Boys vs. girls

Chicago — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:04:16 GMT

Not disresepct to Mr. Bazel, but I was sorry that Brian Williams did not file today's blog. Perhaps tomorrow-- the day of the Democrats' next debate. I am hopeful that Brian might take the opportunity to explain the eerie coincidence that took place during the last NBC debate in Philadelphia in late October...namely, the fact that his final question to Sen. Obama ("Sen. Obama-- what do you plan to dress up as for Halloween?") just so happened to be the subject of that week's opening skit on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," a show that was being hosted by-- of all people-- Brian Williams. Did Brian know that sketch was being written? Was he subtly setting up the joke with his light-hearted question to Barack Obama?

Boys vs. girls

Jerry Firman, Rockport, Texas — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:23:32 GMT

We all have experienced women who act and react emotionally to memories that mean little more than actions to we men. This often causes hurt or disappointment between a couple reminiscing old times. There are probably more women who can recall such cases than there are men. That brings up the thought that emotion enhances memory. Next time you need to remember something, get angry about it.

Boys vs. girls

Molly Saunders, St. Louis, MO — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:02:07 GMT

This was fascinating and I appreciate the information. Not only will I tell all the males in my family, I will inform all the females I know because this is information that could be beneficial to many relationships in all our lives. Learning about the brain continues to amaze me because of its complexity.

Boys vs. girls

mel — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:02:09 GMT

So how does one explain transgendered people?

Boys vs. girls

Iris Moon, Marion, Virginia — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:03:43 GMT

I am not surprised at these results. My husband and I recently were discussing the experiences we shared as a new couple. It was evident that, to him, these experiences were simply a series of events, all of which were past and, as such, should have no bearing on life at hand. I am unable to separate the instances from the strong emotions they created. At least in my case, these differences are troublesome, to say the least.

Boys vs. girls

bob fulbright, beaumont, texas — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:03:52 GMT

Bob,
Superbly written and edited, tonight's piece did a wonderful job of explaining perceptual, biological differences which usually end up being the cause of distance and misunderstanding between men and women, husbands and wives. Placing memory in such clear context removes much of the quarrel. Nicely done. Very crisp.
Thanks.

Boys vs. girls

Tony Pilgrim — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:05:52 GMT

Does this difference make a difference in the leadership skills of men vs women?

Boys vs. girls

John E. Fishback, Springfield, MO — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:25:48 GMT

I am a college professor and saw your report on Boys vs. girls and immediately went to your website for more information to take back to my class. What a disappointment! Dead links, no means of printing other than to print 6 pages directly from the site, no references as to who did the research. I expected more from a major news network.

Boys vs. girls

Mary Sepucha, Washington, DC — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:42:35 GMT

This story should have been a block buster, but so little time was given to it that it left me incredibly frustrated. All you gave was a headline with no in-depth coverage. If there was more information on your website, it was buried deep.

Boys vs. girls

Don Gaston, Greensboro, NC — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:57:02 GMT

I received an msed at age 50 after running my own company for many years. I was extremely successful with every boy, especially those dumped into my classes as "unteachable." Amazingly, I was accused of being too lenient and dismissed by all-female administrations and treated as an outcast by most of my female peers. I gave up after 5 years of an unbearable work environment. Every year I saw the men not getting new contracts, while ineffective women were being rehired over and over again. Rampant discrimination practiced to both the male students and the male teachers insures job security to thousands of woman who couldn't do any other job, and reinforces the current trends of low male participation in college, high drop-out rates and low rates of performance not only locally but in the world market.

Boys vs. girls

Theresa Lieffring — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:00:51 GMT

In the experiment researching the brain function of men compared to women was there a control group that factored in a homosexual's brain function?

Boys vs. girls

Matt McDonald, Napa, CA — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:37:54 GMT

I'm over 60 and have spent much of my life studying the differences between male and female brains. Once you start analyzing how we're also different as a result of where we grow up in the world, and how religion plays a part in that culture, it gets a lot more complex than than the simplified approach you've taken... which is the usual media approach, I might add.

Boys vs. girls

varden brendsel, buena park, ca — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 04:25:30 GMT

where did nbc get the wedding photo at the end of the piece. That is my sister's weddding in 1963. I am the third groomsman!

Varden Brendsel

Boys vs. girls

Rich Winning, Valley City, North Dakota — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:45:15 GMT

Dr. Michael Gurian and Dr. Leonard Sax, among others, have done extensive research on gender differences and have developed interesting and effective approaches to working with these differences. In my 37 years experience as a school counselor and teacher, I see daily the discouraging effects of our present educational and parenting practices on the development of children--especially boys. Thanks for bringing more public attention to this issue. Our kids need the help.

