Between the lines. Gender-based violence in secondary school culture
In recent years, gender-based violence has become increasingly visible in public debate, due in part to trans-feminist struggles. It is discussed more frequently in the media, in schools and universities. Nevertheless, incidents of femicide, harassment, assault and discrimination relating to gender identity, sexual orientation or the objectification of women remain all too common.
From an educational perspective, what can we do to prevent and challenge gender-based violence?
My research focuses on this question in the context of schools, which I experienced both as student and worker.
Feminist research on gender-based violence has shown that these are not isolated incidents, but the product of a patriarchal social structure that organises gender hierarchies and distributes power and resources unequally.
My research therefore considers whether and how this gender order permeates schools, contributing to the reproduction of cultural models in which violence can be normalised.
For decades, various studies in the field of gender pedagogy have highlighted how schools often become places where gender stereotypes and norms are reproduced. This can happen through the so-called hidden curriculum, which is the set of implicit messages that infiltrate everyday practices, language, what is left unsaid and what is commented on. This can occur through school staff failing to take a stand, minimising incidents of harassment, insults and sexual or homo-, bi- and transphobic aggression with comments such as 'it's just a joke!', justifying toxic masculine behaviour with comments such as 'boys will be boys', or presenting violence as something girls must learn to live with, implicitly shifting the responsibility for avoiding it onto them. All of this contributes to creating a school culture in which the idea that gender-based violence is normal becomes prevalent, making it very difficult to recognise and challenge.
Based on these considerations, I began an ethnographic study at a secondary school involving two Year 8 classes, with the aim of bringing together different perspectives: those of the students, those of the teachers and my own (always open to discussion) as a researcher.
This triangulation of perspectives and the continuous interplay of responses and reflections it brings into play constantly forces me to question my position as a researcher, teacher and former student. However, it is precisely this interplay that enables me to engage with and listen to the various voices within the school community that do not always have an equal opportunity to express themselves.
Listening to these voices has so far been the most interesting and valuable part of the research. It identifies good practices already in place, highlights implicit issues and opens up spaces for reflection and transformation. This will enable the design of educational practices that can truly prevent and challenge gender-based violence.