Minot State University professor emeritus Eric Clausen has filed his second federal complaint alleging that he was retaliated against by the National Geographic Society after he complained that the contest discriminated against girls because virtually no girls have won the national title.
Clausen believes that the National Geographic Society violates federal laws on gender equity and says that he was warned not to raise these concerns.
Clausen’s first lawsuit was dismissed in 2005 in Clausen v. National Geographic Society, 664 F. Supp. 2d 1038. In his first complaint, he recounted how he demanded a change to give girls a better chance or threatened to create his own competition:
Plaintiff then prepared for the [ND] Alliance board a draft grant application with a core program and budget identical to the program and budget in the 2005 grant application the [NGS] Foundation had deferred and addressed the New Guidelines requirements by offering to work with NGS to modify the Bee so girls would have [**8] an equal opportunity to win and so the Bee would better address the National Geography Standards, but that if NGS did not want to change the Bee, then the [ND] Alliance would design its own statewide student geography competition with the goals of entering into competition with the Bee and eventually replacing the Bee as North Dakota’s primary statewide student geography competition. . . .
Here is how U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland rejected the underlying claim:
The Court finds as a matter of law that an alleged failure by females to win the national geography bee as often as males neither establishes nor supports a Title IX violation. Title IX neither guarantees nor suggests that females must win as often as males. Clausen has failed to allege any facts to establish that he was engaged in a protected activity, nor has he presented any facts or legal authority to support the premise that males winning a national geography bee more often than females supports a Title IX violation.
The Eighth Circuit upheld the ruling.
Clausen insists that the “NGS knows and has known since the Bee competitions began that Bee competitions do not provide girls with an equal opportunity to participate in the higher-level competitions.” He notes that only 2 out of the 54 state winners in 2009 were girls and only one girl advanced in 2010.
I am not sure how the competition is supposed to correct this program other than having separate competitions for boys and girls to guarantee that one of the two finalists with always be a girl –even if there are boys who can answer more geography questions. If there are too few girls able to make the finals, the solution would appear to be found in programs to encourage girls to compete in greater numbers. However, that does not make the competition itself discriminatory or violative of IX which mandates that
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance…”
There is no denial on the basis of gender when children are asked the same geographic questions.
Source: Jamestown Sun found on Reddit
Jonathan Turley
Elaine-
The Buddha said, “…research shows males have better spatial orientation than females as a general rule.” In my case, this is not true. I am strictly a North-South, East-West kind of guy. If I venture off the grid onto a diagonal street, I know with absolute certainty that I will become hopelessly lost. I used to stop and ask for directions, but I always got the same answer- “You should walk East till your hat floats”. This is why men don’t ask for directions.
Elaine,
If I had to guess I would look more at how the questions are presented and in what language. Remember, it is a guess! 🙂
Thanks for the back-up, Elaine.
jjk,
Here’s one link for you:
From BBC—Science: Human Body & Mind
Sex ID
Spatial ability
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sex/articles/spatial_tests.shtml
Excerpt:
It’s probably fair to say that we don’t spend much time thinking about the way we view the world around us.
But some scientists conduct detailed studies of how accurately we judge space – our spatial abilities – with paper and pencil tests. The Sex ID test included similar tests – the angles, 3D shapes and spot the difference tasks.
Studies show that, on average, men are better than women at mentally rotating pictures of three dimensional objects (the 3D shapes task) or judging the slope of a line (the angles task).
But scientists note that women outperform men at other tasks. For example, women are more likely to spot which of a group of objects has been moved to a new position (the spot the difference task).
It’s not fully known why men and women perform differently on spatial tasks.
Studies have concluded that men tend to pay more attention to the way their surroundings are laid out, which may explain why they generally score better on tasks like 3D shapes and angles. Researchers have also found that, on average, men are better at finding compass orientations and rely on mental images of three dimensional spaces to find their way.
Women were more likely to notice landmarks, which could be linked to their higher scores on the spot the difference task. Research has shown that women are more likely to use memorised routes and landmarks to stay on track.
