fitch@inmet.UUCP (02/08/84)
#N:inmet:10900041:000:1444
inmet!fitch Feb 3 13:40:00 1984
Dear Neters:
Tom Twiss asked of the net, are certain traits restricted to one sex
or the other and are any of them "better" than any other?
Of course not! The world is full of wonderful examples of the
infinite variety of "male" and "female" traits that individuals of both
genders can hold. Beth Mazur listed some traits that were normally
thought of as male and female traits. These traits may be male and
female in nature but to say so is just an exercise in labeling of
traits.
The classroom study Beth mentions shows that a trait, such as a talent
or interest in math and science, is learned in the classroom. More
important is that beliefs about the way men and women are supposed to
act are learned, not only in the classroom, but from family, friends, tv,
almost everything. We learn "you can't do that or you should act this
way because of who you are". Which is ok until it stops us from doing
what we want to do.
It is not who we are that limits us in this world as much as who
we believe we are. People are up in arms about discrimination, but
our discrimination against ourselves is much more profound than that
that is brought upon us. Having identified discrimination in the world
and having said 'this is what I want my life to be like', what am I
going to do today make it that way?
Geoff Fitch
Intermetrics, Inc.
733 Concord Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
...{harpo|ima|esquire}!inmet!fitch