Although I am not ready to give up my feminist hat,as it has served me well during many cold conversations, I am intrigued by the article on Gender Equity Discrimination found in the National Journal. Of course I want equality between men and women for all things. "Equal pay for equal work""A woman can do anything a man can do"...etc/ But considering Stuart Taylor's comments on discrimination based on gender equality.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/openingargument.php
The premise is that men and woman (hold onto your hats people) may have inert, natural differences and therefore are not truly equal. Surprise surprise we are different. That's a good thing. Equal does not mean same. Why should we make sure that the same percentage of women and men are graduating in math and science? Sure I can see that it could be a symptom of a discriminatory acceptance policy. So use that as a starting point, and investigate if the admissions policies are biased but don't stop there. Seems to me that many policies hide behind statistics when really we should be using those statistics to uncover and investigate potential concerns, but we should not stop at a number and make fundamentally unmitigated assumptions. It reminds me of the school exams and "No Child Left Behind". Evaluate on the easiest criteria - test scores_ and make all policies based on that one statistic.
Men are different from women. We should embrace the differences. Generally speaking, men are traditionally better in science and math, while women are traditionally better in the human sciences. This does not mean that ONLY men should excel as biologists and ONLY women should partake in psychology forums. First and foremost we have to allow both sexes the opportunities to excel at their desires, regardless of whether those desires are traditional or unconventional. If I want to do research in BioInformatics and gain my phD, give me the opportunity and help to excel. And if my husband wants to stay home and raise our children, provide him with a support network and help him succeed. So evaluate the person on this skills and drive not on their sex. We have seen litigation and policies intended to help women overcome gender discrimination, but are we going too far now? Are we insisting that young women must go into the sciences to up our statistical averages? Are we doing a sort of affirmative action program? I am a big fan of ending discrimination in all aspects of life but don't turn us into replicas of each other.
I cannot discuss equality versus sameness without a reference to religion. Remember when the big debate revolved around Christmas trees versus Menorahs? It was determined that school were discriminating against different religions by displaying Xmas trees and decorations without accounting for Chanuka. I was thrilled to see that some schools embraced the differences and taught about other religions. Children were learning about the Muslim holidays and the Jewish holidays. Not all schools behaved in that fashion. Some dictated a no decorations policy so as not to offend anyone. What does that teach? How about the schools that insisted that same importance be placed on Christmas and Chanuka without regard to the higher and more significant Jewish holidays. Again, equal is not same. It takes much more effort to produce equal as opposed to same.
I want to be different and I want to show my uniqueness. As the Marine's say let me be all that I can be.
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I could not agree with you more. We are NOT equal. We are individuals. And as individuals we have very specific strengths and weaknesses. We should play to our strengths and not be "forcefully encouraged" down certain paths because of our gender or race. My biggest issue is with the language we use. Equal. No, not equal. Fair. I should have the same chances and oppertunity for acceptence to the University of my choice as someone from South Africa has or as the "little southern bell" from Georgia. It should be based soley on the criteria of the school for acedemics and extra curricular. Governments should not be providing additional funds to schools based on their gender or racial acceptence program. We have become so
ReplyDeleteaffraid of offending people or initiating a law suit based on what WE have defined as descrimination, that we are in fact actually causing it. I read an article some time ago (I wish I could find it) that stated that the population of white males are now becoming the most descriminated against group of individuals. It is harder now, today, for white males to get a fare chance at jobs and education because of all the programs surrounding "equality". Its ridiculous. I echo equal pay for equal work. What about equal options? As your profile states you are a "fashionista". So I will assume you have been to your local mall recently. Next time your there, count how many stores are marketed for women and how many are marketed for men. I find women have more choices in clothing, shoes and accessories them men could ever hope for. Sure, stores like Banana Republic and Gap have gender section. So does Macy's. But count the gender racks in those stores. Gap has 2/3 of their store focused on womens clothes. Macy's has 1 1/2 floors. So what are my options for shoes? I can count 6 womens shoe stores in my local mall. Not counting the shoe departments in some larger retail stores. The options for men are just not there. Why? Men need shoes to. Or are we supposed to make our own out of leather from the hide of todays kill? Want to talk about equality in the judicial system? Can anyone tell me what percentage of mothers win custody battles in a divorce case? Why? Are mothers better parents? Says who? If you want equal rights for women, why do I have to pay alimony? If it was equal accross the board, perhaps my two timing wife should be paying me each month. We absolutly gender descriminate accross this country. Its in everyday advertisments on TV and marketing adds. Its sickening. And as a white male, I am beginning to have less options and oppertunties with each passing day. Not only are we discriminated against, but we are ALL placed into stereotypes. PLEASE write a blog on that issue. I have a lot to write on that topic. I would love to see equal options for all.
What does equal mean to me? The day I can walk down the street in my own pair of mens Jimmy Choo's.
WOW - you just gave me enough topics for the following month. Stereotypes will be coming but i also want to thoroughly address rights of all parties in divorce situations.
ReplyDeleteYour comments on shopping are true but don't forget the mighty dollar here. Could it be that women spend more on clothing than men and therefore it is financial motivation not discrimination that dictates the number of male options? Marketing uses a different rule book and that book doesn't care what gender or race you are as long as you've got the cash (or usually credit) to speak via purchases. I would bet that if the profits from men's clothing skyrocketed this holiday season, you would see a few more male dominated stores opening in your local mall.
Can you actually make shoes from the hide of your kill? Cuz I am not sure hamster fur would compete well with Ughs...