Comments on: Where the Education Gender Gap is Leading America http://makingmindsmatter.com/2009/10/17/where-the-education-gender-gap-is-leading-america/ Bill Costello’s analysis of current events. Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:28:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Anonymous http://makingmindsmatter.com/2009/10/17/where-the-education-gender-gap-is-leading-america/#comment-4145 Anonymous Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:13:31 +0000 http://makingmindsmatter.com/?p=7#comment-4145 Bill, I understand your interest in protecting women, but you should be honest and admit that biological and financial factors heavily favor women in college. The value of a college degree may greatly exceed that of only a H.S. diploma, however men see less value in suffering poverty for four years during their sexual peak. Women face no such disadvantage. You say female achievement is great for America, but it is more accurate to say its great for women. The male participation rate in the economy has steadily declined from 86 percent in 1956 to 65 percent today. Womens has steadily increased to just under the male rate today. This means women are not only out competing men, they pushing them right out of the work force, and to what is most commonly a living hell as a househusband. That must be a fate worse than death for a normal man. It is undoubtedly true that the what you know, not who you know, phenomenon has been by used by upper class women and men to their great benefit, pushing intellectual superior but poor, and therefore, under performing males, out of the workforce. Surely the socioeconomically disadvantaged males feel more resentment than ever against society, and with good reason. They used to be passed over for boys with clout. Now they are passed over for both the rich boys, and the rich girls. They are even be driven out of the work force. In time these men will rebel. Bill, I understand your interest in protecting women, but you should be honest and admit that biological and financial factors heavily favor women in college. The value of a college degree may greatly exceed that of only a H.S. diploma, however men see less value in suffering poverty for four years during their sexual peak. Women face no such disadvantage. You say female achievement is great for America, but it is more accurate to say its great for women. The male participation rate in the economy has steadily declined from 86 percent in 1956 to 65 percent today. Womens has steadily increased to just under the male rate today. This means women are not only out competing men, they pushing them right out of the work force, and to what is most commonly a living hell as a househusband. That must be a fate worse than death for a normal man. It is undoubtedly true that the what you know, not who you know, phenomenon has been by used by upper class women and men to their great benefit, pushing intellectual superior but poor, and therefore, under performing males, out of the workforce.

Surely the socioeconomically disadvantaged males feel more resentment than ever against society, and with good reason. They used to be passed over for boys with clout. Now they are passed over for both the rich boys, and the rich girls. They are even be driven out of the work force. In time these men will rebel.

]]> By: rhy http://makingmindsmatter.com/2009/10/17/where-the-education-gender-gap-is-leading-america/#comment-57 rhy Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:50:48 +0000 http://makingmindsmatter.com/?p=7#comment-57 but overall i think this article was very well put bill thank you for bringing attention to an important issue but overall i think this article was very well put bill thank you for bringing attention to an important issue

]]> By: rhy http://makingmindsmatter.com/2009/10/17/where-the-education-gender-gap-is-leading-america/#comment-56 rhy Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:43:50 +0000 http://makingmindsmatter.com/?p=7#comment-56 what you dont seem to understand is that when a women rises above men you call it a good thing but when men rise above women you call it oppression if true equality of the sex's is to be reached we must realize this as fact what you dont seem to understand is that when a women rises above men you call it a good thing but when men rise above women you call it oppression if true equality of the sex’s is to be reached we must realize this as fact

]]> By: Bill Costello http://makingmindsmatter.com/2009/10/17/where-the-education-gender-gap-is-leading-america/#comment-32 Bill Costello Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:14:42 +0000 http://makingmindsmatter.com/?p=7#comment-32 Fergus: There is no inconsistency. Women becoming richer and more powerful IS a good thing for America. The problem is that men are not keeping up with them. Fergus:
There is no inconsistency. Women becoming richer and more powerful IS a good thing for America. The problem is that men are not keeping up with them.

