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More on sex equality
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Can anyone tell me why females can join the Scouts (used to be called the Boy Scouts) but males can't join the Guides?
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I agree with 4get.
Birds can go on exciting camping adventures, have an exotic jamboree anywhere in the world, go fishing, have a laugh and be a normal person in the scouts.
If a boy joined the guides what we he learn? How to change a nappy or darn a sock?
I see your point though. We are panderring to left wing marxists who want equality in every walk of life.
When will they realise that we are already equal, just very, very different!!!!
Men are from Earth and women are just bloody stupid, or whatever the book was called.
Birds can go on exciting camping adventures, have an exotic jamboree anywhere in the world, go fishing, have a laugh and be a normal person in the scouts.
If a boy joined the guides what we he learn? How to change a nappy or darn a sock?
I see your point though. We are panderring to left wing marxists who want equality in every walk of life.
When will they realise that we are already equal, just very, very different!!!!
Men are from Earth and women are just bloody stupid, or whatever the book was called.
On the news this morning they were saying that 'they' (can't remember who they are!) are no longer going to allow mixed sex golf clubs to run mens only sessions, but I bet they can do ladies only and I know that lots of swimming centres do ladies only! But as for lads joining Guides, I'm sure that there can be no rule outlawing it completely, it's just as other people have said, there can't be much call for it! And Joe, I was in the guides and not once did I change a nappy or darn a sock (who still does that anyway??) we went dry slop ski-ing, to alton towers and on camp that involved abseiling, climbing and canoeing, amongst other things!
hmmmm, I remembered after posting that we did actually used to do canoing and stuff so perhaps I was exaggerating, although we definitely had to knit perfect squares, that's just tainted my memories forever!
Agree with 4get, girls who join scouts are hussys!!
No not really, but when your a kid it's definitely 'cooler' forgirls to hang out with boys than it is for boys to hang out with the girls. You always get girls who fancy themselves tomboys, not many little boys though who fancy themselves lady boys!
Agree with 4get, girls who join scouts are hussys!!
No not really, but when your a kid it's definitely 'cooler' forgirls to hang out with boys than it is for boys to hang out with the girls. You always get girls who fancy themselves tomboys, not many little boys though who fancy themselves lady boys!
I'm 24 so this was only about 15 years ago! Like I say, I may have been exaggerating, we did do some okay stuff but there was definitely also alot of knitting and baking involved, and I was without a doubt considered a little boisterous to make a good girl guide! (I was actually quite well behaved, just used to get bored)
Perhaps my guides was just particularly lame, oh well, I can make a mean sponge cake now if pushed!
Perhaps my guides was just particularly lame, oh well, I can make a mean sponge cake now if pushed!
Im a Guide leader, took it up as an adult quite recently and love it. I have a Brownie pack (7-10 year olds).
4get and sophie - it is absolutely true that boys cannot join the Guiding. Adult men can help out but cannot become leaders. Girls and women can join Scouts as members and fully fledged leaders - less than 10% of scouts are girls though.
Girlguiding is very proud to be the largest single sex group for girls in the country with the aim of empowering girls and having lots of fun. Members have been asked via the magazine whether boys should be let in and the answers are usually a resounding no. I dont think girls or parents have a problem with this given that 50,000 (yes 50k) girls are on waiting lists to join rainbows (5-7), brownies (7-10) and guides (10+).
I think it is true that there probaby isnt much demand though - no boy has ever asked me if he can join (unless he's 4 and his big sister comes), probably because of the misconceptions raised in all your posts.
4get and sophie - it is absolutely true that boys cannot join the Guiding. Adult men can help out but cannot become leaders. Girls and women can join Scouts as members and fully fledged leaders - less than 10% of scouts are girls though.
Girlguiding is very proud to be the largest single sex group for girls in the country with the aim of empowering girls and having lots of fun. Members have been asked via the magazine whether boys should be let in and the answers are usually a resounding no. I dont think girls or parents have a problem with this given that 50,000 (yes 50k) girls are on waiting lists to join rainbows (5-7), brownies (7-10) and guides (10+).
I think it is true that there probaby isnt much demand though - no boy has ever asked me if he can join (unless he's 4 and his big sister comes), probably because of the misconceptions raised in all your posts.
I don't think I have ever known a bloke who wanted to join the guides, I just find it a little unbalanced on the equality stakes.
As some of you have pointed out many sporting clubs have ladies only competitions or groups but none are allowed to have men only.
Its a bit like the car insurance companies who only insure women - I'm willing to bet that a company would not be permitted to offer men only insurance.
I am a member of a men only organisation and we sometimes get slated by women (and some men) for not allowing women in. But no-one ever seems to take the Womens Institute or the Soroptimists to task for not allowing men in.
There is an International Womens Day as well but no equivalent for men - why, I wonder?
As some of you have pointed out many sporting clubs have ladies only competitions or groups but none are allowed to have men only.
