Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!ora!ambar
From: hrdoucet@watcgl.waterloo.edu (Heloise Doucet)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: sexism (against women)
Message-ID: <1991Mar13.192417.5176@watcgl.waterloo.edu>
Date: 28 Mar 91 03:24:53 GMT
References: <561@clbull.cl.bull.fr>
Sender: ambar@ora.com (Jean Marie Diaz)
Organization: Computer Graphics Lab [CGL], University of Waterloo
Lines: 49
Approved: ambar@ora.com

In article <561@clbull.cl.bull.fr> rao@cl.bull.fr (Srinivasam Rao) writes:

>I would like to ask one question in this context.  Why don't the members
>of the "weaker" sex prove themselves by competing with men in the World
>Chess Championship and becoming the world champion.  Atleast here, they
>cannot claim any disadvantage of physical or mental "weakness", can they ?
>It will be a good point to prove the world that women also have mental
>prowess equal to men as they are proving in other fields.  Any takers ?

Well, I have heard that in the junior chess championships that there
are girls who do very well.  It would be silly to say that they are
smarter when they are young than when they are older.  Therefore, it
would be logical to say that something has dissuaded them from
participating when they are older.  Can we say "society"?

To look at it from another point of view:

Few men take part in things that are usually for women only. ie
Nursing, Executive Assistant(formerly secretary), Ringette,
Synchronized Swimming, Ballet etc....

Many men feel out of place in these activities or they are
non-existent because of the stigmas and rules attached to them.

For women chess would be similar.  I was taught chess when I was very
young and soon I could beat my father.  BUT none of my other female
friends played or were even interested.  My interest waned and I
didn't improve.  I would have had to REALLY love chess to keep at it.
Boys would only play with me if they could beat me.  Their attitude
was "Ha Ha, I won, I'm better than you are".  It is no fun playing
with people like that.  Therefore I don't play chess anymore.  I
didn't love it that much.

If the situation was reversed and the sport was generally a woman's
and I was a man I doubt the man would continue in it either.  I have
seen this happen with boys trying to join our ballet classes.  They
didn't stay very long.  Also, friends of mine that went into nursing
say that the men in their class didn't stay very long either.

Men, try to start something that mostly women do.  See how hard it is.
That is how women feel when trying to get ahead in a "man's" activity.

I am considered to be strong and assertive by my peers but joining
ballet classes and being accepted there was a lot easier than being
accepted in the local astronomy club, D&D club, Computer Science,
Comic book collecting etc.

(That's all for now - I'm starving!)
Heloise