Aghh - failed to pick up some everyday sexism

[iisme]

I was at a school meeting last week and the head was talking about the football teams. The school had entered a boys and a girls team to an event, even though they are usually mixed (this is at primary level). The event organiser had said that mixed was probably better, in part 'because the girls might beat the boys!' It was said as a joke by the female head and most of the people there (largely women) had a good laugh. I muttered furious ironic comments to my neighbour about how shameful it would be for the boys to be beaten by a group of girls and how they obviously needed to be protected from such humiliation.

Should I have actually picked up on this? And if so, how, without looking like a total idiot? Or am I being too sensitive?! I just feel that if they are making jokes like this with the children (I don't know that they had but it come off very much as a joke that's been told many times before about this situation) then it's sending a really bad message to the girls about how being last is their natural place.

@Helmet....... I do not have a problem with that because the kids that play for clubs around you that are FA accredited give the kids a choice. If a seven year old girl want's to play in a girls team she can. Same for the boys! If they want to play together, they can. I am talking about within a school that do not give the kids a choice.

Schools not allowing kids the choice of playing in gender segregated sports teams? Could you see how wrong it would be if they did?

School sports is generally played with the same rules and standards as the national governing body dictates.

So they can choose to play in a boys/girls only team during PE for example?

No, up to a certain age, the FA runs mixed sex teams.

If I remember right, after Yr7 they then split into sex segregated, not because girls are shit, but because that's generally when children are expected to have reached puberty.

No one is forced to play in mixed teams. You have the option not to play team sports at all if you think your child will catch girl germs or whatever

Bridge, no, FA accredited clubs are mixed up to approx 9 yrs. if your 7 yr old feels passionately he can't play with girls or against girls then you would have to search for a club that is going to ban any girls who want to join. And it wouldn't be FA accredited.

Bursting into tears after being sent flying does seem to indicate that another activity might be more suitable. Hmmm. Not sure about that. My son plays rugby and we have lads bursting into tears when they are sent flying all the time. It's the shock more than anything. These are young children. I thinks it's more an indication of that than a predisposition for sport. Many of these boys (and girls) do plenty of other sport too. Football, athletics etc

OP I don't think I'd have challenged in that situation either. I may (depending on whether I'd had food and therefore what my tolerance levels were) made a passive aggressive remark about how could anything possibly be worse than being beaten by a girl with this look on my face --> . But tbh you'd have probably have been banging your head against a brick wall.

Many of the kids burst into tears when sent flying in ds's footy team. It says nothing about their aptitude for the sport or their gender.

It may suggest they've been watching too much Tottenham (joke!)

Bridge, no, FA accredited clubs are mixed up to approx 9 yrs

That young? That's a bit sad.

@Helmet..... That is not true. The F.A actually allow mixed games up to the age of 16, and they were talking about making that 18! Also, I do not have a problem with mixed games, as long as they have a choice. My son is 10, and is in an academy of a professional football club, which as you can imagine is F.A accredited. There are no girls allowed in this academy. They do have a schools set-up as well though!

*A girls set-up.

But they don't have separate single sex teams at football clubs for young ones.

Dh coaches at the largest club in the area for Under 8's. There is a girl on his team, there are girls on many of the other teams they play in the leagues. You are suggesting that there are three sets of teams in each club - boys and girls and mixed. This is simply not the case. They are all mixed - or potentially mixed - at this age.
I'm sorry that your son could not have played in our club or other local clubs for fear there might be a girl present. This must have been terrifying for him as a young boy.

What I am suggesting is that at my Son's school. The team that represents them is not mixed. They have a boys team, and a girls team. I am suggesting that at the professional academy he plays at, girls are not allowed. He has never played in a competitive match with girls. Mixed football teams at school are a relatively new thing, born out of political correctness. If your son want's to play football with girls, I have no problem with it though.

Yup, the FA is well known for it's endless pandering to political correctness.

It's gawn maaaad I tells ya.

What I don't understand is why anybody started engaging in Bridge's first post. You know what Pratchett said about multiple exclamation points...