Why do educational institutions dislike men?
It seems like men are not welcome anymore in educational institutions such as universities and so on. This is especially true if you are a fit, healthy male, whereas men who can demonstrate some kind of disability are welcome to some degree, but are often marginalised and made to feel inferior throughout their educational experience. I wonder why this is the case? There is a constant eroding of trust in these institutions, such that they are no longer impartial. This is because they have become highly politicised, and staff seem to teach through a political lens or filter. This biased approach is wrong and seems to contradict what learning is all about. I think the old philosophers in Ancient Greece would become very angry at how bad our educational establishments have become, if they were alive today. But then again, they were all men. So they would be called lots of bad names.
Comments (16)
I like to think it is a fashion that will pass sooner or later but nowadays I agree it pays-off a lot in politics and socially.
A lot of older staff have retired and the younger staff are not so impartial.
They tend to be more politically driven and influenced, which shows a lot in their teaching.
I think this change from university as an image of historical white male privledge based on values of social exclusion to an inclusive place for everyone has resulted in white men feeling unwelcome. The scales have tipped against their favour and I don't think they will go back the other way again.
I think university is undergoing huge change socially and politically.
And contrary to what many claim, Universities work much more easily and practically when they are homogeneous in thought and purpose.
Something that wants to defend and express to everyone, ends up defending and expressing nothing.
My notion goes something like this.
[for the USA] Public schools and state universities are designed to produce durable cogs for the wheels of industry. Perhaps, most private schools and Ivy League universities are designed to produce precious-metal cogs for the wheels of industry. Only the most elite schools are designed to educate.
These notions are based in part on my view that training is about learning the answers [fetch, boy] and education is about exploring the possibilities.
So, if the university system is suffering a unique misandry moment, it does not strike me as alarming given the insidious nature of the beast as I see it.
My guess is that a certain portion of men get disliked due to holding baseless opinions such as this one that gets expressed in the OP.
Would some of these bad names be those of "cunt" and "pussy" ... expressing attributes only women are endowed with ... that are innately derogatory ... on account of being what women are biologically endowed with? The label of "dick" doesn't have the same resonance; it retains a type of respect even in the worse cases. Then again, I've never heard someone say "she was a dick".
When gender egalitarianism becomes equated to harm against men, though, those who so equate might get disliked by those who are egalitarian. Some of the latter being quite healthy men.
Just sayin'.
Quoting StreetlightX
Good call.
Elsewise, looks a bit like folk noticing their previous privilege and not liking a bit of equity.
What does "equity" mean - an equal number of each race and sex which isn't representative of the local population or an unequal number of each race and sex that is representative of the local population?
The former will allocate unequal power to each individual, and the latter allocates power evenly to each individual. It seems like we are headed for the former-where certain groups are over-represented, while others are under-represented. I thought that was what we were trying get away from. It seems that people like you really aren't interested in equity at all, just more of the same of one group oppressing others. You are essentially fighting racism with racism.
The problem is in thinking that groups have more rights than individuals.
No one here has satisfactorily demonstrated the claim that women are over-represented or men under-represented in academia at all. The OP is about a ‘fit, healthy man’ not feeling ‘welcome’ in an academic environment.
Quoting User34x
I’m curious: what constitutes a ‘welcoming’ environment for a ‘fit, healthy man’? The sense that he’s among his peers? Reassurance that his virility has value?
Do you care to check the proportion of undergraduates, postgraduates and university staff who are male?
Quoting User34x
And the proportion of those males who are able-bodied?
Quoting Banno
Sounds about right. Par for the course atm.
I most know, why do you know something of the history of education? It is my favorite subject and it is so exciting to come across someone who knows something about it.
Years later when I returned to college, I had to do a paper on middle-aged women, and the best research on that subject was done by women. However, the professor insisted we use the abstracts and extremely few males had done research on women, and the work done by women was not accepted in the peer-reviewed abstracts. The professor was aware of the problem, but would not change his requirement. It appears the world is different from what it was 40 years ago.
https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/facts-and-figures