Why is it discrimination if an all male clubs refuses to admit women but if an all female club refuses to?

Question

admit men they are not discriminating against men?

even as a woman I can not figure this one out......thoughts......

Answer 1

Stanley Fish wrote a wonderful essay in his book "There's No Such Thing as Free Speech (and It's A Good Thing, Too)" answering a question like this (except on the basis of race). I've linked to it below. The basic argument, as I understand it, is this. Power inequities mean that legal inequities result in as close an approximation to balance as we can obtain. What does that mean?

Simply put, if one group has more power than another, then we legally offer more power to the other group(s) in order to attempt to level the playing field. For gender, that means that we encourage women to mentor each other while at the same time trying to discourage the "boys network" that so often resulted in sales and promotions. For instance... take Augusta National (a golf course where only men are admitted). What's so bad about that? The bad is when there's a company president and four company VPs. The president and three of the VPs are male, and one of the VPs is female. The president takes his three male VPs out golfing, but the female VP can't attend because of her gender. Not only are the "boys" getting more face time with the VP (earning his trust just because he's getting to know them better), but they're bonding as a group... and it's likely that business issues will be brought up.

Unfortunately, this is the way business was conducted for years--deals were sealed on the all-male (and all-white) golf courses and in the all-male (and all-white) club rooms. This is wrong--I hope that's obvious.

So why allow women to do essentially the same thing? Well, because it isn't essentially the same thing. There are few women's clubs of "power," and those that exist generally do so in order to help women like that marginalized VP learn how to navigate the corridors of power in a world that resists change. The reason it's acceptable for women to do it is because they don't have the power in our society that a group of men do. No one asks if we're ready for a male president. No one asks if a male is "capable" of balancing family and work or of doing a good job at a difficult task just because he's male. Women still face these questions and issues.

Think gender inequality is a thing of the past? I read a story today on Yahoo! talking about women serving in our armed forces in Iraq. A woman was in line to command a unit, and other commanders wrote to protest, asking why a *woman* was getting the job. The army caved and placed her elsewhere. (I've linked to that story, too--ABC news, *today*).

As long as these kind of situations continue to occur, the people who have the most institutionalized power need to be forced (gently but firmly) to relinquish it, and those who have been powerless need to learn how to obtain and wield power.

Answer 2

There are some answers to think about here.
Some do make a very good point.

Men wanting to have a club with just men, is not discrimination!

The argument of exempting women from a golf courses while the men go play is a good one.
If deals are in progress and say a woman is involved, the conversation goes into the club house, the locker room, and even the showers.

Is it to mean women should be allowed into the showers to, so the conversation can continue and not jeopardize the deal?.

Personally, women do not belong in combat, fox holes, close quarters situations and etc. with men.
you will never change my mind on that one.

Women claim discrimination continually against men because it works, and lets face it, to fight that, for a man or company, is almost impossible, while costing them a huge amount of money.

Closing a club to women is absolutely not discrimination.

It is just men wanting to be with men for a change and there is nothing wrong with that.

The sad thing, women want things both ways. While men can not figure out what it is they really want.

Companies have a hard time figuring women I do believe.
They get to upper management, great salery, she become pregnant, then the decission becomes, a leave of absince, and lately there are women who quit these great jobs after the birth of their child, to just stay home and take care of them. (nothing wrong with that), while the employer has invested a lot of money in them for the position they held. It cost money to train people to be good employees.

When it comes right down to the very very very bottom line. Can't go no farther. At the very very end. The very last person to carry out what is to be done. In most instances will be a man.
Sorry ladies, that is just the way it is.

Answer 3

Men are already "superior". Men tend to already have the upper hand.
Personally I find it harder to speak up when guys are around, so I like "female clubs".

But if a male club refuses to let in a female well that is discrimination and it's probably because of the history that women have when it comes to not being allowed to join in with the guys or being seen as equals ect. Remember women wern't allowed to vote and still don't get equal pay as men and so on.

The women groups that i belong just simply help women to find their voice and if a man really wanted to join they would let him. But I don't think a guy would really want to...
...i mean this all in a nice way! :)

Answer 4

It really depends on the nature of the club whether or not someone is going to say 'oh discrimination!'.

Also, It's terrible, but I think that no one says it's discrimination when a man is refused entry into a female club because 1. not many want to know the real reason he wants in 2. a man in a room full of females is culturally assumed the greater being creating for himself an unfair advantage. When a woman enters a room full of males, she's choosing to be around 'higher beings' than herself. She's not making any unfair plays by doing this because she's a woman. Yea, it's bs, but I think that underlying attitude still very much exists in some people.

Answer 5

Because some women want to act like men and not have anyone question the reason. That is except when they just want to be women together sharing the assurance that men are pigs. IMHO

Answer 6

Just let the girls be happy!