Pros and Cons - Debbie Newman, Ben Woolgar 2014
Co-education
Section F. Culture, education and sport
In some countries, state education is almost entirely coeducational. Other countries, like the UK, have a more diverse variety of schools, with church schools and many private schools choosing to educate girls and boys separately. Is the opposite sex a distraction from a good education or is segregation unnatural? A definition in this debate may need to specify an age range as some countries have single-sex schools only from 7, 11 or 13 and some mix genders only from 16.
Pros
[1] It is only natural to teach boys and girls together, for social and economic reasons. University, the workplace, families are coed. Segregation during their teenage years does not prepare young people to work and live alongside each other in the future. Co-education gives girls and boys an easy confidence and understanding when dealing with the opposite sex.
[2] Both boys and girls benefit from being with each other. The presence of girls usually leads to better behaviour among boys who would otherwise enjoy an ’oppressively male’ atmosphere with its associated traits: arrogance, crudity and juvenile behaviour. Teenage girls mature faster than their male counterparts and so are good influences on them. An allfemale atmosphere can lead to bitchiness and can create an atmosphere of high pressure with more issues such as eating disorders and self-harming being reported. It may be that the presence of boys diffuses some of this pressure.
[3] Competition between the sexes is greater than between same-sex rivals, and this competition can lead to higher standards of academic achievement, especially among boys. A classroom environment is enriched by diversity and the different views that boys and girls bring, leading to a more well-rounded education. If single-sex schools often outperform co-ed schools academically, this could be because they are usually private, grammar or religious schools which may have fewer discipline problems and a better work ethos.
[4] The system of single-sex schools arose from the chauvinistic society of the past, where men held all major positions in society and were accordingly given a better education. It then moved on to different curricula, with girls learning to sew while boys concentrated on science. It is now recognised that the sexes have equal rights: of employment, of social benefit and of education. The best way to ensure that this equality happens in practice is by educating the sexes together. The fact that single-sex schools tend to have a majority of teachers of that sex — especially in the higher positions such as that of head teacher — means that women teachers are discriminated against in boys’ schools, and vice versa, and that young people lack strong role models of the opposite sex.
[5] It is possible to separate out girls and boys for classes such as sports and sex education, if it is deemed appropriate, but schools may decide that everyone benefits from staying together across the whole curriculum. It is easy to provide separate facilities and uniform where necessary, so these need not present barriers. In fact, the practical problems of having two of everything in separate schools are larger.
Cons
[1] It is more natural for the sexes to be taught apart, especially in the formative years between 7 and 15 when children prefer the company of their own sex. In the Caribbean, many single-sex schools are based on the belief that gendered responses from children confirm the natural differences between the sexes.
[2] Confidence is a product of maturity and children can be just as shy in coeducational schools as in mixed schools. In fact, co-education can lead to behaviour that is extremely detrimental to education: boys are led to show off and even sexually harass girls, while both are distracted by each other. The teenage pregnancy rate is increasing in coeducational schools. Girls may be less likely to speak up in class as they do not want to appear clever or ’geeky’ in front of the boys.
[3] Competition should be discouraged and students should not be used as pawns to provoke each other into working harder; it is the teacher’s job to inspire them, and they should not be motivated by rivalry. Academic achievement is in fact generally higher in single-sex schools, and studies have shown that girls in particular perform better in a single-sex environment. Some education theorists believe that girls and boys tend to display different learning styles, which means that teachers in single-sex schools can tailor their approaches more effectively.
[4] Children of a certain age shy away from the opposite gender and prefer many activities characteristic of their sex. It is only natural that they should be taught during this period by same-sex teachers. While men and women should have equal rights, this is not the same as saying they are identical. In fact, girls in particular are more likely to pursue typically ’male’ subjects, such as sciences and mathematics, in an all-female environment where there is no stigma. Single-sex schools may therefore lead to greater gender equality in society by producing top female engineers and scientists.
[5] There are also a number of subjects that cannot be taught in the presence of both sexes, or should not be taught in the same way: sex education, women’s issues, etc. Sports are also gender-specific. In a coeducational school, you also need separate facilities such as changing rooms and WCs, and there are issues about which staff can go where and deal with which problems.
Possible motions
This House would educate boys and girls together.
This House would send their children to singlesex schools.
Related topics
Examinations, abolition of
Sex education
Affirmative action