Boys vs. girls

Catherine Cuthell, New York City — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:18:38 GMT

As a mathematics education specialist for over 20 years I have noticed many of the differences mentioned in Robert Bazell's report. It is crucial for teachers to recognize that students learn in different ways. It is also important to remember what I have learned from my thousands of students: While gender differences exist in general, not all boys learn "like boys" and not all girls learn "like girls". Yes, recognize the differences, but never let them get in the way of approaching each student as an individual.

Boys vs. girls

Murray Maloney, Meaford, Ontario, Canada — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:04:58 GMT

I was surprised to see a photo of the Spantax Flight 995 plane crash that I was in in September 1982 in Malaga Spain, with the words "frightening or tragic" voiced over. I have been trying to downplay the fright and tragedy for 25 years and along comes NBC and MIT to remind me that it was, in fact, frightening and tragic.

Interestingly, when I sent emails to friends to advise them to watch the west coast broadcast, I pointed them to two technical reports that I found on the web. Such a male thing to do, you might say. But when asked about the absence of emotional content, my response was that in 25 years I have not learned how to communicate the emotion of the event to people because they are affected by the telling of the story. It seems to have such a profound effect on people that I tend to keep it to myself.

Boys vs. girls

Pat, Cambridge, Mass. — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:42:04 GMT

As far as I can tell, the article to which NBC referred last night was actually published in 2002 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences under the title "Sex differences in the neural basis of emotional memories." If there was a new paper published this week, as was reported, it is not on the pnas.org website and I have not found it elsewhere.

Boys vs. girls

mcs phila, pa — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:07:47 GMT

I find this interesting because I went to an all girls Catholic School and also teach and think this may be something to look into because children do learn differently. More in-depth investigating may be beneficial.

Boys vs. girls

Natalie Ricci, Elkton, MD — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:26:09 GMT

Years ago all educational facilities were segregated by sex -- history shows that it was considered most important to educate males. Our current educational system is failing our children -- concern about being politically correct with regard to "segregation" issues is skewing the subject, and should not be part of the debate. If the motive is pure (best learning environment possible for ALL our children, regardless of race or sex) how could the end result possibly be less than pure? We need to spend more time worrying about outcomes and less time worrying about how to avoid every possibility of offending the overly sensitive minority who jump on every opportunity to exploit the well-meaning majority.

Boys vs. girls

Karen Barhorst, St. Peters, MO — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:10:06 GMT

I had the privilege of attending an all girls High School in the St. Louis area 30 years ago. It was the best gift and opportunity my parents gave me. I had no idea at the time how this enriching experience would instill values and skills that would serve me throughout my life. Not only did I receive an excellent education, but I developed a love for learning.

The academic enviorment challenged us to do our best,not just meet the minimum to get by. Looking back, I think we as young women were able to focus more on our personal developement without the flirtatous behavior and distractions that occur during class time when both boys and girls are present.

In the public school system, I would like to see one school offer a college prep curriculumn at secondary level for girls only. Since there is such a high divorce rate and many women become the sole breadwinners for supporting their children, dosen't make sense to educate and steer girls towards college and careers that they can actully make a living to take care of their families?

Boys vs. girls

David Bostic, Columbus, Ohio — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:13:26 GMT

As a Male who has an extra x chromosome, not xy but xxy, where do I fit in all this? According to some I am Intersexed, because I have both xx and xy. After my Diagnosis of Klinefelter's Syndrome in 2004 (effects 1 in 500 males), I sought out others like me. What I found was astonishing. Most if not all the personal life stories I read were just like me.

When I see news stories about women I must pay attention reason: the extra x. When I see news stories about men I must pay attention, reason: the y. When I see the series Boys and Girls, I pay attention. Reason: I am both!

Boys vs. girls

Nicholas P. Mapes, Davenport, IA — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:44:19 GMT

In regards to the report on the disparaties between men and women in geting in to college, I would like to point out that these result are, in part, a consequence to the one size fits all approch to education that is normal in the public schools. As the earlier report stated, the traditional education model favors females, so it should be no suprize that they are moving on to college in higher numbers. This results in greater competion among girls. While I simpatize with women on the unfair higher standard, I am not suprized that universities have taken steps to mantain a mathimatic equality because many of those universities were subject to considerable legel penaties over the past four decades due to inequalities in terms of admitions, athletics, and how funds were spent.
My point is that this problem is the result of the problem in our public school. I feel that by addressing the disparaties in our public schools and helping students learn in a way that addresses and uses and respects their biological and developmental caracteristics will result in this problem being reduced if not eliminated completly.

Boys vs. girls

KateP, Mount Airy, MD — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:27:38 GMT

Same old same old. Men are afraid of women getting a little closer to equality so they have to find a way to try to give themselves even more preferential treatment. Wouldn't ALL students be better served by a more active learning style? Wouldn't boys who are taught by their parents that they must behave and work hard in school do just as well as their female counterparts?

