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From the time Emily was in grade school, math was her best subject. She did so well in it that when she went to high school, Emily knew that working with numbers was ‘her thing’.
When the time came for her to go to college, she chose to be a double major in economics and math. Being one of only two girls in most of her classes, she took a lot of grief from a few of her male classmates. One came right out and told her that she was out of her league. He asked why she thought she was smart enough to take high level math classes with the men. “Couldn’t you figure out any other way to meet hot guys than to take Advanced Calculus?” he joked.
“She probably read the catalog wrong and thought this was COOKING not CALCULUS,” another classmate ridiculed. One or two other men in the class simply ignored her or made excuses so that they wouldn’t have to have her on their team during group projects. Of course, there were a few guys who treated her fairly, but many of the others regularly made sexist remarks and put her down. And…it didn’t help Emily’s popularity much that she got the second highest grade on the midterm. Some of the guys were clearly jealous.
Emily was in a GENDER WAR. Maybe the guys in her class were threatened by how intelligent she was. Maybe they were ideas of proper roles for women were completely retro; involving only teaching, or nursing or motherhood. These guys just didn’t get it! They couldn’t accept the fact that while males and females were obviously different physically…that is were the differences stopped. Intellectually, psychologically, socially and spiritually, both men and women share similar talents, needs, hopes, successes and failures.
Think about this: If you were Emily, what would you do?
- Grin and bear your male classmates cruelty
- Change your major to classes in which there would be more women
- Report the sexist attitudes and actions against your to the college dean
- Try to explain to your male classmates that you are not trying to compete with them; you only want to get the best education possible
- Another solution
GENDER BARRIERS can be difficult to overcome. It’s easy to see why you might not want to risk your popularity or the success you have already achieved by standing up for your right to be who you are…an intelligent, interesting young man or woman who does not believe in certain strict roles for either sex. BUT, if you can find the courage to stand up for yourself, you won’t be standing alone.
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