Its a bit like the car insurance companies who only insure women - I'm willing to bet that a company would not be permitted to offer men only insurance.
I am a member of a men only organisation and we sometimes get slated by women (and some men) for not allowing women in. But no-one ever seems to take the Womens Institute or the Soroptimists to task for not allowing men in.
There is an International Womens Day as well but no equivalent for men - why, I wonder?
I feel I have to chip in here. My tuppence 'orth is
1. Girls and boys growing up are often very different and don't want to mix. Like single-sex schools, sometimes kids learn better when they are among their own sex.
2. Women-only insurance is offered because there is a statistic that says that women are safer drivers. I think they will insure men, only at a different and higher rate.
3. Women-only swimming and sports sessions are often provided so that women from ethnic minorities can take part without the presence of men which is forbidden in their religions. Also women are often more self-conscious in swimwear and don't want men to be around when they're wearing nothing more than a thin covering of clingy lycra (when they wouldn't normally wear such a thing in public!)
4. At the moment, without sounding like a dungaree-wearing feminist, women still earn less on average, are pushed into lower waged jobs, in some cultures seen as second rate, suffer more domestic abuse, etc etc. I know the tides are changing and one day men will be the weaker sex, but there is still so much discrimination and yes, sometimes it ends in so called "postive" discrimination.
Yes, I agree with Sophie that "they" sometimes make odd decisions about gender divides, but often there are reasons about women feeling inhibited in the company of men, especially in sporting events.
I don't know what my end decision is, but these are the facts I've gathered in working in social policy and some of the reasons why...
1. Girls and boys growing up are often very different and don't want to mix. Like single-sex schools, sometimes kids learn better when they are among their own sex.
2. Women-only insurance is offered because there is a statistic that says that women are safer drivers. I think they will insure men, only at a different and higher rate.
3. Women-only swimming and sports sessions are often provided so that women from ethnic minorities can take part without the presence of men which is forbidden in their religions. Also women are often more self-conscious in swimwear and don't want men to be around when they're wearing nothing more than a thin covering of clingy lycra (when they wouldn't normally wear such a thing in public!)
4. At the moment, without sounding like a dungaree-wearing feminist, women still earn less on average, are pushed into lower waged jobs, in some cultures seen as second rate, suffer more domestic abuse, etc etc. I know the tides are changing and one day men will be the weaker sex, but there is still so much discrimination and yes, sometimes it ends in so called "postive" discrimination.
Yes, I agree with Sophie that "they" sometimes make odd decisions about gender divides, but often there are reasons about women feeling inhibited in the company of men, especially in sporting events.
I don't know what my end decision is, but these are the facts I've gathered in working in social policy and some of the reasons why...
A very comprehensive argument mormess but not all are valid points.
The reasons for offering women drivers cheaper insurance are not in question. It is the principal of the matter.
Sheila's Wheels, Diamond and Women on Wheels all advertise cheaper rates because they ONLY insure women drivers.
They are, of course, subsiduaries of larger companies who offer insurance to the general public. However I doubt that they would be legally permitted to offer men only insurance if they ever wanted to.
Many of the women only sporting groups have existed since long before ethnic issues were a consideration.
I understand that women may feel intimidated in the presence of men in some circumstances, but the same can be said of some men in the presence of women.
It is now illegal to differentiate in wages on the basis of sex. Many women take lower paid jobs voluntarily because they prefer to have time for their families, this does not denegrate their importance in life. Many men also take low paid jobs because they want the freedom from stress that usually goes with them.
Admittedly there is a legacy of women not yet achieving some of the very highest paid jobs in management. Whilst it is true that some of this is due to discrimination it is also true that in some cases the women have not had the opportunity to gain the necessary experience to fulfill the role. Whilst this may be due to past predjudices preventing them from gaining that experience don't condemn everyone for our ancestors misconceptions.
The reasons for offering women drivers cheaper insurance are not in question. It is the principal of the matter.
Sheila's Wheels, Diamond and Women on Wheels all advertise cheaper rates because they ONLY insure women drivers.
They are, of course, subsiduaries of larger companies who offer insurance to the general public. However I doubt that they would be legally permitted to offer men only insurance if they ever wanted to.
Many of the women only sporting groups have existed since long before ethnic issues were a consideration.
I understand that women may feel intimidated in the presence of men in some circumstances, but the same can be said of some men in the presence of women.
It is now illegal to differentiate in wages on the basis of sex. Many women take lower paid jobs voluntarily because they prefer to have time for their families, this does not denegrate their importance in life. Many men also take low paid jobs because they want the freedom from stress that usually goes with them.
Admittedly there is a legacy of women not yet achieving some of the very highest paid jobs in management. Whilst it is true that some of this is due to discrimination it is also true that in some cases the women have not had the opportunity to gain the necessary experience to fulfill the role. Whilst this may be due to past predjudices preventing them from gaining that experience don't condemn everyone for our ancestors misconceptions.
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