My concern here (or opinion) is that, when I have researched single sex
schools and programs, many of them are teaching reading, math and science in a
non-traditional way, (some might say using feminist pedagogy). This non-
traditional praxis is something my male child does not get to take part in (if
the program is for girls only) and we are losing this very rich scientific and
mathematical mind as we continually lose and have lost those of women. I
guess what I am trying to say is that there have been many men in our society
who have been left behind for a variety of reasons, because they have do not
fit the "traditional" view for male. I feel we leave this male out in many of
our discussions on equity. Trust me, I am definitely in support of ALL we do
and need to continue to do for women in all facets of life to promote a more
equitable life, however, I do not believe gender equity starts or stops there.
I feel that we should target the way teachers teach and allow all students,
male and female to benefit from pedagogy that promotes a desire for
mathematics and science. We forget sometimes that women are not always/only
the ones left out of these fields. There are many inequities to both sexes
and besides the legalities of single sex education, it is not solving the
problems and it may be creating even more.
In our efforts to encourage women and girls in non-traditional careers at my
institution we have sent out fliers, etc. that encourage these students to
apply, but not in exclusion of others.
Jenny Piazza
jenpiazza@aol.com