Note: This is the fourth part in a five part series on Feminism and Gender Roles
By Abel Dawit ’15, Feature Staff Writer
Feminism is a topic that is occasionally brought up in daily conversation, but one that has not been recently discussed by the Newark Academy community. There are many people who believe that men and women still do not have equal opportunities in everyday activities. However how are gender roles treated at Newark Academy? Are we a school of equal opportunity for both male and female students?
The Academy is a school that values itself in creating students with “a passion for learning, a standard of excellence, and a generosity of spirit.” Ever since Newark Academy became co-educational in 1972, it has made it its mission to make sure that these values that were instilled into men, would also equally apply to women. However some students believe that gender divisions are still seen in daily school life. Andrew Huang’15 notes that “most people in certain elective classes are [all] male” and vice versa, showing that students subconsciously limit themselves according to what society deems appropriate. Furthermore, as Erin Viola ’16 stated, “Boys can’t play feel hockey and girls can’t wrestle. Sports aren’t coed so there are two separate spheres.” She also acknowledges that this isn’t an issue solely in Newark Academy but rather a societal issue. With that being said, the Academy has two girls on its middle school wrestling team – Elisabeth Stein ’18 and Samantha Powell ’19.
This supports most students’ belief that the Academy tries to eliminate any gender division and create an environment that allows its female students to actively participate in anything. “I think that Newark Academy largely attracts and helps create strong, independent women with ambition. In this way, I think girls at [Newark Academy] defy gender roles,” said Morgin Goldberg’15. As Goldberg mentioned, Newark Academy tries its best to actively tackle any gender boundaries put in place, which subsequently empowers its female students.
In order to gauge how equal Newark Academy is, it is important to examine any resistance towards feminism. According to Goldberg, “The resistance I see to [feminism] comes mostly from the guys who either don’t expect it or feel threatened by it.” There are some male students who hold a somewhat traditional view of women and are surprised when female students attempt to participate in activities that are predominately male. Erin Mooney ’16 brought up an idea prevalent in the Academy as well as schools worldwide: slut-shaming. “The term in and of itself is indicative of the culture we live in,” she stated. “It’s a term created with the intention of degrading girls for doing what they want. It’s really a lose/lose situation for girls. If they don’t take relationships to a certain level they can be type casted as, for lack of a better term, a prude. But as soon as they go that level they’re called a slut. That’s really the branch of feminism that I’m sure many girls at NA can relate to.”
While Viola, Goldberg, and Mooney can identify some imbalance in terms of gender roles, according to Huang, “I get the vibe that a lot is done around the school in order to maintain equality.” Jordan Zucker ’16 firmly believes that “Newark Academy does a fantastic job with gender equality”. Patrick Peters ’15 said, “I don’t see feminism occur at NA. The only examples I can think of are when something is taken out of context”. It’s interesting to note that while most people agree that Newark Academy tries to maintain equality, almost only females can point out any acts of sexism or gender inequality.
Overall, Newark Academy is attempting to break down gender barriers and transform its students into more open-minded, progressive individuals, but there are still changes to be made so that equality can be achieved.
The Feature Section Explores Feminism and Gender Roles
Part 3: The “Pretty Hurts” Video
Part 4: Gender Roles at Newark Academy
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