SEXUALLY SEGREGATED EDUCATION: NOT!
March 8th, 2008 | by Rachel | Published in Daily Featured, Politics | 5 Comments
As the mother of two daughters I must admit that there was a time when I was intrigued by the idea of separating boys and girls in our school classrooms. The idea, at the time, was that our first daughter would receive a high quality education without the unruly influence of high-spirited young men in the classroom, who might interfere with the educational process. In November, my husband (Enlightenment, PraetorOne’s father) and I had a beautiful menopause baby, a girl who we named Allison and the topic of Sexually Segregated Education was again brought to the front burner. Only this time I was dead set against it.Why?
Because for all intents and purposes Sexually Segregated Education is just that, a form of segregation and it is not being proposed because the people who created and who are currently promoting this movement think a great deal of women. Indeed I see a lot of self-hating women, and woman-hating men who are using pseudo science and over-generalizations to promote a very misogynistic agenda.
One proponent of segregation is Charlotte Allen of the Independent Women’s Form, who writes;
“The theory that women are the dumber sex…is amply supported by neurological and standardized testing. Men’s and women’s brains not only look different, but men’s brains are bigger than women’s ( even after adjusting for men’s generally bigger body size). The important difference is in the parietal cortex, which is associated with space perception. Visuoptical skills, the capacity to rotate three dimensional objects in the mind, at which men tend to excel over women, are in turn related to a capacity for abstract thinking and reasoning, the grounding for mathematics, science and philosophy.”
In a similar vein, Michael Gurian, author of BOYS AND GIRLS LEARN DIFFERENTLY informs us that:
“Girls have difficulty learning some math, perhaps because they are not called on as much, but also for biological reasons. Adolescent males receive surges of the hormone testosterone five to seven times a day; this can increase spatial skills, such as higher math. Increased estrogen during the menstrual cycle increases female performance in all skills, including spatial, so an adolescent girl may perform well on any test, including math, a few days per month.”
Please note the semantics in the above quote. The use of the terms “adolescent males” and “adolescent girls.” What was wrong with the terms “adolescent boys” or “adolescent females?” In his foolish but revealing choice of words the author revealed that he thinks of women as girls. It was a stupid thing to do, but perhaps Mr. Gurian was suffering from a sudden release of male hormones while he was writing that particular paragraph.
Kidding aside, this is the same kind of reasoning–or lack thereof–that woman haters used during the Victorian Era to denigrate women and to combat the suffragette movement. The only difference between then and now is that the Victorians loved to use dissected brains to support their half-baked argurments. Today the misogynists hide behind phony neurological studies and fudge results in their attempts to keep the Mrs. in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant.
This is nothing more than a backlash against the feminist movement, against equal rights for women. And the primary figures behind it are frightened males who are afraid of strong, intelligent women, men who don’t want to compete against independent-minded women for degrees and employment. At the other end of the spectrum I suspect there are a lot of frightened, jealous women who are afraid to compete against men and other women, so instead of building themselves up they seek to create an educational system that will tear down other women. In either event this is a movement that is based on fear, hate, self-loathing, and jealousy. Not to mention junk science.
On a personal level I want my daughters to live in the real world, not like little princesses in a tower whee they won’t receive a proper education. I know there are problems in our society, but so many of the arguments in he segregation movement are based upon protecting our daughters from the disruptive influences of young men that one has to wonder: Why are we punishing the young women and not the disruptive influences? That said I can’t even equate sexual segregation with racial segregation. At least racial segregation was, at one point, based on the phony premise of separate but equal, but this kind of sexual segregation is based upon the premise of separate and unequal, and that is quite simply Unamerican.
I don’t want my daughters educated in an Unamerican system. I want them to learn the same skills that young men are taught; I want them to learn that the real world is a world where men and women and work together in harmony with occasional moments of competition.
Anything less is unacceptable.
