International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research ISSN 2351-8014 Vol. 5 No. 1 Jul. 2014, pp. 73-80 © 2014 Innovative Space of Scientific Research Journals http://www.ijisr.issr-journals.org/ Corresponding Author: Solomon Mhango 73 STEREOTYPICAL GENDERING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS: REPERCURSIONS FOR STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN TANZANIA. A CASE OF MOROGORO MUNICIPAL Solomon Mhango and Theresia Elias Assistant lecturers, Gender and Development Department, Community Development Training Institute (CDTI) – Tengeru, P.O. Box 1006, Arusha, Tanzania Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT: The main purpose of the study was to assess teachers’ and students’ perception of gendering process over girls and boys at secondary schools. Specifically the study aimed at examining the impact of socialization to the students’ academic performance in secondary schools. A total of 182 respondents were interviewed by the use of semi structured questionnaires, Focus Group Discussion and direct observations were employed to obtain the required information. Results show that the common gender stereotypes in secondary schools include “boys are intelligent”, “boys prefer studying science subjects”, “girls prefer studying art subjects”, and “girls are inferior”. Results reveal that socialization process promotes effective learning and teaching, increases cooperation and participation, improves students’ performance and promotes school ethics conformity. The study concludes that Gender – aware and - sensitive teachers and students play a vital role in promoting gender equality and in turn will interact in a gender lens with the society they are born into. The existing negative stereotyping notions and prejudices amongst students and teachers over girl students; call for re-thinking of the current Tanzanian Women and Gender and Development policy to address negative assumptions and prejudices over girls. KEYWORDS: Socialization, gender stereotypes, academic performance, equality. 1 INTRODUCTION According to Bhasin (2000), the specific process which teaches children their gender roles is also called gendering or gender indoctrination. Bhasin continues by saying that, the difference with which children are addressed, handled, treated and clothed and, through this regulation, taught how they should behave to be part of the society they are born in. Human beings are deeply influenced by and involved with other people (Farley, 1998). “Through socialization people adapt and learn to modify their behaviour, thoughts, feelings and attitudes according to the requirements of their culture and society” (Romer, 1981). Also, through socialization, gender stereotyping are learned. Gender stereotyping greatly influence how people think and behave. According to traditional stereotypes, males are strong and dominant, while females are submissive. Gender stereotypes are disadvantageous in that they create bias and prejudices against females. Gender stereotyping refers to structured sets of beliefs about the personal attributes, behaviours and roles of a specific social group, (Wakhungu, 2008). Cuz (2012), also defined gender stereotyping as putting down someone because of their “sex” or not believing they are able to do something because they are either male or female. According to Women information centre (2005), gender stereotyping occurs when certain characteristics or roles are persistently attributed to men or women, thereby creating the belief that these are invariably linked to sex. For instance, the perceptions that all men (boys) are intelligent and breadwinners while women (girls) are less intelligent, dependent and carers of children and the family as a whole. Education is one of the pivotal institutions in terms of socialization. It deals with the change of people’s attitudes toward themselves, their lives and the surrounding world (Tjernstrom, 2005). Since human beings lack highly developed inborn knowledge, the knowledge and the technology necessary to make life easier must be transmitted to each new generation. Before modern times, the family was mostly responsible for these transmissions especially in the provision of skills necessary