Reply #200: It's interesting to look at this from a gender perspective, as well [View All]

[IrateCitizen]

By a gender perspective, I'm talking about traits that are more commonly associated with either men or women.

Traits commonly associated with men are aggressiveness, competitive instinct, etc. Traits commonly associated with women are those centered around nurturing and compassion. Now, we all surely realize that these are by no means exclusive traits -- there are plenty of women who are ruthlessly aggressive, and pleny of men who are very caring and compassionate. But in the broader context of our society as it has developed, these characterizations hold true.

Our society champions the "male" traits while treating the "female" ones with what could possibly be described as contempt. Professions that champion "male" instincts -- namely, those that create wealth or have attachments to militarism -- are elevated. Those that champion "female" instincts -- such as child care workers, health care workers, etc. -- are largely trivialized.

Which instincts/traits does the teaching profession more closely align with? Could this possibly explain the societal aversion toward recognizing the important function that educators play?