Oh look, I’m going to respond to this post: Gender Imbalance in Higher Education because I can’t help myself.
I will state now that my experience of higher education is Australian based and thus does not rack up the astronomical debts of the American education system (as far as I’m aware) – we only rack up slightly astronomical debts and hey if we don’t earn it later we don’t pay. And as much as I would like free education, it’s probably worth my money.
(go read the article and return)
This is what frustrates me:
“Call me a sexist, but my first reaction is to find that disappointing. Call me a sexist, but I believe that in most cases the husband should be the primary income-earner in the family, and that the wife should be free to stay at home with the kids.”
Since when did we develop this idea? It’s cultural. Long standing. Take a non-western society, I’ve lost the actual location, but there are communities where women do the work, all the work, plus the family raising and the guys just sit on their bum’s or go hunting now and then. Weak argument, but then, the author is kind in suggesting a slightly lighter load for women (oh look, they just raise children and don’t have to work).
Hello?! Of course I am going to call you sexist, because immediately in reading your post, I perceive a higher value on men via my GenY thinking: men choose with what they do with their lives, women do something and then must go have babies. It may seem forward and culturally sterotyped but hey, I’m a 22 year old female in 2008, I’m allowed to be a GenY’er. Golly, by rare standards I’m married already, but because I did okay in school and like expanding my skill set and think that I have something to offer to the world in this way, I’m following a career. Don’t assume I never want kids, beacuse I do. I believe education is worth paying for regardless of how I end up using it. Full-time exclusive motherhood is not my dream.
I am not one the following, and I think the next assumption, however gracious is really wrong:
“And many of the college-attending women may be pursuing lower-cost liberal arts degrees that make them more well-rounded, that give them opportunities to meet their husband, that don’t rack up the debt, that equip them to take on jobs while awaiting Mr. Right.”
What a crock. Regardless of whether I wasn’t yet married, I wouldn’t be going to university to buy my time before getting married. I’d be going to do exactly what I’m doing now, because I am intelligent and worthwhile.
To be honest I don’t care about the stats of more women at university, 50% men vs 58% women is negligent. I think his theory that this stat is concerning – “More men need to be studying to earn money for their families”, is ridiculous.
Can’t we seperate education and gender entirely? It’s a farty old stigma that holds onto the male, female roles in this arena. Regardless of his complementarian non egalitarian stance maybe he could’ve said it better.
I had the opportunity once upon a time to do art in school and I didn’t take it. I instead opted for Chemistry, Biology and the like. Interesting certainly, but not really for keepers. I had to print out some uni Chem/Physics/Maths practice exams today for my boss’s son (Yep, that’s me with the time!) and in looking at them wondered why I ever bothered. Yet I enjoyed myself immensely – problem solving. I am a left brained girl with an earnest right brain,or perhaps I adapt to adapt?
The other day Geoff and I went and had a look at Top Arts 2007. Top Arts is a Victorian collection of the best VCE Artwork. I find the exhibition (I’ve been several years in a row now) pretty inspiring – and in a small way kind of freaky, most of the art is done by those younger than me. I am a huge fan of ‘Chad’ (featured left) by Sophie McPike.