Neither my son nor my daughter has trouble doing very well in school. Both know that they are expected to do so and they will not have junk science excuses like un-measurably small brain differences to fall back on.

And, far from being some kind of pro-women terrorist group, school teachers are overwhelmingly female because most men won't take the deplorable wages and work environment that teachers must accept. Nor do most men have to worry about finding a "family friendly" career.

Getting into college should depend on merit and the only mitigating factor should be whether the student is disadvantaged because they grew up poor. I hope someone has the sense to sue the schools that are discriminating against women.

Boys vs. girls

David Voss, St. Louis, MO — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:57:29 GMT

Let me get this straight. In order to obtain gender and race equality, affirmative action for women and minorities is good, but for white males it is bad. This warped conclusion was so predictable its laughable.

Boys vs. girls

Corey B., Cincinnati, OH — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:17:28 GMT

I love it...while the differing wedding stories were quite funny, like Jerry, from Texas, commented, the disparity can lead to hurt feelings.

What I'd love to hear more about is differences in what men and women find funny...their senses of humor. What do you think?

Boys vs. girls

Steven Atkins, Jefferson City, Missouri — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:09:35 GMT

Concerning men vs. women in the workplace and their wages: The wages of college graduate men vs. college graduate women is most certainly a topic for discussion.....but there is a flip side, if you want to research it. In the blue collar world women get paid the same, but don't do the same amount of work as men. Most are sitting behind a desk while men are lifting 70-100 pound boxes 8 hours every day 5 days a week. Walk a mile in my shoes. The percentages are much greater in my work world than in yours. I'm tired !!!!

Boys vs. girls

Catherine Hill — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:36:08 GMT

Thank you for your excellent coverage of this important issue.

As Director of Research at AAUW and a co-author of the study, I would like to clarify that the statement that we compared "junior high school teachers with full professors" is incorrect. The regression analyses used controlled for education along with other factors such as age and work experience. It is extremely unlikely that one year out of college, a man or woman would become a full professor ( a job that nearly always requires a PhD and many years of experience). Likewise, it is very unlikely a junior high school teacher would have a Ph.D. and work history equivalent to a full professor, either one year or ten years after college.

We hope your viewers will visit our website and download a free copy of the report, so that they can come to their own conclusions about these important issues.

Thank you again for your excellent and important coverage on "The Truth About Boys and Girls."

Boys vs. girls

Jeni Wood — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 05:34:05 GMT

This story was informative but overall I was left feeling mad and defeated. As a 36 year old, college graduate, business owner, mother of 4 and married for 16 years, this story seemed to prove that inequality between men and women persists throughout our American society. Just as my mother paved a path so that both women and men could have choices in my generation; all of those efforts put forth by past generations of women seems to be stifled. WE ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE BALANCE BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN. This story with all of its studies implies that boys can strive less (in their college years, especially) and earn WAY more once they're out in the workplace. And the message to women is, gee, now we earn, ooo, 80% of what our male counterpart earns, until we decide to raise our family. Which is the most reinforced idea for women. (And it has been the most wonderful experience of my life!) So I'm then told that I'm undervalued doing anything but raising children. Even though my family relies on me for income? Why is inequality still perpetuated?

Boys vs. girls

Jacqueline B./Boston, MA — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:05:22 GMT

When I went to an all women's college (Mt. Holyoke) I never dreamed that there would be that much of a difference in my education just because there were no men. I couldn't have been more wrong. Being only with people of the same sex gave me the opportunity to learn about who I was and what kind of person I wanted to be-without feeling the need to "compete" for attention in the classroom or whether a class/onlymajor was so male dominated that I would be virtually the only female there. Same sex schools are great!!! Now my son is a freshman in high school, and I made sure he was also enrolled in an all boys' school. He has more male teachers and some terrific role models. Plus, while he grows during his teenage years, he will have the same opportunity to learn what kind of person he wants to be. He will still get to meet girls and experience dating, but his day to day experiences can be spent learning about himself. Same sex schools are terrific. And if it's ok for women to have them, then why not boys? Women always want to break barriers and enter all male institutions, and that is ok, but what is wrong schools like The Citadel remaining all men? We want women's schools to remain for women only, why not afford men the same opportunities? It's only fair. And if it's been shown that an all female institution helps women, than why should it be any different for men? Boys and girls do learn and think differently-ask any teacher in the world and they can tell you that. So what is the big deal??? Girls are important, but so are boys!

Boys vs. girls

al — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:55:34 GMT

i believe that boys and girls both r equal and our world is incomplete without them and both have there own advantage and disadvantage