Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bbn!uwmcsd1!ig!agate!rha@bunker
From: rha@bunker (Robert H. Averack)
Newsgroups: comp.society.women
Subject: Re: Countering discrimination your children will face
Message-ID: <12654@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 26 Jul 88 21:30:25 GMT
References: <12003@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <12502@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: Bunker Ramo, an Olivetti Company, Shelton, Ct
Lines: 37
Approved: skyler@violet.berkeley.edu (Moderator -- Trish Roberts)
Comments-to: comp-women-request@cs.purdue.edu
Submissions-to: comp-women@cs.purdue.edu


In article <12502@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> fester@math.berkeley.edu writes:
>Just one point - playing neutral in a negative context isn't going to
>result in equality.  In other words,  parents concerned about giving
>their children equal opportunity in the world need to *actively* attempt
>to balance out the ways in which their children will be discriminated
>against by educational/religious/whatever-else-applies institutions.
>Otherwise external socialization, which is much more powerful than
>upbringing, will just run its course.

     No problem at all with this.

>Thus while daughters should feel free to choose humanities as well as
>technical or scientific studies, and whereas a variety of opportunities
>ought be made available to all children when possible,  *encouraging* 
>girl children  towards the sciences (up to a point) is a minor measure 
>to help counteract the discouragement they may well be getting outside 
>the home.  Being strictly neutral lets standard socialization have the
>upper hand.

     Here though, Lea, I think we need to be careful.  At some point in a
child's development, the child will show a natural tendency/capability
towards a particular area of study.  I believe that this natural tendency
needs to be encouraged and built upon, irrespective of whether it falls
under the Sciences, the Humanities or the Arts.

     In so doing, the child is likely to excel that much higher in this
area of interest.  Furthermore, it is this excellence that will help pave
the way towards a successful adult life.

     Despite this, I sure hope that my daughter, Amanda, likes Math!  8-)

-- 
                       {yale!,decvax!,philabs!}bunker!rha                    
                                  Bob Averack                           
                        Bunker Ramo, an Olivetti Company                      
               Two Enterprise Drive - Shelton, Connecticut 06484