Big Girls Cry

National Review Online ^ | May 22, 2008 | Carrie Lukas

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Nothing frustrates grievance peddlers more than a rival victim group threatening their turf. Regardless of any official mission statement, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) exists to complain about how unfair the world is for women and to leverage sympathy into favors from government or academia’s power brokers. One recent AAUW publication depicted college women under siege from ubiquitous sexual harassment; another lamented how women earn less than men — even though their own research showed that individual choices, not discrimination, were mostly to blame.

But AAUW’s bread and butter has been complaining about how women and girls are “short changed” by the U.S. education system. It’s a case that’s increasingly difficult to make: Girls have higher GPAs in high school, take more difficult course loads, are more likely to graduate, and earn the majority of college degrees. This has led many to wonder if it’s boys, not girls, who are being overlooked in the education system.

It would be bad news indeed for the AAUW if women could not claim first place in the academic grievance contest, so AAUW dedicated their latest report, “Where the Girls Are: The Facts About Gender Equity in Education,” to fending off the idea of a “boy crisis.” They highlight data showing that both men and women have made gains in recent years on many measures, such as college attendance and standardized test scores. Women’s gains have tended to outpace men’s, but they argue that isn’t a concern since women’s gains have not come “at the expense” of men’s.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

"Surely girls’ academic prowess suggests it’s past time to stop appropriating taxpayer dollars for programs predicated on the idea that girls are disproportionately suffering in our public schools. That’s a conclusion the AAUW isn’t willing to reach. In this report, they reluctantly admit that girls aren’t doing so badly, but then quickly push to move the public debate “beyond gender” to focus on other factors, like race and family income, which are more closely tied to educational outcomes."

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Ping!

[unixfox]

Geez...would you gals just PLEASE go bake cookies and be happy ferchrissakes!

[SolidWood]

Thanks for the ping.
If you have academia related articles, feel free to ping me.

[republicanequestrian]

ROFL!!!

Cookies, fine. You wouldn’t want me to cook anything else though, unless you enjoy burnt, black or sour.

I wish these organizations would pursue a grander cause...like offing themselves.

[AlaskaErik]

Fergie lied
big girls cried.