The Importance Of Single Sex Education

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In this paper I will use a multitude of research that shows scholarly evidence on why single sex education is harmful to one’s over all wellbeing and physiological health throughout one’s life. Single sex education is defined, as “the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools”(Pinzler, p. 785, 2005). The controversy over single sex education involves aspects such as its effectiveness and social ramifications of binary genders. Supports of single sex education believe that there are fewer distractions because everyone is of the same sex. Supporters also believe single sex education is also seen as a way to break down stereotypes such as women not doing well in the math and science field. They believe that single sex education helps males also break out of typical gender roles such as hyper masculinity. However, proponents believe separating girls and boys makes little to no difference in their academic achievement and is actually more harmful to your identity.
Single Sex education supporters state that education will be “separate but equal”(Jackson, 2010). There are many reasons why this statement discriminates; history has shown us that this mind set has not worked before. This phrase is synonymous with oppression, segregation, and racism that took place in the south for decades. History has shown us that this is not the answer it is actually an infringement on equality. Single sex education feeds into many gender stereotypes. Single sex asserts that there are only two genders male and female and discounts people who are born intersex. Jackson states, “Because what counts as a standard male or female is subjective, there are no hard and fast numbers...

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...harmful to children in a variety of ways. It breeds hyper masculine and hyper feminine qualities that are harmful to a child’s learning environment and social development. Single sex schools promote only gender specific learning, buying into the idea that males and females are inherently different. Not only is this notion flawed, it leaves little room for individuals that do no fit into prescribed gender norms. Further, it has been shown that single sex education does not necessarily mean that a child will perform academically; rather it depends on socioeconomic factors and the general academic drive of the child. Single sex education is debilitating and can promote heterosexism. With little no empirical evidence many are taking the side of single sex education, it is a decision that is not based in factual evidence and can determinate someone’s over all wellbeing.

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