ABSTRACT
Should education be different for boys and girls? In some societies, being male or female decides largely what kind of life the individual leads: so education is expected to prepare girls to be womanly and boys to be manly. It must prepare them to do the kind of work thought suitable for their sex, and develop in them differing behaviours and emotions. Other societies do not make such an effort to differentiate: they accept that females and males can do the same kind of work, have much the same attitudes, and behave in similar ways. All the same, it is rare to find a society which makes no distinction at all between males and females so far as work and behaviour are concerned. Equal opportunities legislation in many countries has aimed at reducing differences in employment and other aspects of life, but considerable differences remain in most societies, especially in people’s beliefs about ‘natural’ differences between females and males. For some individuals, one of the most frustrating experiences in life is to encounter the determination of society or other individuals to make people conform to male or female roles. In a society which has strong beliefs about sex differences, those who deliberately do not conform, or find it impossibly difficult to conform, may be left with feelings of uncertainty about their own identity or worth.
