity of an individual, as this is the precondition
for courage for free and simultaneously considerate decision-making and acting,
which needs “healthy self-confidence”.
To reach emotional maturity as well as reflected awareness of one´s potential can be
contributed, in the opinions of many a generation of experienced teachers as well as
other scientists dealing with education from various angles, by the properly aimed
educational influence, which is the result of the influence of family, school, peer
groups as well as all the other influencing factors, which have their impact upon a
human being in the course of their life. Even though all the participants try their best,
it is partially the decision of the individual themselves what they take from the said
influencing factors from their environment and it is further influenced by the
individual´s temperament as well as by many other transparent as well as latent
factors, which determine the process of selection and the intensity with which the
individual internalises and reflects upon the said influences.
Research studies have shown also the influence of the factors such as chance and
luck, which can initiate the motivation of an extraordinary talented individual.
Nevertheless, the influence of the stated “powerful experience” or chance is not
sufficient in case that the personality is not mature enough, is not integrated or, in
other words, “prepared” to use the said chance. (as can be found in common
language– „Fortune favours the prepared“, „Fortune favours the brave“).
Researchers, who are looking for the answer in the studies of biographies of
geniuses to the question what factors lead to the success of the talented, see the
core of success in the capability of continuing in the efforts and work for reaching the
targeted aim.
Therefore women, psychologists, who devote themselves to talented children, who
have the conflict of how to cope with the environment, are looking for the way how to
support talented children to learn to exert continuous effort, which would help them
in searching and reaching their aims. Concurrently, they emphasize the effort to
educate extraordinarily talented children to become emotionally mature and freely
deciding individuals. Empirical studies clearly show that only harmonic development
of all the aspects of a person can lead to their full self-assertion.
I would like to draw attention to the fact that the need to support others and help
others can also be found in males, however, I think that their need is based on a
different impulse, which is linked with their biological predisposition and social
identity.
The work of women who successfully work in the profession, where they help
talented children to deal with the demands their environment puts on their shoulders,
inspired me to the presumption that a study of their qualities could bring interesting
results, which could be used further in the preparation and education of qualified
professionals.
Unfortunately, the depiction of a woman in the media and her task in the
contemporary world frequently draws attention in a completely different direction. It is
influenced by the aggression of advertisement and effort to have impact upon
completely different instincts based on the aim to create the highest possible need to
consume anything that can be sold. The longing for beauty is thus reduced to the
longing for looking perfect and the “maternal instinct” is used in advertisement
predominantly for “cute” impression in search for buying a product. (Everybody who
has ever been confronted with real acting of children knows that children are not only
“cute” and mothers are not always tolerant and understanding.) Further risk of
influence I see in the simplification and schematisation of reality with the tendencies
to evaluate. I would like to leave the analysis of influence and impact of the media to
others.
Women are expected to take a whole range of identities. Their lived through
experiences focus their individual attention in a specific direction. Nowadays, the
western societies comprise of a great number of women who are forced to search for
their identity of an educator, mother and for whom such a situation is very difficult.
Frequently they find it burdensome to look for an optimal solution. They do not
neglect this problem which reflects social processes. How did this come into
existence? Why is this identity completely natural for other women?
If people, who are educating somebody, want to be successful in their efforts and if
their aim is to bring up healthy, emotionally as well as intellectually mature individuals
who are capable of holding their ground in the contemporary world, able to face the
world´s challenges, and not only face them but also use them creatively for positive
changes, those capable of impartial and flexible reactions to the accelerating tempo
of the development as still using all their opportunities fully without fear,
understanding that it would be beneficial to direct their personality to the said ideal,
constantly looking and adapting the way of becoming a good educator.
The experience everybody has with the “good” or “bad” teachers. I think that women
who work in these professions without real involvement and whose self-confidence is
not on the level to inspire in children the confidence in themselves, real interest in
problems, they, themselves, would need a real dose of encouragement.
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