Gold Coasters support A.B. Paterson College for two male captains on merit, saying ‘gender equality is out of control’
Society must “stop vilifying men” and “anything else is just tokenism” say readers who overwhelmingly agree it’s fine to have two male leaders at a co-ed school.
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A.B. Paterson’s decision to appoint two male leaders has overwhelming support from Bulletin readers, with one person suggesting “girls need to pick up their game” and another suggesting society “stop vilifying men”.
The private co-ed Gold Coast school recently announced males as its school captain and vice-captain saying it had chosen them on “merit alone”.
Many parents were left “bewildered” by the decision while Griffith University academics argued it was important schools model gender equality and that the “merit argument just ignores all available evidence”.
But the majority of the 150 people who commented on the article, mainly males, backed the school’s decision, with only a handful of people thinking it’s necessary to have leaders of both genders.
“Positions should always be chosen on merit. To not do so weakens organisations,” Sue said.
“It likely hinders students’ ability to identify and cultivate their true individual strengths, recognise it in others, maintain a strong society, and enjoy strong personal efficacy.”
John said the idea that everyone gets a prize was “nonsense”.
“This is creating a generation of young adults that will not function in the real world, because they believe they are entitled to things based on what they are not how hard they work or apply themselves,” he said.
James and Alistair congratulated the school for its decision while Graham weighed into the debate saying as the father of a former school captain, “merit was and always has to be the only criteria. Anything else is just tokenism”.
A person who identified as Grumpy said: “Are you serious? They selected appropriately and the two leaders just happen to be male. Stop vilifying men”.
“What damage is this doing to our young boys when they need to hang their heads in shame and apologise for who they are.”
Brad believes that “the girls need to pick up their game it seems, the boys simply wanted it more and outworked them”.
According to Robert, academics have “lots of slogans” but he wants to know in what way the “playing field is not fair”.
“Given most schools now overtly organise themselves around the needs of girls learning and boys are being left behind this seems a little disingenuous.”
Steve said that “gender equality is out of control. It should be whoever is best suited for the job period”.
“I don’t care if that person is female, male or non-denominational. Simply choosing a workforce or school so it’s a 50/50 male/female ratio is just not good business practice.”
There were a few people who felt agreed the school needed to appoint a female leader, including a man who called himself a Gold Coast Thinker.
“As a father I am glad my children do NOT go to that school,” he said.
“While the argument for token appointment may be somewhat true, the evidence articulated by the expert indicated there was still a cultural bias towards males in leadership roles.
“Girls never had a chance, at least let half the population be represented.
“First the stupid netball Qld decision then this, as the expert said above, it’s too soon and society is not at a point where merit wins.
“Nice support for ol’ school right wing men in the comments.”
Choosing two male leaders was also described as a “dumb decision” but another reader, saying as a co-ed school there should be one female and one male captain.
“Both genders need to be represented. I argued the same a few years ago at my child’s primary school when two girls were appointed ‘on merit’,” they said.
“Both genders need the opportunity to be leaders and examples of such particularly in a school environment. I am sure the boys selected are excellent and worthy choices, it’s not about them.
“It’s a school, teaching, learning, creating opportunity is the end came, why would they not want to have equal representation. Clearly a dumb decision.”
Dr Adele Pavlidis, a senior lecturer in Griffith University’s School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, did not want to react to readers comments.
But she added: “This is a very big issue and those who are particularly challenged by gender equality and equity frameworks are often those that hold outdated ideals about girls and women’s place in society.”
A.B. Paterson College under fire for appointing two male captains
October 21
A PRESTIGIOUS Gold Coast co-ed private school has been labelled “repulsive” for departing with tradition to choose two male school leaders, with one parent “bewildered” by it.
Two academics agree, saying society was nowhere near gender equality and using “merit” to choose student school leaders ignores that “the playing field is not fair”.
A.B. Paterson College principal Joanne Sheehy this week announced males as its school captain and vice-captain in an email to parents saying: “We select the best candidate for the portfolio position, with our processes based upon merit alone, as it should be.”
But one parent, expressing disappointment at no females in either role, said: “In an age of equality what does this show all the female students at the college, what does this say to all the female students who went for a captaincy role.
“I thought it was 2021 not 1821. I find this a repulsive decision in this day and age.
“There are a lot of upset and bewildered students and parents. I thought A.B. Paterson was a progressive school not regressive.”
Another person, who did not want to be named, said the decision had left some of the girls who applied for the roles feeling “a little worthless”, particularly when in the past the school had always chosen one male and one female leader.
“It’s a co-ed school and in an age of equality how does a decision like this happen,” they said.
Director of the Griffith University Policy Innovation Hub director, Professor Susan Harris Rimmer, said modelling gender equality and other kinds of diversity was really important.
“The merit argument just ignores all available evidence the playing field is not fair. We are nowhere near that point yet,” she said.
“We are nowhere near gender equality in the careers these kids will choose when they leave school.
“If they go to university, only a third of the professors that will lead their discipline will be women. Then they will find out women are under-represented in key decision-making roles across almost all industries in the Australian workforce.”
