A Modern Exploration Of Gender Stereotypes
In The Selection of Music Teacher Applicants
Andrew Lesser
Burlington City Public Schools
andrew.lesser@yahoo.com
While administrators’ individual perceptions of what constitutes an effective candidate for a music teaching position remains ambigu- ous, the sex of the applicant may result in an unethical, though per- haps unintentional bias. Studies previously conducted by Cohen and Bunker (1975) and Kopetz (1980) were based on the hypothesis that sex is a substantial factor in administrators’ decisions regarding the hiring of potential candidates. The present study seeks to partially replicate Kopetz’s research by determining if a modern context dem- onstrates any changes in sex stereotyping when evaluating applicants for an elementary or secondary instrumental music position.
S Literature Review Research concerning sex stereotyping in the hiring of corpo-
rate workers has been conducted by scholars for several decades. Though Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act legally prevents all potential employment discrimination based on sex, gender, race or religion, the act of employers favoring certain applicants based on these factors remains present in the modern day workplace. Cohen and Bunker (1975) revealed that although eleven years had passed since the enacting of Title VII, only 32% of female “white collar” workers were employed in managerial occupations, demonstrating the perception among employers that women professionals are “less suitable than males” for high-level positions that are considered too demanding (567). Cohen and Bunker’s experiment consisted of providing 150
male job recruiters from two large southeastern universities (n = 68; n = 82) with fabricated materials concerning a male or female ap- plicant. The position sought was either a “male oriented” person- nel technician or a “female-oriented” editorial assistant, in which the application blanks were varied by sex (566). Results showed that while the individual quality of the applicant’s sex was not a definitive factor in the hiring process, a combination of sex and the position variables constituted a significant bias toward females in the editorial assistant position, while males were favored heavily by recruiters in the personnel technician position. This study contributes evidence that “sex discrimination may occur at the very initial stages of the job selection process” (570). Cohen and Bunker’s work was referenced by Kopetz (1980) in his application of sex stereotyping in the workplace to music educa-
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ex stereotyping in the professional workplace continues to be a nationally significant issue, particularly in the field of music education (Abeles & Porter, 1978; Lamb, 2010).
tion. Though Kopetz acknowledged that most administrators differ as to what characterizes an effective teacher, a trend emerges as to the relationship between the sex of the teacher and the specific grade level where that teacher is employed (3). In regards to music teach- ers, 83% of all secondary instrumental teachers are male, while 80% of female music teachers are employed at the elementary level (3). As hypothesized by Kopetz, this may also be due to the stereotype of “male” or “female” oriented instruments, such as the trumpet or clarinet (male) as opposed to the oboe or violin (female). Kopetz developed four fictitious sets of biographical informa- tion in combination with an application form designed for a sec- ondary instrumental music teacher. This position involved responsi- bilities including directing a concert band, jazz ensemble, marching band and orchestra. Two of the four applications were designed with the names of a male applicant, with the other two originating from a female applicant. Each of the resumes were codified into sets which provided a different combination of sex, instrument (clarinet, trum- pet, violin, and oboe) and the applicant’s institution of study (music performance-based or music education-based). Two hundred respondents, including superintendents, prin- cipals and supervisors participated in the study. While results did not show a significant difference between both sex and instrumental preference, males were generally preferred over females by evalua- tors to receive a formal interview. In addition, the “male” oriented instruments of trumpet and clarinet were also slightly preferred over the “female” violin and oboe. Kopetz thus concluded that “being a male is a clear advantage in obtaining an interview for an instru- mental music position” while females may have a better chance of being interviewed if their instrumental choices were either trumpet or clarinet (65). Kopetz also theorized that since most administrators do not
have specific knowledge of music content, they are more likely to focus on other criteria such as sex, preferred instrument or institu- tion of study (75). While it cannot be proven that sex stereotyping directly influenced the participants in their selections, this research contributes to the evidence that gender bias is active in all forms of job fields, and that music education in particular adds specific vari- ables that are unique in the work force.
Methodology
To replicate Kopetz’s study, four resumes of applicants were cre- ated with fictitious backgrounds, including a clearly defined male
MARCH 2016
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