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From: mark@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: Non-Sexist Upbringing
Message-ID: <7103@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 20-May-84 00:39:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.7103
Posted: Sun May 20 00:39:06 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 21-May-84 03:42:45 EDT
References: <4337@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 29


	Note that I am not suggesting that the child would be unaware of hes
	sex. (Although that is another variable that might be considered)

I think that ignorance of one's own sex would be absolutely essential
to this experiment, unless one had very very good control over every
minute of the child's environment.  If a child knows she is a boy,
that makes a difference in how she interprets his experiences.

Keeping a child ignorant of hes sex would involve a lot of lying.
"Why don't I have a penis like yours daddy?" would have to be answered
with great care if one could not say "because you have a vagina like
your mommy".

As far as possible we have tried to raise our children non-sexistly.
Clothes and even answers to noisy onlookers about sex were handled
uniformly.  But, about age 3, girls want to wear dresses ("I don't
LIKE pants!") and boys, I presume, want to wear cowboy hats
(or something like that).  They know what they are, and they have eyes.
We are now seeing a switch back in our
6 year old, to where she is comfortable in any clothing combination,
but bluejeans are her favorite.  I fear it is not any non-sexist
upbringing on our part which has brought about this change, but
Jordache commercials.

Sigh.
-- 
Spoken: Mark Weiser 	ARPA:	mark@maryland
CSNet:	mark@umcp-cs 	UUCP:	{seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!mark