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From: schoi@teri.bio.uci.edu (Sam "Lord Byron" Choi)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: sexist space...response
Message-ID: <9103062330.aa03738@orion.oac.uci.edu>
Date: 7 Mar 91 07:30:44 GMT
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erm2@midway.uchicago.EDU writes:

>I used to be vehemently opposed to single sex schools, but found
>myself forced to change my mind during my senior year of high
>school...
>(lots of stuff deleted)

I have hear the same argument used in the case of Mill College students
fighting to keep it an all women's college.  The example is moving and
certainly raises an important issue.  The conclusion, however is a bit
shortsighted.

The fact that female student may tend to shut up in classes with male
students in them tells, and consequently, probably do not learn as much
as they could, does not lead me to the conclusion that classes should
be segregated.

The problem probably lies somewhere in the socialization of young girls (not
so much the boys I would imagine since there is no real evidence of the
(males actively telling the females to shutup).  What are we telling our
daughters that later on makes them so timid in the presence of males?

This is where we have to attack this problem.  Simply segregating the
classes only covers up the problem.  So what are you going to do when
these women, full of knowledge and ability, have to deal with the
external world which is comprised of BOTH men and women?  At what point
should men and women be reintegrated?  High school?  The university?
graduate school?  post-doctoral classes?  In a corporation?  Or maybe
men and women should set up parallel socieites, forever isolated from
each other, meeting only to reproduce?

I see how single-gender classes could be helpful in the short-term, but
it is a finger in the hole at best.  What we really need is s new dam.

Sam Choi
schoi@teri.bio.uci.edu
(paste you favorite generic disclaimer here)