We all CLAIM to want to be equal, but the truth is, when given the chance, we never ACT towards true equality, we typically ACT towards self preservation, and self promotion. That applies EQUALLY to men and women, me and you.
That said, men STILL have a greater ability towards self preservation and self promotion than women, though the multitude of reasons for this are FAR from simple. Men, still, hold more offices of higher power, both publicly and privately.
Consider...most teachers are women...most school administrators are men. This is a true statement.
Where we run into problems is when we label this as a problem, and then try to diagnose it and treat it.
The bottom line is, we'd all be better off if we simply couldn't see sex, or race, and simply treated people based on no prior prejudices. We'd then be much more free to understand and acknowledge that there are differences between us, and that, as a general rule, those differences make us better or worse than the other at certain tasks. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule...and those exceptions are the reason we have this thread. BECAUSE we can't seem to see people as blank slates, we tend to view those exceptions as being the same as the rest, and treat them such. This applies to both sexes, equally.
Back to our school problem, of admin being men, and teachers being women, and labeling that a problem. Well, it's only a problem if those largely female teachers WANT to be principles and such...instead of being teachers. It's only a problem if the women that WANT to be principles are qualified to do so. It's only a problem if despite that want and ability, they are denied, because they are a woman. Does it happen? Very hard to prove, but I'm fairly confident that it does. Maybe not so much in education...but elsewhere, in private, corporate america, I wager it happens a LOT still. Why? Well, because men view women a certain way, in a certain light. A women who is tough and commanding is likely to be labeled a bitch, while, if a man does it, he's just a hard ass who gets results. Women also tend to cry when it comes to getting yelled at behind closed doors, and the higher up the corporate ladder you go, the more you get yelled at behind closed doors. Boss folk don't like that, it makes them uncomfortable, and is likely in the back of their mind when they consider who they are going to put into one spot or another. I could go on, really, because the list is long, but you get the idea.
As for the pay thing...that's....a complicated issue, and could probably do with it's own thread, lol.
