The Gender Wars in Education: what do you think about this article?

Question

"The gender wars in education are heating up again. Too much of the current dialogue on the education of girls and boys has the sound of a prizefight. In one corner are those who say that boys, not girls are shortchanged in school. In fact, they say, the attention paid to girls has harmed boys. In the other corner are those who contend that boys are fine and that girls are the ones with the real problems". The bell rings and the two sides come out swinging, each with its own set of statistics to prove not only that their side is the truly shortchanged, but that it is the fault of the "other side."

What is going on here? How did we get to this point?

Complete article at:

http://www.campbell-kibler.com/Gender_Wars.htm

Answer 1

the so-called gender war in education is limited in scope. first, it does not consider poverty or race. it looks at it as a white-middle class (western nations) issue. (something feminists have been blamed for in the past). second, it does not consider many factors such as teen pregnancy, drop out rates, access to scholarships, etc.

why are women not referred to as geeks? being smart (and into technology) is still not okay for girls - and we have limited represenation in these fields. (likewise, men can have 'girly' characteristics - i always thought calling men girly or a wussy (or p word) was more insulting to women than to men).

also, despite the fact that more women are in college and women get better grades, in the end, men end up with the higher paying salaries.

i got As and a few b's (i studied my butt off) and dated a guy quite happy with his Cs - he ended up with the higher salary.

i went to a top school and have traveled abroad, yet a job was given to a male friend of mine w/ less education and experience. later, his headhunter placed him in a higher paying salary than i have had. i have worked very hard -in school & work - yet have seen many a male friend or boyfriend come out ahead.

i think the people who complain about boys being shortchanged are biased. let's face it, our society worships men (look at all the monuments, parks, cemetaries, how movies are directed at males, how male athletes have cheerleaders but women dont') - they have found a few nit-picky areas where women are doing better (narrowly focused though - not looking at the whole picture) and they are up in arms.

the women's movement was not about one or two areas where women were short-changed - it was about institutionalized discrimination - subtle and overt - in all areas (except a handful) - i would expect no less from men if they are to complain of discrimination - i am tired of them using a magnifying glass on a few areas where we do better. it's like saying - you can never be better than us - you can ONLY be the same or less. just look at the idea of "kind patriarchy" or whatever that was called. or the idea that some courntries have quotas of 40% in parliament - we are HALF the *%#$^&*I population!!! i think it's simply patronizing to say - well you can have 40% (granted, i'd take it but geez, can we please have fairness and not this patronizing crap)

Answer 2

This is absolutely ridiculous. Most of the articles (which I've seen everywhere from TIME to Cosmo) seem to say that schools' emphasis on helping girls has somehow been to the detriment of boys. (sort of like how freeing slaves hurt whites. Riiight.)

Am I the only one who is able to check their facts??? Boys still outperform girls on all portions of both the ACT and the SAT, and yet BOYS are the ones being shortchanged? Don't think so.

Answer 3

Clearly there is a difference in how girls and boys learn, given what each gender is hard-wired to process easily. However, imho, the adaptations that most teachers do instinctively when aware of these differences, happen automatically. Yes, I've seen special programs put in place....math and science for girls, reading and language for boys. I think that both types of programs are needed in a balanced school system.
(Let's be honest here. How many actually balanced school systems are there out there, eh?)

Answer 4

I completely agree... what we need is more understanding and compassion. I just mentioned (on a different question) that perhaps an equality section should be added to yahoo answers. I believe that if we work together, we can accomplish more.
NOT that GWS isn't deserving of its own section, it just seems that we all are fighting for truth and equality but get hung up on gender indifference's and the hate train keeps on rolling and no one is learning anything! jmho

Answer 5

The problem I think springs from the fact that much of the agenda for feminists has been adversarial, boys vs girls, which gender is doing better, and how to help the other one catch up. And it worked, and unsurprisingly continued to work so that now it has helped girls overtake boys.

The constructive sensible approach is focused towards both genders, aiming towards achievement as a whole and not for a particular gender.

I remember back in around 1993 while studying for my PGCE in the uk - a lot of emphasis was placed on different learning styles, mentor assisted learning, kinesthetic learning, instructor led learning and so on, and how different kids would respond differently to different styles.

What was clearly illustrated back then was that there are differences between genders, between cultures, between age groups - as to what methods work best.

There will always be minor variations from one year to the next, it is to be expected. Also there are a lot of factors outside the education system that play a part in academic results. Parental expectations, differing rates of reaching maturity (girls are ahead of boys on this and it makes a difference), hobbies outside of school and so forth. It is hard to separate these contributing factors from achievement overall.

There is no doubt that education needs to be overhauled in a huge way to equip our young people for the society they face, irrespective of the academic results between the genders, this to me is a far bigger priority. If this is done with good will and foresight it will eliminate the competition for resources and teaching methods which presently exists between the genders.

Answer 6

I think that article has really hit the nail on the head. This isn't a zero-sum game, and acting like it is hurts the kids. I also really liked their examples of how helping girls _also_ helps boys, and their reiterating that we've got to stop acting like "girl" things are bad for boys. I've heard that argument before, that one reason boys aren't doing as well as they could is that education and learning is now a "girl" thing, so, you know, ew cooties. It'd be really nice if people realized that everyone's more alike than we're different.

Answer 7

I work in higher education in the US, and I think the quality of education in our schools range from appalling to fantastic. I don't see this as a gender issue, as much as an instructional method and financial problem (class issue).

What other societies have figured out, is that people, regardless of gender or race, learn differently than the ways we use to teach our students in the US. Our public schools are set up to reach a limited number of students, those who can sit still for hours, and learn by listening or reading. The majority of us can't learn that way. Plus we teach often by rote, by memorization, instead of teaching how to problem solve and find solutions for ourselves.

The majority of society is extroverted, not introverted. We learn by interacting with others, not by sitting quietly in a room for hours on end. Many of us need to learn by doing, by interacting with things. Many of us have to talk to others and work in groups to learn. I was told I wouldn't graduate from grade school since I couldn't sit still. I'm now getting my 3rd degree.

But before you can learn, you need to be fed, warm or cool, be rested, have a safe learning environment, adequate materials, and a competent instructor or facilitator. Our public educational system is not set up in a sane manner. We support our schools based on the local property values. So if you live in a suburban area, you've got nice schools, materials, teachers. If you live in a rural or urban area, your school and materials suck and often you have teachers who haven't taught before or very little, since no one wants to teach there.

I also think bullying in our schools is out of control and always has been. I mean bullying by both girls and boys. They do it in different ways, but kids pick on other kids and it's got to stop. Whether kids are saying sexist, racist, homophobic, or just plain ignorant things to drive each other crazy, it's got to stop.

Answer 8

When girls were thought to be behind in schools, the government threw money at the problem & programs & incentives & scholarships and all sorts of measures hit the scene to try & help.

Boys don't deserve any less now.

It's a double standard in our society that when a man comes out on top, there are dozens of things done to help women...

When women come out on top, they are given a pat on the back & men are blamed for their own shortfallings.

It's a mess.

Answer 9

Read them all. The one a person is currently reading the best.