Radical researcher Christina Hoff Sommers spoke Wednesday on the status of male education in America.
In the talk, sponsored by the Wisconsin Association of Scholars, Sommers argued that innate differences, which should not be discouraged, exist in the genders.
“I worry that we’re making little boys feel bad about themselves,” she said. “We’re becoming a society that’s intolerant.”
Sommers is the author of two highly debated books, “The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism is Harming Our Young Men” and, more recently, “Who Stole Feminism.”
The talk was given in conjunction with a spring 2002 social-emotional conference called The Boy Crisis to be held today at the Pyle Center.
Sommers asserted that despite what most Americans believe, males more often get shorted in education, while females benefit from extra teacher attention.
“Boys outnumber girls in sports,” she said. “Girls outnumber boys everywhere else.”
In her speech at the Pyle Center, Sommers stated that assumptions of low female self-esteem are misleading, arguing girls are more ambitious and academically stronger than boys. She feels men lack advocates who will campaign for their rights today.
“Boys don’t have these partisan organizations marching in sisterly solidarity,” Sommers said.
Sommers used her own son as an example of a boy who does not participate in class, choosing instead to sit in the back while the girls monopolize the teacher’s attention.
“Boys feel unwanted and unappreciated,” she said. “The classroom is friendlier to girls and increasingly hostile to boys.”
She does not wish to take attention away from the girls, Sommers said, but instead wants to use similar scholastic encouragement tactics on boys.
In her talk, Sommers addressed the arguments of her counterparts, including the issue of the gender-wage gap. Studies show the average female makes 75 percent of what the average working male does. Sommers said this statistic does not take into account that more women take time out to raise children and that they work fewer hours.
Sommers, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., said she hopes to dispel the myth that masculinity is toxic. She said an analysis of women’s studies textbooks all lead to one overall statement, “Women are from Venus, men are from hell.” She called women’s studies classes “Paranoia 101”.
Adam Go, a UW-Madison zoology graduate, decided to attend Sommers’ talk after reading one of her books. He said he agreed with several of her points.
“For me, it’s not about not wanting women to excel, but society going too far in certain areas,” Go said. “People are trying to make boys into girls. There are natural differences I think people don’t want to accept.”
Lisa Jennings, a UW English major, disagreed. She said she thought Sommers’ arguments were weak.
“She was basically excusing all male behavior, even if it is bad,” Jennings said. “She pretty much said male aggression is acceptable because it is genetic. That’s ridiculous.”
Sommers has appeared in numerous national media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Good Morning America and Politically Incorrect.
