Rockin' Out Of The Box -- Gender Equity

The University of California-San Francisco’s Center for Gender Equity is promoting anything but.

On April 28th, The University of California-SF had a "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day" through the Center for Gender Equity. Some of the activities the children got to participate in were to work with microscopes, slice up brains, play surgeon or dentist and visiti the intensive care unit nursery. It sounds like a really exciting opportunity for the kids to learn about science and get a glimpse into the medical world. However, that is only half of the story. Those opportunities were offered only to the pre-teen girls who came for the day. Any pre-teen boy who showed up at the center got a vastly different experience.

The boys were "[taught] about violence prevention and how to be allies to the girls and women in their lives" using media, role playing and group games. How is this gender equity? Because you were born with a penis, you are a violent woman hater who needs to be reeducated, while if you are a girl, you're perfect already, come learn about science and have fun!

When asked about this, the center’s director, Amy Levine, said, "It's about dealing with effects of sexism on both boys and girls and how it can damage them," she said. It’s about replicating "the same sexism that occurs in the classroom daily." The program isn't meant to give boys and girls the same learning opportunities, and this is being done by a center whose very name suggests that their goal is gender equality.

That is unbelievable. Not only are they not promoting gender equity, but they may actually be creating the very situation they are purported to be against. I hope none of the boys leave thinking that, "Hey, I gues it's my job to beat up girls, I'm already being told that it's wrong".

That's disappointing. I was hoping to read that they had the boys making and serving coffee, taking orders for lunch and delivering them around the office, and being talked to in a condescending manner while being called 'sweetheart' and 'dollface'. Now THAT would have been educational for them!!!!

Jemison

this just makes me sick, this is not a gender equality center, this is a reverse sexism center. These days eqaulity seems to mean female power.

You guys ever watch a movie called The Wave?

Great flick. The idea was a teacher started a club with his highschool kids. They picked on certain kids, kept them out of their cliques, were mean to them, only let in certain other kids based on their looks, etc. The kids did it fine and perfectly, they saw nothing wrong with it.

Then he explains to them that they just simuated Nazi Germany.

It was a real story, and the teacher got jail time for it, but it's a fantastic example of what happens when adults test things on teens who trust them. It shows the danger of doing things like

The program isn't meant to give boys and girls the same learning opportunities

Originally posted by Jemison
That's disappointing. I was hoping to read that they had the boys making and serving coffee, taking orders for lunch and delivering them around the office, and being talked to in a condescending manner while being called 'sweetheart' and 'dollface'. Now THAT would have been educational for them!!!!

You are closer to the truth than you think. From the schedule for boys 11-13

B50
Join Food Services Catering to put simple food trays together for a buffet and sample your delicious creations. Then learn about gender equity in fun, creative ways using media, role playing, and group games with Millberry Fitness and Recreation.

while the girls 11 -13 will attend the following for the same time slot.

P50
Join the Anesthesia Department and be an anesthesiologist for a morning. Come to the operating room, dress up in scrubs and see how anesthesiologists care for their patients during surgery.

Personally, if I had a son I'd be a little ticked off at this BS. When the whole "take your daughter to work day" started many people were up in arms that it discriminated against sons. Many workplaces accomodated this by changing it to "bring your child to work day" to avoid the appearance of gender bias. Now some of those sponsors - like gender equity - attempt to make a nasty little point by limiting the interesting workshops to only girls. For a program that is supposed to be all about the kids and fostering equality it seems, at least to me, that they are pushing the gender divide even wider.

Here's a link to Center for Gender Equity's site and the workshops - Link


Bleys

Originally posted by Amorymeltzer
You guys ever watch a movie called The Wave?

Great flick. The idea was a teacher started a club with his highschool kids. They picked on certain kids, kept them out of their cliques, were mean to them, only let in certain other kids based on their looks, etc. The kids did it fine and perfectly, they saw nothing wrong with it.

Then he explains to them that they just simuated Nazi Germany.

It was a real story, and the teacher got jail time for it, but it's a fantastic example of what happens when adults test things on teens who trust them. It shows the danger of doing things like

The program isn't meant to give boys and girls the same learning opportunities

Yep, I read the novel and saw the movie. It was pretty freaky. I never knew the teacher was jailed though.

As far as gender equality...fact is, boys and girls are wired differently. Gender "roles" are not learned--a lot of that is already present at birth. Children aren't blank slates. I've heard of this one woman who raised her son and daughter neutrally, and the boy still gravitated toward the "male" things and her daughter towards the "female" things.

People are not equal over all--some can do more things than others--but all people are equal in worth as human beings. I'm a housewife, but that doesn't make me inferior to my husband, who works--in fact, our roles complement each other.