Gender Divisions in School System

In public forums, people have called 20-year-old Shannon Faulkner "vermin" and "a toxic kind of virus." She has been nicknamed "the divine bovine" by her male peers, some of whom printed up bumper stickers urging her death. Such hatred stems from a two-year effort by Faulkner, a native of Powdersville, S.C., to join the cadet corps at The Citadel, an all-male military college in Charleston, S.C.

Faulkner and her supporters argued that she had the right to attend the school because it is a public, state-supported institution. Her efforts were opposed by those arguing that The Citadel's unique structure would be destroyed and that the rights of men seeking an all-male educational experience would be violated. Faulkner's legal battle to force the school to admit women transfixed the nation and focused renewed attention on single-sex education, in both public and private schools.

Faulkner officially withdrew from The Citadel on August 18, 1995, more than 29 months after she initiated a legal battle to become a full-fledged member of the school's cadet corps. Her highly publicized attempt to singlehandedly force the school to accept her and allow her to participate fully in all school activities and functions, raised a variety of questions, including:

• Should publicly funded schools be allowed to offer education to only one sex?
• Does the federal government have the constitutional right to force schools, either public or private, to be coeducational?
• Are single-gender schools appropriate places of learning for both men and women?
• Should single-sex private schools be forced to admit both sexes?
• Are men being discriminated against because there are fewer all-male schools than all-female?

A major step toward resolving the legal issues of the first two questions will be taken during the Supreme Court's 1995-96 session, when the court considers a case that will have a direct bearing on The Citadel's gender status. The high court announced on October 5, 1995 that it would hear U.S. v. Virginia. The state of Virginia is arguing that it has the constitutional right to bar women from state-supported Virginia Military Institute (VMI) as long as it provides a similar military program at a nearby women's college.

The federal government is appealing a federal appeals court's decision in Virginia's favor. The government says that the proposed separate program clearly violates the Constitution because the women would be denied "equal" education. Many liberals and civil-rights groups concur, and also assert that taxpayers should not be supporting an institution that bars at least one-half of all citizens.

Those in favor of single-sex education, even in the public sphere, counter that the quality of education is often better in such schools. They also maintain that students are able to concentrate more fully on academic pursuits because they are not distracted by interaction with members of the opposite sex. Many women, particularly those who have attended or now attend all-female schools, point to studies showing that girls and young women face inherent discrimination in coeducational environments. They argue that single-sex outlets provide opportunities for them to fully realize their academic and social potential.

Sources
Bailey, Ronald. "Sex Selection." Reason, October 3, 2001, www.reason.com.

"Church Criticizes Baby Sex Selection Report." Guardian, March 24, 2005, www.guardian.co.uk.

Bauculinao, Eric. "China Grapples with Legacy of Its 'Missing Girls.' " MSNBC.com, September 14, 2004, www.msnbc.msn.com.