Give up discredited gender concepts

"Only" (roughly) one of four superintendents in Illinois are women, you complain.

Yet, in your own newspaper, men dominate the high-level positions.

Only one woman out of five works at the CEO level and only one woman out of six serves on the editorial board.

I did not point this out to show that the people who run the Daily Herald are hypocrites.

Rather, I want to show that the concept of sex equality, upon which the editorial relies, is so flawed that it can only cripple public policy.

Men and women are different. They differ not only in physiology and anatomy but also in psychology and behavior. They differ in biochemistry and brain anatomy. They differ in cognitive skills like language and pattern recognition.

You ask, "Do we really want to send a message to our boys and girls that being in charge is only, or mostly, a job for men?"

Yes! Every once in awhile, a long-shot crosses the finish line.

'Every once in a while' does not constitute a basis for sound management -- or even gambling.

Yet, everyday schools do send the message to our boys and girls that being in charge is mostly a job for women. Women overwhelmingly dominate the classroom. Women serve as role models for girls not for boys.

Today, more women than men go to college and earn advanced degrees. But in your editorial, you recognize no unfairness to boys in that.

Then you claim, "We don't know of women who want or expect to be hired for any job simply because of their gender."

But that is your basic argument, that women should be hired because, as women, they have this magical "diversity" that is so valuable in management.

Give it up, for heaven's sake. Give up your irrational attachment to a thoroughly discredited concept.

George Kocan

Warrenville