Prof Rimmer said women made up only 32.5 per cent of key management positions, 28.1 per cent of directors, 18.3 per cent CEOs and 14.6 per cent of board chairs.
“So best practice is the leadership team should represent the demographics of the student body, otherwise you get into ideas about who ‘good leaders’ are.”
The evidence on stereotypes about what it took to be an effective leader had shown to lead to gender bias, she said.
Specifically, both men and women tend to endorse the belief effective leaders should show stereotypically masculine traits.
“Succession decisions made by those at the top, who are overwhelmingly men, show a preference for promoting others with whom they share similar traits and characteristics or those with whom they have a positive interpersonal relationship,” she said.
Griffith’s Dr Adele Pavlidis said in addition to male and female captains, schools needed to ensure all genders were supported, particularly those in the LGBTQIA community.
“They have the highest rates of self harm and suicide and it’s time schools were more open to gender fluidity,” the senior lecturer in sociology said.
Dr Pavlidis agreed it was “too soon” to make leadership decisions based on merit, considering in recent memory women weren’t allowed to attend university, own property or have their own credit card.
“There is literally hundreds of years of history showing the marginalisation of women that we have to undo, women were not given the opportunity to access to leadership roles,” she said.
“We need to be providing leadership roles for both genders, to show young women there is a pathway for them.
“When you consider data gathered that shows fewer large Australian companies are run by women than are run by men named John or Peter, then it’s too soon to use the merit argument.”
Society still had an unconscious bias when it came to gender, with research showing employers made different decisions on who they hire when they knew the applicants genders.
“It’s not about today, it’s about what’s happened historically,” she said.
“People say it’s equal now and that decisions should be based on merit, but we have a lifetime of inequality and oppression to address and heal from.”
Coast school gets an ‘F’ for gender studies class
Opinion - Ann Wason Moore - Oct 25
IT’S an F for A.B.
The decision by Gold Coast co-ed private school A.B. Paterson College to choose two males as its school leaders for 2022 is an epic fail.
While principal Joanne Sheehy last week announced the awarding of both the school captain and vice-captain positions to male students as being “based upon merit alone, as it should be”, it wasn’t long before she was schooled on this apparent lapse of gender judgement.
As argued by Griffith University social scientist Dr Adele Pavlidis who focuses on gender equity, it’s simply too soon to make leadership decisions based on merit, considering in recent memory women weren’t allowed to attend university, own property or have their own credit card.
“When you consider data gathered that shows fewer large Australian companies are run by women than are run by men named John or Peter, then it’s too soon to use the merit argument,” she said.
Ultimately, it goes back to the line of “you can’t be what you can’t see”.
Which is why, even if the school appointed two female leaders, it still wouldn’t be the right decision. Would it feel more comfortable? Yes, because it’s not repressing an already repressed segment of the population … but it’s still repression. And it’s still wrong.
Because, ultimately, choos-ing two leaders of the same sex at a co-educational school is denying half of the student body the right to specific representation.
These positions are a bridge between the student popula-tion and the school leadership, and there is no denying that certain problems are sex-specific - from bathrooms to uniforms to break times.
Can a boy support a girl and vice versa? Of course. But each deserve their own voice.
And then there are the bigger issues, such as sexual stereotypes. It’s a problem for boys and girls alike, and we need to empower them to educate their own communities of their diversity. It’s about championing, for example, girls in STEM and boys in dance.
Because while we are making baby steps in allowing each sex to be who they are, we have a long way to go.
Just look at Robina Town Centre.
Gold Coast general and breast surgeon Dr Rhea Liang, whose study on why women leave surgical training was published by prestigious medical journal The Lancet, tweeted a photo of a seemingly harmless promotional poster at the shopping centre.
“Things girls love to hear,” the sign read.
“1. I love you.
“2. That’s on sale.”
Yuck, yuck, yuck.
And I say this as a woman/girl who does love to hear both of those things … but they do not make my top-two list.
It’s just another chapter in the narrative of women which reads that all we need, want and care about is romance and shopping. And, judging by the comments under Dr Liang’s own post, it’s a sentiment inspiring a storm of anger.
“I’ve fixed it,” said one. “Things girls love to hear: 1. Abolition of gender pay gap 2. Autonomous reproductive legislation.”
Now, to their endless credit (I do love you Robina Town Centre, and I’m very sorry to highlight this mistake … but maybe this is what they call a teachable moment), the town centre management has apparently now taken these signs down following public complaints.
Complaints from women, I might add.
And, bringing it back to A.B. Paterson, imagine that sign was posted on the school’s campus.
Are the male captain and male vice-captain going to be outraged? Maybe. But probably not.
Because, even as a feminist, I bet I would walk past this sign a hundred times and never think twice about it. Because it’s a stereotype I’ve been fed all of my life.
It’s been the status quo for so long, even I might fail to recognise its offence and literally walk on by.
So how can we expect a teenage boy to recognise this prejudiced pigeonholing?
And that’s why we need to encourage the next generation of women to speak up for themselves … and for us.
Women and girls have only just begun to be heard, we cannot allow our schools to silence our daughters’ voices.
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Originally published as Gold Coasters support A.B. Paterson College for two male captains on merit, saying ‘gender equality is out of control’
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