Guest TheBlueCat Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10571425/University-gender-segregation-why-this-student-is-still-fighting-university-chiefs.html I find this one philosophically interesting because I can't construct a universal rule for it. I find the idea of a university lecture requiring gender segregation abhorrent but, on the other hand, I can think of situations where segregation seems reasonable. OK examples would be the women only dinners my old uni used to have at the start of each year for the 2% of women on some of the science courses (basically a chance for them to meet older female students and academic staff without the mass of male students hitting on them) or the single sex group therapy sessions my next door neighbor runs for recently divorced men. How are these fundamentally from the first case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10571425/University-gender-segregation-why-this-student-is-still-fighting-university-chiefs.html I find this one philosophically interesting because I can't construct a universal rule for it. I find the idea of a university lecture requiring gender segregation abhorrent but, on the other hand, I can think of situations where segregation seems reasonable. OK examples would be the women only dinners my old uni used to have at the start of each year for the 2% of women on some of the science courses (basically a chance for them to meet older female students and academic staff without the mass of male students hitting on them) or the single sex group therapy sessions my next door neighbor runs for recently divorced men. How are these fundamentally from the first case? You can have "women only nights" and a "man's club". The real world is different! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpectrumFX Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 The issue for me is the religious aspect. Normally I`m all for free association, but the trouble with religion is that at heart they`re all systems of indoctrination and control. Universities should be about teaching people to think for themselves, excluding people with different views from lectures and debates doesn`t really help with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erat_forte Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 The issue for me is the religious aspect. Normally I`m all for free association, but the trouble with religion is that at heart they`re all systems of indoctrination and control. Universities should be about teaching people to think for themselves, excluding people with different views from lectures and debates doesn`t really help with that. "Universities are sacredly secular" So that's why all the Oxbridge colleges and other old universities have active Anglican chapels at their hearts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpectrumFX Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 "Universities are sacredly secular" So that's why all the Oxbridge colleges and other old universities have active Anglican chapels at their hearts! It`s a fair point, but I`m more interested in what they should be than what they were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erat_forte Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 It`s a fair point, but I`m more interested in what they should be than what they were. I agree but it's not just what they were, they still are. I suppose it is a symptoms / cause thing, the issue is a symptom of somethign deeper. In a healthy society these bigots would be laughed out of town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpectrumFX Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I agree but it's not just what they were, they still are. I suppose it is a symptoms / cause thing, the issue is a symptom of somethign deeper. In a healthy society these bigots would be laughed out of town. Ok, then I`m more interested in what they should be than what they are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Whoops... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Executive Sadman Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I agree but it's not just what they were, they still are. I suppose it is a symptoms / cause thing, the issue is a symptom of somethign deeper. In a healthy society these bigots would be laughed out of town. pym fortyn tried that didnt he. it didnt end well. trouble is, we'll never agree on what a bigot is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkman Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 OK examples would be the women only dinners my old uni used to have at the start of each year for the 2% of women on some of the science courses (basically a chance for them to meet older female students and academic staff without the mass of male students hitting on them) That's ok with you? As ever just reverse the genders and judge whether it's ok. If the only reasoning for the gender discrimination is supposedly that the majority gender will "hit on" the minority gender then no it's definitely not ok. It plays straight into the "males are cavemen and females are helpless victims" sexism of old. I just find it a bit ironic that universities are supposed to be full of the brightest and the best, yet they are often dens of extremism and terrible double standards. Oh well.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 That's ok with you? As ever just reverse the genders and judge whether it's ok. If the only reasoning for the gender discrimination is supposedly that the majority gender will "hit on" the minority gender then no it's definitely not ok. It plays straight into the "males are cavemen and females are helpless victims" sexism of old. I just find it a bit ironic that universities are supposed to be full of the brightest and the best, yet they are often dens of extremism and terrible double standards. Oh well.. Yes, it's absolutely fine with me and, if the gender balance was reversed I would have no problem with men only dinners (although I suspect there wouldn't be very many takers). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 No we didn't have ladies' halls or men's toilets! Thoughtfully, the bathroom area did not have urinals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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