A Case for Same-Sex Education
There’s a song and dance with which all women are intuitively familiar. The chirping of the masses, which say women are supposed to be quiet and nurturing, helping to assist men in their ambition. Snow White becoming a housewife to seven strange dwarves is seen as noble and kind, but Lady Macbeth is an antagonist. Cinderella must wait for her Prince Charming in order to escape her abusive family situation; she is unable to save herself from her plight. Studies show that men prefer intelligent women — up to a point. If women are more ambitious and intelligent than their male partners, men see that as a ‘turn off’ (Fisman). Analysis of long term marriages show that divorce rates and marital dissatisfaction increase alongside women’s ambition (Bursztyn). Societal norms, as seen in our classic movies and fairy tales, dictate that men must be the ‘savior’ to the ‘damsel’, which makes men value women with lower intelligence than their own. Even in media where the female is a smart nerd, like in Grease, she is portrayed as being naive, and her intelligence is rarely used to demonstrate her own competence. In the presence of men, women can inadvertently self-sabotage in their desire to appeal to men, and infantilize their own growth. (Bursztyn) This is especially a problem during developmental years, as these are some of the most pivotable, important years. Therefore, in order to have women’s ambition be unimpeded, same-sex school should be considered an option, and many times encouraged. At the very least, having same-sex clubs and spaces where women can be confident in their intellect without the presence of men should be a necessity for many co-ed schools.
It’s middle school again. I, a socially awkward almost-teen, am sitting next to the coolest girl in class. She — who I’ll call Daisy for privacy — is pretty, with a freckled face, a button nose, and dirty blonde hair. But it isn’t her looks which make her popular, although they certainly don’t hurt. She’s smart, incredibly so. Due to my position on Daisy’s left, I begin to see her test results over the course of the school year. 95. 100. 97. 105 with a bonus question. But whenever a guy asks for her score, she giggles, twists her hair around a manicured nail, and says, “Less than you, for sure.” And while one might chalk that up to Daisy being particularly bashful, it seems as if this phenomena of forced modesty is only present in women. At age eleven, 27% of women see themselves as ‘very clever’, compared to 34% of men. (Schoolsmith) While many only see this occurrence through the tinted lens of studies, it occurs in real life all the time.
When single, female MBA students self-reported their desired career successes in a field experiment by the American Economic Association during November 2017, researchers overwhelmingly found that the average woman described themselves as having less ambitious goals when expecting male peers to view their results. While in other demographic groups, the absence or presence of an audience had no effect on reported ambition. Interestingly enough, this change did not occur for women already in relationships. The findings are clear: Women have been taught to repress their ambition and intelligence in order to appeal to men. (Bursztyn) ( University of Warwick)
I don’t think I have to explain why half of the country unknowingly sabotaging their careers due to patriarchy is a bad thing. Women earning the same wages as men would add an estimated 500 billion dollars to the US economy, and companies with women in high ranking positions have a higher rate of success. (Eschulze) When women have more money, they have more opportunities and freedom as well; domestic violence goes down, the average age for when women marry goes up, and rights involving women increase as women have buying power in the economy. (UN Women)
So, if women infantilize themselves due to the patriarchal expectation of women being ‘damsels’, what can we as a society do to amend this issue? While one might view same-sex schools as a relic from a bygone era where the only classes were sewing, cooking, and being pleasant company, same-sex schools (at least, in the case of women) occupy a different reality than the stereotype shown. As someone who’s attended same-sex school for all of high-school, I can confidently say that same-sex education is often more competitive than its co-ed counterparts. Women who go to same-sex schools are 250% more likely to take A-level physics courses, and 70–75% more likely to take A-level Math and Chemistry, as well as 200% more likely to take A-level languages (Schoolsmith). By removing the anxiety of appealing to men, women are more likely to take high level classes. Of course, the main lesson women learn in same-sex school is how to speak up. With no men in class, women are able to develop their own voices without fear of seeming like a “nerd” and they realize that their voices are just as intelligent and valuable as their male counterpoints. While the education of men must occur as well, that change will not occur overnight. Until that change happens within society as a whole, same-sex spaces where women can be among their intellectual peers are vital to female development. This can range from same-sex schools like the one I attend, to dedicated clubs where intellectual pursuit is emphasized. In any case, so long as women have a space to be themselves without the pressure from our patriarchal society to be something else, there’s a scientific, positive effect upon development.
Looking back on my schooling years, I empathize for my middle school self. She would count her questions, too afraid of seeming ‘too smart’ or like a ‘know-it-all’, a struggle too many women still face. But now, as a teenager who enjoys every second of her all-girls school, I’ve learned how valuable it is to have peers confident in their voices, instead of humiliated. Unless we can somehow end patriarchal norms which negatively harm women, single-sex schools should be regarded as a positive choice for women’s ambition and confidence. While education of men towards the harmful stereotypes society perpetuates must occur as well, that change will not occur overnight- and until that change happens within society as a whole, same-sex spaces where women can develop their own confidence in their abilities should be seen as essential to women’s growth.
Bibliography
Bursztyn, Leonardo, et al. “‘Acting Wife’: Marriage Market Incentives and Labor Market Investments.” American Economic Review, www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257%2Faer.20170029.
Eschulze, Elizabeth. “Closing the Gender Pay Gap Could Have Big Economic Benefits.” CNBC, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2018, www.cnbc.com/2018/03/08/closing-the-gender-pay-gap-could-have-big-economic-benefits.html.
“Facts and Figures: Economic Empowerment.” UN Women, July 2018, www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/economic-empowerment/facts-and-figures.
Fisman, Raymond, Sheena Iyengar, Emir Kamenica, and Itamar Simonson. “Gender Differences in Mate Selection: Evidence from a Speed Dating Experiment.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 121, no. 2 (May 2006): 673–97. https://econpapers.repec.org/article/oupqjecon/v_3a121_3ay_3a2006_3ai_3a2_3ap_3a673-697..htm
Schoolsmith. “A Single Sex School or a Mixed School?” Schoolsmith, 30 July 2020, www.schoolsmith.co.uk/mixed-single-sex-school/.
University of Warwick. “Girls feel they must ‘play dumb’ to please boys, study shows.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 August 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140805090947.htm>.
