Doing the rounds today has been a headteacher of a mixed-sex private school trying to promote his school by saying that girls who go to single-sex schools don’t learn to communicate with men in the real world.
I went to an all girls’ school and I’d query that massively. I had a short rant, which I’ll collate here.
The good thing about moving to a mixed-sex sixth form from a girls’ school was less distracting lesbian drama. https://t.co/AXr8TX8hUM
— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) January 5, 2016
(though, to be fair to the lesbian drama, it was significantly superior to the hetero drama at sixth form)
Anyway, I’ve never had any problems “meaningfully conversing and communicating” w male colleagues, ime they don’t need you to communicate
— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) January 5, 2016
…they just kind of talk at you and over you innit
— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) January 5, 2016
Adding to this, at my current workplace, it’s mostly women. It’s a great place to work because I never get men talking over me, and I can make my points and get on with my fucking job.
I do wonder what exactly these problems with communicating with men women from girls’ schools have–is it ~not being deferent~?
— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) January 5, 2016
bc ngl that’s something that’s great about girls’ schools. You don’t really get the “shut up and let the boys speak” drummed into you much
— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) January 5, 2016
The reason I used “much” here is because it’s not completely absent. Yes, you won’t have teachers calling on the boys more than the girls. Yes, you won’t be a direct witness to patriarchy in action among your peers. However, you’re still living and growing up in a patriarchal society so it’s kind of still coming in.
Sadly, that chap’s thesis relies on a paywalled article, but I’d guess that the “communication problems” are being bitches.
— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) January 5, 2016
A “bitch” here clearly defined as “a woman who pisses off men”, by doing Terrible things such as not quietly standing there and nodding while he speaks, not accepting everything he says as right, arguing, talking back, saying no, etc etc.
If anyone can get hold of the paywalled article, please do send it my way. I believe it was in the January 2012 issue of Science, although I didn’t actually have much to go on: all the headteacher said was it was an article in that magazine, never specifying a date, or anything.
I did find this on differences in communication styles from girls’ vs mixed-sex schools https://t.co/IPgA5VH9Oe pic.twitter.com/xH6RLVYP3m
— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) January 5, 2016
Anyway, not saying single-sex schools are A Good Thing necessarily–they’re fucking TERRIBLE for trans kids for starters…
— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) January 5, 2016
However, I seriously query this “all girls’ schools don’t teach how to communicate w men” shit–they don’t teach *deference* to men.
— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) January 5, 2016
This bears repeating again and again. Single sex schools are fucking shit for a lot of kids. They’re probably not the best thing for anyone, really, in an ideal world. Nonetheless, do they make it harder for women to communicate with men? Yes, probably. But only because men are entitled pigs.
Another angry woman 