1. Towards a Gender Free Society

The world is sharply divided into masculine and feminine, because that is the way we believe it should be, we hold this unwavering belief and take considerable effort to keep this division. From the time a child is born, he or she is expected to meet stereotypes—boys are portrayed as boisterous and disruptive, girls conform to the expectations when they are sweet and docile. People become the product of their biology. Their social roles and identity are predetermined by their permanent identifying attribute“sex.”Males are the producers of cool reasoning and are capable of being leaders.“Emotional”is seen to be the characteristic of women and their place is at home.

However, no one feels sure that certain natural differences that exist between man and woman are relevant to the distinctions between male and female excellence and a different expectation of their social qualities. Such uncertainty denotes a rejection of such concepts as “gender appropriate”and “stereotyped sex roles”which are only social norms invented by man, imposed on man, but rest their logic nowhere. The grounds on which the idea of single sex schools might be defended are cut from under our feet.

The aim of education is to stimulate impulses, encourage free thinking and boldness in thought and keep alive various interests. But the single sex school by following the simple uniform structure and prescribing a separate curriculum for males and females does anything but this. Instead of being provided with a rich expansion of experience, students are only accessible to a segment of knowledge. Such a form of education interferes with individual freedom and entails a loss of autonomy of self-determinism. If a boy enjoys sewing, I see no reason why he should be barred from needles and thread. If a girl wants to attempt baseball, she should not be punished for “deviance”. But at a very early stage, a single sex school kills the possibility for a vigorous youth to grow and develop into full stature. The education in single-sex schools may lead to the fragmentation of knowledge and unwholeness of individual identity. Girls persuade themselves that they have no bead for mechanical things. Boys are determined that they can never understand “sentimentality.” Both groups feel enclosed and safe. This indeed saves them a lot of trouble, but they become two parallels, always apart, never meet. Such sexual polarization is also dangerous in a sense that it severs a sense of community by isolating people into two gender groups. They have little chance to communicate and hold a distorted image of each other. Their attitudes remain hostile as if they do not belong to the same species.

Coeducation is the most desirable form of education. It is an integrated community where students are instructed without distinction of sex. They are given the opportunity to know each other and compete with each other. Girls can ask questions, protest and challenge teachers. Boys can be seen sitting quietly, listening to female speakers. With the full spectrum of experience offered, life is an open possibility for man as well as woman. Everyone is anxious to let their minds flower into full blossom.

Coeducation has survived as the best way to educate young people. As society moves ahead, the gender category becomes blurred. May I venture to suggest that one day when male and female is a reproductive category only, but no longer central to our identity and to the understanding of ourselves and others. I will call that A GENDER FREE SOCIETY, A HEALTHY SOCIETY!