Teacher Strikes, Gender, and Identity

• In Event: Pursuing Justice, Seeking Equity

Abstract

Teachers on strike often deal with aggressive attacks targeting their morality and willingness to care for others. This paper claims that these attacks have sexist undertones and are anchored in the feminization of teaching. I argue that in the face of such attacks, participating in a strike carries transformative potential for teachers as it relates to their identities. Namely, teachers who participate in strikes may experience a changed sense of identity regarding their role as a teacher, with particular emphasis on how this identity reflects historic and sexist feminized expectations. This paper argues that teachers of any gender who strike might consequently feel a greater sense of power, authority, and expertise—characteristics historically undermined in feminized fields.

Author

• Sara Hardman, Teachers College, Columbia University