Wow, just stating the males have better “spatial relationships” stills – no links, no evidence just general stereotyping. Reminds me of shit the Saudi hierarchy has used to keep women from driving.
Bonnie, I am sorry for what you went through in your Math classes. I can certainly relate to your story. It could very well be likely that there is institutional bias in the National Geography Bee competition structure; such bias can be very subtle, yet very effective – it is the very backbone of misogyny (and racism). Based on this story, I do not know but the statistics are very troubling.
Bonnie,
“It has to do with the way they teach all schools. They teach them with a male bias to begin with.”
That may be true in some schools–certainly not ALL schools. In fact, there have been those who have claimed that schools favor girls.
It sounds like you had a terrible experience with a really bad and sexist math teacher. That’s sad–and it should never have happened.
I was a teacher for more than three decades. The teachers I taught with worked hard to meet the needs of all their students. It didn’t matter whether the students were male or female. There are good teachers and good schools and there are bad teachers and bad schools. Please don’t paint all schools and all teachers with the same broad brush of negativity.
It has to do with the way they teach all schools. They teach them with a male bias to begin with. I liked math so much when I was in the 6th grade. I did everything to get the higher level math classes; but, only boys were allowed in. I was told I wasn’t smart enough. Yet, by 10th grade, I did nothing but A work in my Algebra class. A’s on my homework, A’s on every test. Nevertheless, I was given a grade of a B. When I asked my teacher how that could happen. He told me I was too smart for the class. If he gave me an A, he would have to flunk the rest of the class. That was my first moment as an uppity woman; and, I laid into him about how unfairly I had been treated these past years and that it was all because I was a girl. He told me I was right; but, there was nothing he could do about. Little did I know but that was just my first lesson in the world on sexism, sexual harrassment, etc. To this day, I believe that a potentially great mathematician was aborted in the 10th grade by a bunch of patriarchial men. A pox on all their houses.
Elaine,
Like I said, it was a reach. 🙂 The only reason I brought it up is spatial relationships and their perception could be reflecting in the production of mentally accurate spatial maps. Absent any research to show that correlation and adequate causal connetion, I’m inclined to agree with you.
Buddha,
I think that males’ better spatial orientation may help them to be more skillful than females at parallel parking–not so sure that it can affect their ability to give correct answers to geography questions.
Elaine,
In re geography.
The only reason I can think of would be that research shows males have better spatial orientation than females as a general rule. That could translate to the “mental mapping” process, although I kind of doubt it. Much geography, especially the political kind, can be learned by rote.
Elaine,
I don’t know how they could be tilted either, but it is strange to see an almost total lack of female contestants. Now it is time to head back outside to continue my assault on our 2 feet of snow. time to break out the snowshoes!
Bob,Esq.,
You’re a man who’s one in a million!
*****
rafflaw,
The first GPS my husband got didn’t give good directions. It once told me to go down a one-way street the wrong way!
P.S. I don’t know how questions about geography could be tilted toward males.
Elaine,
I always ask for directions, but the GPS lady never answers them. she just keeps repeating, “recalculating”!
Elaine,
I find that asking for directions opens the door to ask for a good place to eat.
I’m not proud; I’m pragmatic.
Is it possible that the questions and issues presented are tilted in favor of males and the result is that it excludes females? Of course without seeing the questions over the years, that is just a guess. I guess I am suggesting a disparate impact look at the statistics.
Bob,Esq.,
Most men I know don’t think it’s a virtue.
Of course, men don’t need no stinkin’ directions–even when they’re lost.
😉
So does this have something to do with the alleged virtue of girls having a greater proclivity to stop and ask for directions when lost?
Maybe there are fewer girls who choose to participate in the National Geographic Bees.
I’m in agreement with Tootie and Buddha. It is most definitely is a waste of court time and resources!
Hey, Clausen!
I hate it when I have to agree with Tootie.
Cum hoc ergo propter hoc, genius.
So silly. Wasting the court’s time and resources.