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March 8th, 2008at 9:14 am(#)
Interesting take. I felt it was reverse discrimination when they started *bring your daughter to work day*… I felt like what is my son chopped liver? All kids should have the same opportunity. I was following right along with you on all of your talking points- until you made the “I don’t want my daughters educated in an Unamerican system. ” statement. Maybe because “America” has a bad reputation going on right now. Maybe because I need you to define what an “American system” means to you. Some parts of the American education system perpetuate the myths and lies about facts and history. Columbus discovered America. What the White Government did (and are still doing) to the Native Americans. One teacher in Colorado lost his job because he was pointing out the parallels of G. W. Bush & Adoplh Hitler. Some schools have gone so paranoid (after school killings), they ripped out all the lockers & require students to wear clear, see through backpacks. Others have adoped a *zero tolerance drug policy* that results in an honor student, violin virtuoso, with otherwise perfect attandance, to be suspended because she had menstrual cramp medicine (contraband) in her possession. Other districts allow Military recruiters free access to students in High Schools- even allowing “captive audience” Military recruitment presentations during class time. While one rural school had Uniformed Military personnel collecting the *opt out* to not be recruited forms. Where students were verbally harassed by those officers collecting the paperwork.
All of this stuff has happened or is happening in the American System, which is why that term makes me cringe.
We have had to fight to have those kinds of things addressed. We have had to demand that no recruiters be allowed in classrooms, and they cannot bring their mobiil unit trailer on school district property to prey upon children with very slick marketing tactics. The military would have your kids believe enlisting is really just like playing video games, and you simply choose what career path you’d like. They offer trinkets like free dog tags, t shirts, gym bags, videos & DVD’s.
Never any mention of toe tags & body bags. Although we signed up for the opt out (do not recruit) each & every year in high school– my son began to get military recruitment mail at age 15. I was so angry, I wanted to burn the propaganda– but decided to keep it. Made a file, had quite the collection from every branch- army, navy, air force, marines, ntl guard, the reserves, ROTC, even an invite to just go direct to being a higher ranking officer with big pay & lots of paid vacation time. Wound up making a collage and putting it in a local art show, titled “Nightmares”- the price of the piece was “the cost of war”.
Beyond that I guess I have to talk about the No child left behind program. The Bush legacy that takes all the joy and individualism out of teaching. The teachers must teach to the test, and treats students in a cookie cutter style, as if they all learn in the same way.
So I agree with the idea that sexual segregation is a bad idea- with perhaps the exception of sex education classes, where single sex classes may be more comfortable for students to ask questions, and have open dialog. Otherwise a more international, and non No child left behind education system would be desirable. Even though my youngest is in College now, the University gives military recruiters the school based e mail adresses, so they can solicit students that way.
The American education System has become the military industrial complex’s barrel of fish for recruitment. The “American education” label, as it stands right now is tainted, and frought with serious problems and issues.
March 8th, 2008at 3:17 pm(#)
As usual most do not do things for the sake of doing the right thing. You always have to wonder what their hidden agenda is. All four of my sons were broght up in public schools and they are well rounded and successful. I believe it has more to do with the parents and parenting than anything!
March 8th, 2008at 3:29 pm(#)
Jim - Don’t know if your kids attended public schools under the *No child left behind* mandate of Bush. My kids attended public schools too– but, those last few years- thanks to Bushco, they had to teach to the tests. Things have dramatically changed.
March 9th, 2008at 5:58 am(#)
Actually Fran, we’re on the same page. Please note that I have two boys (three including Praetor) and I want a school system that will produce strong, rational, males and females. I too am sick of the nationalistic bullshit that has undermined our educational system since forever. I want my children to learn the very bloody truths behind how European Americans came to dominate this country; how the Founders were brilliant but morally flawed (read slave holding) individuals, etc. In other words I am tired of a white-washed curriculum which says “My country right or wrong.” I want my children to learn both, the good and the bad about this country so that they can concentrate on what we did right while not making the mistakes of the past. Or for that matter not running off to every war that a leader dreams of because we are so dumbed down that we accept jingoism as a basic truth.
In short I think we need to teach basic logic, reasoning, and critical learning skills replete with a full spectrum of history, civics, science, math, art, music, ad infinitum.
And that applies to both males and females
Rachel
March 9th, 2008at 9:56 am(#)
I think Rachel’s premise that female students get the ’short end of the stick’ based on gender is accurate. Many of us have seen the ’studys’ that state men are better at one thing and women are better at another..when it comes to critical thinking skills. Its all bullshit I think, and even if it’s not…environment and education can usually overcome any type of shortcoming whether real or perceived.
Thank you Rachel for a very stimulating read, I really did appreciate it!