The level of education is increasing overall, but some groups of boys - particularly those from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds and with a migration background - are not benefiting from this:
The DMÖ supports equal opportunities in the education system for all.
Children need male role models in the fields of education and childcare:
The DMÖ is in favour of a higher proportion of men in education, care and nursing.
Gender is part of the school's educational mission:
The DMÖ is in favour of workshops, learning strategies and materials that critically examine gender roles and thus help to expand the scope of action of boys and girls in a variety of ways.
Life skills are more than a question of diligence:
The DMÖ is committed to rethinking educational success - to take up the competences that boys have also acquired outside the education system.
In recent decades, there has been a steady rise in the level of education for both genders: The level of education of girls and boys is now higher than ever before. Detailed analyses show that the increase in girls is progressing much faster than that of boys. This is mainly due to the fact that gender equality measures in recent decades have primarily focussed on improving the educational opportunities of girls and women. As a result of the visible effects of these reforms (increase in the education rate for women), the focus has now shifted. Educational failures of boys are now at the centre of international discussions. Since educational success has been equated with results in international school performance tests, the (media) talk of "boys as educational losers" has intensified. This is based on highly simplistic depictions of homogeneous gender groups ("the boys") and simplistic causalities (e.g. between poor academic performance of boys and the gender of teachers or the supposed "feminisation" of schools). A differentiated analysis focussing on the interactions of gender stereotypes in the education system is often lacking.
In order to understand them, empirical findings on gender disparities in the education system must be analysed in detail and discussed in the context of gainful employment. In doing so, it is particularly important to focus on the diversity of masculinities and thus the differences in the group of boys/men. For example, it can be seen that boys who leave the education system early (without completing upper secondary education, e.g. school-leaving certificate or apprenticeship qualification) are primarily boys with a migration background and from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. PISA results indicate a clear correlation between socio-economic background and school competences. Qualitative analyses show that boys from socio-economically marginalised backgrounds in particular are oriented towards patterns of masculinity that are characterised by a rejection of intellectual engagement, which subsequently hinders their success at school. Educational failure subsequently leads to marginalisation on the labour market, especially in times of economic crisis. And this precarious position becomes a cycle when children of precariously employed parents end their educational careers early and enter similar employment relationships.
However, current studies show that women are affected even more than men by marginalisation on the labour market. The employment opportunities of people with low qualifications are declining in knowledge societies. This affects women more than men due to their still strong involvement in the family care system and due to structural inequalities in the labour market. Gender segregation in the labour market, which is reflected in gender-typical educational paths, is another problem. Boys and girls still often choose traditional training programmes that lead to gender-typical occupations. In most cases, these professions still offer better conditions for men. Initiatives such as Boys' Day in Austria work specifically to break through horizontal gender segregation. Nevertheless, no fundamental structural changes can be expected from individual measures. As long as the working conditions in typical "female professions" do not change, boys who aspire to a care profession will opt for a relatively low income and a relatively low status in the career rankings.
What is the DMÖ committed to?
Considerations focussed on gender equality in the education system must take the socio-structural characteristics associated with educational differences seriously. One-dimensional concepts ("the boys") do not do justice to the diverse realities of boys' lives. We need to move away from concepts that assume that all boys share a common reality.
What is needed and what is the DMÖ committed to?
- Diversity-orientated gender-reflective work with boys in cooperation with work with girls and work beyond bipolar gender boundaries.
- Comprehensive analyses of learning strategies and learning materials that reveal gender-stereotypical attitudes and expectations.
- Sufficient training for teachers, especially on stereotypical practices in the school and education system and on the topic of "masculinity(ies) and gender equality".
- Gender-reflective programmes in educational institutions (focus on "caring masculinities").
- Discourses in educational institutions that reflect on what problems boys have and what they do (strengthening cooperation between schools and extracurricular work).
- Motivating boys and young men to take on more responsibility in educational institutions so that children can gain experience with male caregivers.
- Rethink educational success, e.g. by recognising informal qualifications and skills in order to keep disadvantaged groups of young people in education.
- Further development of initiatives to broaden the range of career choices (Boys' Day). Focus: low-threshold training opportunities for pedagogical professions, cooperation of institutionalised boys' work with AMS/BIZ, and media initiatives using important communication media among young people.