Why do schools divide pupils to different subjects according to their sex? The Ministry of Education curriculum says both girls and boys should gain certain knowledge on both subjects but do they? I certainly didn't: 8 months doing textiles, one month (if lucky, otherwise two to three weeks) in technical. Furthermore, there is clear discrimination as the curriculum goes on saying schools can (but note, it means "are not obliged") to offer pupils the possibility to specialise on either one of them depending on their interest. In my opinion, it is also noteworthy that anyone can go to a general store and get a pair of weaving stiches and some thread and look up the multitudious sites online teaching weaving from the basics. Technical craftwork, on the other hand, requires a specific space, tools and material in order to be worked on (hands up, how many has a lathe or a milling machine at home?). This possibility is denied from most girls unless they choose to go to the given branch on a vocational school in which they of course are worse off than their male counterparts as they were never given any specific teaching on the matter.
The conclusion: elementary school discriminates on people due to their gender.
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Now, there's a happy spider!
(via Pharyngula)
4 kommenttia
millikan
6.4.2009 19:47
AFAIK in every school specialization is indeed offered, it is just that most boys (or their parents, or peer pressure) chooce technical and girls textile. So unless I am mislead in this, it's not the school which discriminates, it's the society.
I know one boy who did pick textiles as specialization, and two girls who did technical...
Splenetic
7.4.2009 00:59
True; society discriminates through its educational systems.
But a 'no' to the rest. I don't recall ever being asked to choose (either by my parents or by my teachers) between textiles and technical. It was always since the first year to the ninth when some mysterious authority decided for me (and possibly for others as well) whether we would have textiles or technical. Have to remember to ask later this week from my mother whether she was ever asked to choose which one would be my (and my siblings') specialisation, though I doubt that ever happened. We never had a single boy nor did I ever heard of one in textiles.
I chose woodwork on ninth grade as an extra. I remember on seventh grade finding electrics extremely interesting. It only lasted for two weeks so I suppose my assessment on the subject can't really be called very thorough but I would have preferred that over stiching any day.
millikan
7.4.2009 11:25
Hmm, could be that this varies between schools then...in our school on third year (or was it already second? I think it was third) everyone had half a year of textiles and half a year of technical, and after that people whose which one they preferred. In our class without exception boys did pick technical and girls textiles...so it was kind of a given, considering how few nine-year-olds dare to oppose the gender structure of our society, but technically the choice was there to be made...
I rather liked the electronic stuff too but disliked the wood- and metalwork, and probably would have enjoyed textiles better. One of the entries on "in retrospect I should have been a non-conformist" list :)
Splenetic
7.4.2009 11:37
"'in retrospect I should have been a non-conformist' list"; hopefully not too long. :)
Suppose it does vary. Odd that you should make that chose so early. Especially if it's a permanent decision holding up for the rest of elementary schooling. That half-half arrangement sounds like a very good solution for everyone; girls get to do woods and electrics and boys learn how to put the falling buttons back. Perhaps a combination of these two would be nice: half-and-half for the first five years and after that one could "specialise". Or maybe such specialisation would be better if left for extra classes.