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Original poster

Men only school workshop

35 replies

Littlepaleale · 07/05/2015 22:39

Sometime lurker and first poster on feminist chat so please be gentle with me.

My reception aged, DD brought a letter home from school today inviting 'Dads and male careers' to a series of technology skills workshops.

I'm outraged and working out how to respond.

Schools should be hypersensitive to promoting STEM subjects and encouraging girls in particular. Am sure there's a well intentioned reason that it's being targeted at men but it's thoughtless, at best, and makes me worry about the other subtle signals the school might be sending girls about what they should be interested in or good at.

I would have made a point and signed up for the course but am not able to make it (mixture of mine and husband's work commitments and looking after the children).

Have sounded out some mum friends in a jokey way and no one else seems to feel the same as me. Why is this?

How do I respond? I'm thinking a brief note to the workshop organiser and the Head. Would love to be able to do it with style and humour!

Interested in your thoughts

OP posts:
NoRockandRollFun · 08/05/2015 09:17

I don't think you're overreacting, it would certainly give me the rage. I would start off by asking a few questions, exactly what is the. what's the motivation behind this? will there be another, similar event for mums and female carers for etc... perhaps they have really communicated it very well, perhaps they are just a bunch sexist idiots.

cailindana · 08/05/2015 09:04

There was something similar at our local school. It was a total washout, hardly anyone attended.

What fucks me off about the whole thing is the idea that in order to get men to take any interest in their children they have to be encouraged to participate in traditional "manly" pursuits, at a time that is convenient to them (ie after the time that they've done the real Man work during the day). It seems that all the time and effort that mothers put in to supporting their children at all the events that run during the day is just taken for granted - there is no special incentive, no attempt to make it more convenient.

Original poster
Littlepaleale · 07/05/2015 23:51

Thanks EBear. Some lively debate on there. Interesting - the event in that thread was at the weekend. This one's in the evening, unlike any of the other parenting/reading/maths things that we've been invited to. The assumption that men are at work and need special arrangement.

Definitely chance to ask a few questions and get the school thinking about the unintended message they are sending about women/girls in technology.

OP posts:
EBearhug · 07/05/2015 23:11

I think it was this thread - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/2310337-OK-for-school-to-reinforce-stereotypes

Original poster
Littlepaleale · 07/05/2015 23:05

Xpost again. Am on my phone with dodgy connection! Yes I that is just my point and you're making it more eloquently than me.

OP posts:
Original poster
Littlepaleale · 07/05/2015 23:03

Cross post EBearhug. That's my just my point, it raises the idea to both boys and girls that technology is a male-only zone. I'll see if i can dig out that old thread you mention.

OP posts:
EBearhug · 07/05/2015 22:59

I don't think you're over-reacting - I think that in pursuing one goal, they have ignored the other possible effects of what they're doing. I think you should ask them about what message it sends about about girls who might want to enter STEM careers.

Original poster
Littlepaleale · 07/05/2015 22:57

So I'm over reacting?

I get that they're trying to get dads involved and I have no doubt that women would be welcome to join if they asked but for some reason the way this was positioned has really got to me.

OP posts:
EBearhug · 07/05/2015 22:54

There was a similar thread about this some months ago.

I do understand they want to encourage men to engage with their children's education, but it does imply that only men do STEM careers, unless they also have tech skills workshops with mothers and female carers. We do need to encourage more girls into STEM careers - well, we need more people considering STEM careers full-stop, but on top of that, the male/female balance needs improving, which means we need to encourage girls in particular. But they pick up the idea that it's only men who do it early on, even when they're doing well in maths and so on.

PerspicaciaTick · 07/05/2015 22:45

I think this is about encouraging men to engage with their children's education, rather than excluding girls from STEM subjects. Presumably dads of girls are welcome to attend and it isn't limited to dads of boys. I'm also assuming that children without available male carers will be able to bring a female carer instead.