]]> By: Fergus Hodgson http://makingmindsmatter.com/2009/10/17/where-the-education-gender-gap-is-leading-america/#comment-31 Fergus Hodgson Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:17:27 +0000 http://makingmindsmatter.com/?p=7#comment-31 Bill: Thank you for the cutting article. I wish more people would speak openly about why males are being left behind. Evidently gender does matter, even if many want to deny that reality. How can we be surprised that males are falling behind when more than 90 percent of elementary teachers are female. I'm reminded of Gilder's book, Sexual Suicide (now updated as Men and Marriage), which predicted the very declines you speak of. A couple of notes: You spoke of "richer and more powerful" women as "a good thing for America," but then you outlined how this trend is leading to regrettable outcomes - particularly the rise of solo parenting and fewer marriages. Do you not see an inconsistency, or at least a confused message? To Cornelis: You also made some great points. The importance of a gap in performance early on, as a consequence of different ages of maturity, may play an important role. Bill:
Thank you for the cutting article. I wish more people would speak openly about why males are being left behind. Evidently gender does matter, even if many want to deny that reality. How can we be surprised that males are falling behind when more than 90 percent of elementary teachers are female.

I’m reminded of Gilder’s book, Sexual Suicide (now updated as Men and Marriage), which predicted the very declines you speak of.

A couple of notes:
You spoke of “richer and more powerful” women as “a good thing for America,” but then you outlined how this trend is leading to regrettable outcomes – particularly the rise of solo parenting and fewer marriages. Do you not see an inconsistency, or at least a confused message?

To Cornelis:
You also made some great points. The importance of a gap in performance early on, as a consequence of different ages of maturity, may play an important role.

]]> By: Cornelis du Toit http://makingmindsmatter.com/2009/10/17/where-the-education-gender-gap-is-leading-america/#comment-21 Cornelis du Toit Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:14:15 +0000 http://makingmindsmatter.com/?p=7#comment-21 I believe the cause of men’s poor performance may partly be found in the implementation of the recently introduced multi-level school curriculum itself. The eligibility for advanced and/or gifted and talented (G/T) courses is established through assessment tests early on in in elementary school - right at the time when boys are on average behind girls in their mental/academic development. Boys are capable of catching up after puberty, which I think used to be possible in the past before the introduction of the current multi-level tuition system. But a boy trying to "catch up" in today’s middle or early high school would find it near impossible to bridge the gap, the amount of work required being just too much. As a result, his weighted GPA and subject achievements would remain forever behind the girls in his year group. This would also affects his self-esteem, so that by the time he needs to apply for colleges and universities, he is at a disadvantage, or through sheer frustration may have dropped out of school altogether. The implementation of the multilevel school curriculum can be improved by providing a path back to higher levels, instead of just the slippery downward path that exist today. One of the stumbling blocks to an upward path is that for instance in Maths, G/T students simply do courses that are 2 years ahead of the “on grade level” students, so the upward path would require 2 years worth of catch-up work, which is usually too much in high school. All math students in the same year group should rather cover the same work, but with the G/T students doing much more challenging problems than the on-grade level students. That way any student that starts performing better can bridge the gap without 2 years’ worth of study to do first. Being able to solve harder problems is after all what it means to be “gifted”, and not having been accelerate 2 years ahead in elementary school when the amount of work was comparatively small. I believe the cause of men’s poor performance may partly be found in the implementation of the recently introduced multi-level school curriculum itself. The eligibility for advanced and/or gifted and talented (G/T) courses is established through assessment tests early on in in elementary school – right at the time when boys are on average behind girls in their mental/academic development. Boys are capable of catching up after puberty, which I think used to be possible in the past before the introduction of the current multi-level tuition system. But a boy trying to “catch up” in today’s middle or early high school would find it near impossible to bridge the gap, the amount of work required being just too much. As a result, his weighted GPA and subject achievements would remain forever behind the girls in his year group. This would also affects his self-esteem, so that by the time he needs to apply for colleges and universities, he is at a disadvantage, or through sheer frustration may have dropped out of school altogether. The implementation of the multilevel school curriculum can be improved by providing a path back to higher levels, instead of just the slippery downward path that exist today. One of the stumbling blocks to an upward path is that for instance in Maths, G/T students simply do courses that are 2 years ahead of the “on grade level” students, so the upward path would require 2 years worth of catch-up work, which is usually too much in high school. All math students in the same year group should rather cover the same work, but with the G/T students doing much more challenging problems than the on-grade level students. That way any student that starts performing better can bridge the gap without 2 years’ worth of study to do first. Being able to solve harder problems is after all what it means to be “gifted”, and not having been accelerate 2 years ahead in elementary school when the amount of work was comparatively small.

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