When visiting schools recently, there’s been a common theme: teachers worried ‘we’re not hearing girls’ voices in lessons’ – and they’re right. Not because they don’t have something to say, or because their voices and ideas aren’t – consciously – seen as valuable, in fact, the opposite is often true. It may only seem a small thing, something that is easily explained away; ‘there are more boys than girls in my class / the school – we’re bound to hear them more’ or ‘girls are naturally more quiet than boys’ but in reality it’s much more than this. And it’s not such a small thing. It’s not often that we get the time or space to dive into and tackle such a persistent challenge schools face – so here, in honour of International Women’s Day, we start to look at what the problem is, how we might start to make a change, and hopefully begin a much bigger conversation around the importance and value of girls’ and young women’s voices.

Take a glance at the headlines or switch on the news and it’s hard not to notice that, on a large scale, women’s voices are being ignored – or worse – silenced. The recent COVID inquiry has highlighted the disproportionate impact on women during the lockdowns; possibly because, as Helen Macnamara says, ‘women became invisible overnight’. Her evidence to the inquiry stated that women were not invited to key meetings, were not listened to when they were, or were “not being asked for views on something they normally lead on or are knowledgeable about”. And it’s no wonder, then, that girls and young women report feeling underrepresented by and disconnected from UK political leaders, with a fifth of girls saying the decisions made by politicians over the past three years have made them feel less confident to share their views.

Who is heard and who is not defines the status quo. We learn gendered language when we are young. Boys learn to be more outspoken and take longer turns in a conversation. Girls learn to be less outspoken and take fewer turns. This is often reinforced (usually unintentionally!) by teachers. Teachers give boys more chances to talk, and ask them more complex questions, whereas girls are often asked closed or yes/no questions (Swann and Graddol). Sadker, Sadker and Zittleman found that teachers are more likely to interrupt girls, spend more time prompting boys than girls to seek deeper answers, praise boys’ contributions and praise girls for being quiet. 

When we try to tackle the problem of diminished female voices in policy-making, sexism in the tech industry, or the disproportionate impact of disasters on women it’s often too late. By redefining whose voice is valued, we are redefining our society and its values. We are showing girls in our classrooms and schools that they not only have a voice, but that they have the right to use it. 

3 top tips for amplifying girls’s voices in your classroom

1. Set high expectations for talk in your classroom. This includes the expectation that everyone – regardless of gender – contributes. It also includes expectations that we, as adults, may take for granted such as ‘we don’t interrupt one another’. You can use our Oracy Framework to identify and teach skills such as turn-taking, active listening and non-verbal communication skills. Create Discussion Guidelines with your students, so that all voices are represented in the ground rules that everyone agrees to.
   
2. Value every voice. What is the culture of your school, or classroom? Are there a range of opportunities for girls to be involved in talk? For example, are girls encouraged and supported to become Student Councillors or Prefects? By providing strong female role models within school, you might find that the girls across the school feel empowered to use their voices in and beyond the classroom. Read our Impact Report to find out more about how Challney High School for Girls is prioritising oracy education to work towards their vision, to “develop influential women of the future”. 
3. Teach oracy explicitly. Talk about talk with your students, and allow them the chance to reflect on the talk that is happening. What do they notice about who is speaking, and who is not? 

Teach girls, specifically, how to talk and ensure that people are listening. This might include teaching how to challenge or clarify a contribution using our Talk Tactics, for example, “I’m not sure you understood what I was saying – what I meant was…”; or assert their voices when they are not being listening to: “I hadn’t finished speaking – we will listen to your idea next”. It’s a good idea to model these expectations and ways of speaking yourself, too. 

Do you notice how girls and boys contribute differently to classroom talk? Why not evaluate the talk happening in your school and see what you notice? A listening walk is a great place to start, and could be followed up with some student voice or a staff meeting to discuss what you’ve noticed and gain others’ opinions. Let’s start the conversation around the importance of girls’ voices in schools and beyond! We’d love to hear how you empower girls to use their voices in your schools, please share anything you have been doing on Twitter.