Quote:
Originally Posted by GeeTwo
Also, while I'm certainly a follower of "You inspire your way; I'll inspire mine," I am concerned that all-girls teams may in the long run be a disservice to both the girls and the boys.
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To expand this idea a bit, all-girls programs have always been an interesting paradox to me. I believe the goal of them is that someday they won't be necessary--that someday everyone, regardless of gender, will be comfortable choosing to participate in whatever they like and no one will notice it either way. Since we're not there yet, programs aimed at girls (or any other minority group) try to increase their confidence to bring them to a point where they believe they can succeed in a co-ed environment. Some people just need more encouragement than others.
In my experience, that isn't always how they work out. Many STEM programs for girls, especially those for younger ones, end up really not showing girls that they can do well in a regular environment but more providing a very strange one that I can't really describe. I guess it's one that some girls like, but I never did and was always hesitant to participate in all-girls programs. But as I was comfortable with regular STEM classes/programs anyway, I wasn't the target audience, so I'm probably not the best judge of this.
My suggestion to anyone, whether trying to include girls on co-ed teams or forming separate teams, would be to show them that
they can succeed in a similar environment, not that they're less capable and need a different one. This can work by integrating them into co-ed programs, by having separate ones, or anything in between. With all-girls programs the balance often tips away from aiming for integration in the end and instead creating an unrealistic environment, which is my main worry about them. However I believe there are advantages when that balance is found.
To answer the original question: 1868 is an all-girls team and that plays a role in recruiting. Some girls join because of that fact, others don't really care, and yet others join in spite of it. It's interesting.