After decades of efforts to encourage women to pursue math and science, the most enduring accomplishment may be the continuing downhill trend in the academic performance of boys...
[P]lenty of time, attention and money has been lavished on female achievement...in spite of [this], it is boys who continue to surpass girls in almost every measure of dysfunction, from suicide and juvenile delinquency, to substance abuse and academic failure...
In the face of extensive documentation of massive underperformance by boys as measured by potential vs. achievement, and the continued demonstration of stiff competition from overseas..., the performance of boys...should be a source of pride.
Yet because of a prevailing ideology of male oppression, the achievements of males at the most elite levels...are seen as the victimization of females. We see the success of men as a failure to encourage women. And so rather than focusing on producing the best possible [students] regardless of gender, we focus on making sure that men do not outperform women.
At a time when boys are falling behind girls on almost any measure of either achievement or dysfunction, more money will be poured into programs designed solely for women.
- thanks to The American Thinker, italics mine
Yeah, lets go ahead and keep promoting those summer programs in science for girls, affirmative action hiring by university science departments, consciousness-raising programs for parents, etc. Just to ahead and ignore the aspiring-men who will launch your nation into the future.
Note: I am not prejudiced, chauvenist, or white-male-supremecist by any stretch of the imagination. It just saddens me to see minority domination in any area of society, to the exclusion of encouraging continuted excellence in the current leaders.
3 comments:
Hey John,
it is sad that today boys in general are pushed aside. I saw this article in weekly or time news something, and it just made me so sad, because it just is. I think for the sake of all children and for the adults they are going to turn into, People NEED To care MORE, instead of being self focused, we need to be others focus...I could on I think, but basicly I agree with you. laters
I also love Billy Joel-and I agree with your post. What is this world coming to? It really is quite sad. This country claims to be so equal, but then discourages some of it's strongest assetts from succeeding. Goodness. Let's all continue to pray for America.
I have to disagree w/ the idea that boys are not doing so great because they don't have oppurtunity- they have just as much of a chance as girls if they work hard and show their ability- take it from a girl who's a science major and not gotten a pennny for it: gender does'nt make that much of a difference. I think girls are more successful because they're (in general) more motivated. we've been stay-at-home moms since the beggining of time, which is not a bad thing to be, don't get me wrong, but any girl kmows if she's gonna succeed in the carreer world it's gonna take a lot of work. boys have become so accustomed to being on top they've started to take it for granted, and low and behold, it's slipping through their fingers. i may be totally off-base, but just judging from personal experience, it seems like a lot of boys just are'nt willing to work as hard. anyway, just some thoughts... :)
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