Waxing_Gibbous
13-10-2009, 09:08 AM
I'm the least P.C. bloke I know. Any liberal tendencies I might have, have been with me since childhood. I consider Cultural Studies, Womens Studies, most forms of Psychology and "Inclusionism'', to be a waste of time and money and a dumping ground for the academically challenged.
However: My wife has an Honours degree in Mathematics (something called 'Abelian Algebra') and a Masters in Operations Research. She is so smart that her employers are struggling to to find FIVE people to do her job (IT Project Manager, giant oil company),when she goes.
In hopes of a quieter life, Carron is doing a Dip-Ed at the moment and part of her course was to look through Math's texts and to note what each sex was doing in any pictures or photos. She thought this was nonsense, I thought it was nonsense....but you know, her Prof was right!
Out of 87 images only 51 had women/girls in them. Out of those 51, only 2
showed women performing "non-traditional tasks" (doctor/banker). The others all had women being minding the kids, having coffee, sewing, baking, etc etc.(nothing wrong with that but...).
More alarmingly in 63 ofthe images of men/boys, they were shown to be performing, difficult 'brainy' professional stuff (Astronaut, engineer, scientist, astronomer etc etc.). The others were loggers or heavy eqipment ooperators etc etc.
I find this really quite appalling! Particularly in a subject like Math's where no heavy lifting is required and only the brain matters!
Granted amoung the middle and upper middle class kids in the city, these images would probably go unnoticed or if noticed would be challenged.
Out here in the country, where much is as it always was, as most of the kids are well, not backward, but ill-informed, its much more likely that that any subliminal effect will only re-inforce outworn stereotypes.
My rant for the day!
However: My wife has an Honours degree in Mathematics (something called 'Abelian Algebra') and a Masters in Operations Research. She is so smart that her employers are struggling to to find FIVE people to do her job (IT Project Manager, giant oil company),when she goes.
In hopes of a quieter life, Carron is doing a Dip-Ed at the moment and part of her course was to look through Math's texts and to note what each sex was doing in any pictures or photos. She thought this was nonsense, I thought it was nonsense....but you know, her Prof was right!
Out of 87 images only 51 had women/girls in them. Out of those 51, only 2
showed women performing "non-traditional tasks" (doctor/banker). The others all had women being minding the kids, having coffee, sewing, baking, etc etc.(nothing wrong with that but...).
More alarmingly in 63 ofthe images of men/boys, they were shown to be performing, difficult 'brainy' professional stuff (Astronaut, engineer, scientist, astronomer etc etc.). The others were loggers or heavy eqipment ooperators etc etc.
I find this really quite appalling! Particularly in a subject like Math's where no heavy lifting is required and only the brain matters!
Granted amoung the middle and upper middle class kids in the city, these images would probably go unnoticed or if noticed would be challenged.
Out here in the country, where much is as it always was, as most of the kids are well, not backward, but ill-informed, its much more likely that that any subliminal effect will only re-inforce outworn stereotypes.
My rant for the day!