Thanks, Hannah, for once again posting a very educational and enjoyable discussion. My wife and I experienced some anti-boys bias when our son (now a thirty-six year-old attorney) began school in the early 1990’s. We had him in preschools beginning at age two, and he was very social. At age four we enrolled him into a co-ed private school in our town in Florida, to begin in Pre-K, which would have him on schedule to begin kindergarten at age 5 exactly as my wife and I had both done. Although he was the appropriate age for Pre-K, the school counsellor tried to persuade us to hold him back a year, and wait until age 5 to begin Pre-K because, she claimed, boys were less mature and academically slower than girls, and often required an additional year to catch up. I felt offended and refused to hold our boy back. He subsequently did fine and became a well-adjusted and successful student. It turns out that this was a common practice at that school, and many parents were indeed persuaded to hold their sons back.
I don’t know if this was an example of feminist theory. But I can say that, being involved in our son’s education throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s, I witnessed numerous examples of gender-related biases and pressures which he had to face, that I had not experienced growing up in the 1960’s.
Thank you Mark! That's very interesting, does sound like feminist bias to me. I hope people will come out of the woodwork and tell their stories about bias against boys, that might embolden mothers to speak up. They are definitely aware their boys are suffering, as most are visiting doctors' and psychologists' offices with them.
Interestingly, George the Tinmen has had a similar discussion with Richard Reeves today.
The way I would research this is take the similarities and compare them as well as the differences in ideas.
That's funny, will certainly check have a look at that!
i'll add the link if you like.
Jordan Peterson and Warren Farrel also had a discussion a few months ago.
Thanks, Hannah, for once again posting a very educational and enjoyable discussion. My wife and I experienced some anti-boys bias when our son (now a thirty-six year-old attorney) began school in the early 1990’s. We had him in preschools beginning at age two, and he was very social. At age four we enrolled him into a co-ed private school in our town in Florida, to begin in Pre-K, which would have him on schedule to begin kindergarten at age 5 exactly as my wife and I had both done. Although he was the appropriate age for Pre-K, the school counsellor tried to persuade us to hold him back a year, and wait until age 5 to begin Pre-K because, she claimed, boys were less mature and academically slower than girls, and often required an additional year to catch up. I felt offended and refused to hold our boy back. He subsequently did fine and became a well-adjusted and successful student. It turns out that this was a common practice at that school, and many parents were indeed persuaded to hold their sons back.
I don’t know if this was an example of feminist theory. But I can say that, being involved in our son’s education throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s, I witnessed numerous examples of gender-related biases and pressures which he had to face, that I had not experienced growing up in the 1960’s.
Thank you Mark! That's very interesting, does sound like feminist bias to me. I hope people will come out of the woodwork and tell their stories about bias against boys, that might embolden mothers to speak up. They are definitely aware their boys are suffering, as most are visiting doctors' and psychologists' offices with them.