The Rights Of Man

THE FEMINISATION OF EDUCATION CONTINUES TO HIT BOYS EDUCATION

The primary school results announced this week show that the feminisation of primary school education continues to affect boys education.

The results show that boys are far behind girls at reading but more alarmingly far behind at writing, whilst ahead in Maths. They are way behind overall with 56% reaching the required level as opposed to 65% girls.

What the education authorities need to urgently look at is why boys can beat girls at Maths but cannot at least be equal at reading and writing? This clearly points to a problem in the educational methods in primary schools which are not helping boys (link). It does not help that so few men teach in primary schools.

This is not a lowest common denominator call as no sensible person wants the system changed that saw girls' results fall so boys catch up. It just means that different teaching methods are needed for boys and girls and as this government keeps blathering on about personalising public services, then the education system needs to be personalised for boys (link) and O-Levels re-introduced (link).

The long term problem is that too many boys are going into secondary school ill-educated. It is hard for them to catch up and that is why their GSCE results are seven years behind girls and for every four boys going to university, there are five girls. 

BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER HELPS FEND OFF PROSTATE CANCER

Men shouldn't just wait endlessly for the NHS, NICE and the government to get its finger out and start treating prostate cancer research and medicine in the same way it rightly does for breast cancer, they can turn to broccoli and cauliflower. See (BBC - link).

REPORT SHOWS BOYS WANT MORE MALE PRIMARY TEACHERS AND HOW SUCH TEACHERS CAN BENEFIT BOYS

In a ground breaking report issued this week by the Training and Development Agency (link), the following statistics were revealed:-

• three-quarters (76 per cent) of boys aged eight to 11 are in favour of schools having teachers of both genders.
• two in five boys (39 per cent) currently have no men teaching them – and one in 12 (eight per cent) have never been taught by a man.
• it also suggests that English primary schools have an average of just three male teachers, with one in 10 having no male teachers at all.
• children aged eight to 11 shows 51% of boys believe they are better behaved with a male teacher - and 42% say they work harder.
• 44% agreeing that male teachers "help them to enjoy school more" and 37% of boys saying it made them feel more self-confident.

(* Waiting for a web-link to the actual report)

The report was well covered in the media (BBC -link); (Sky - link); (Guardian - link); (Mail - link); (Independent - link) and others.  The Guardian aricle is excellent.

The TDA have been campaigning for male primary school teachers for some time now (link).

With boys GSCE results being seven years behind girls; with 4 men going to university for every five women; with reading 87% of girls, compared with 79% of boys, achieved level 4 or above at key stage 2; while for writing, three-quarters of girls reached the required standard, compared with 59% of boys; it is clear that boys are falling way behind girls.

After decades of feminist ideology percolating through the education establishment a system has now been created that largely benefits girls at the expense of boys, the issue of boys underachievement is at last being officially recognised. It has been covered on this site before (link).

The lack of male teachers (particularly serious for boys who do not have a father living at home) at primary level is having a knock-on effect throughout boys education system. It is clear, especially from reading a recent Ofsted report (link) that boys and girls have different educational needs.

Graham Holley, chief executive at the TDA, points out that the lack of male teachers is not a direct cause of boys' lower scores in literacy. "The attainment gap is not due to having male or female teachers," he says, "but to the way education is delivered, which plays to girls' strengths."

If the government is really interested in pursuing its gender equality aims, then issue of boys underachievement must be the biggest priority it has in the education field. It has to create one system that benefits boys and another that benefits girls, that is genuinely tailoring a service based on individuals and not on the current one-size-fits-all system which fails boys.

LATEST NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILY CONTACT

As ever, a thought provoking article from the NSCFC (link) on parental responsibility and the denial of fathers' ability to receive adequate advice and support from the state.

Read it here  (link)

SELECT COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INQUIRY : BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR YEARS

The Home Affairs Select Committee has announced an inquiry into Domestic Violence for late 2007/2008 (see below and link).

This is the best opportunity for a long long time to put the case directly that the needs of male victims are ignored and largely unackowledged despite the wealth of evidence (link).

It is now imperitive for men's groups to make their case in a accessible fashion. 

COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES INQUIRY INTO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

The Home Affairs Committee today announced an inquiry entitled "Domestic Violence". The Committee will inquire into the effectiveness of government action following the coming into force of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 and other initiatives to raise awareness of and more effectively target domestic violence. The Committee's inquiry will seek to assess the implementation of these measures, in particular those in the Act and the effectiveness of existing legislation. It will look at their impact in terms of increased reporting and convictions, and whether greater support is being provided for victims.

In addition to the wider picture on domestic violence, the inquiry will encompass the specific issues of forced marriages and so-called 'honour killings'.

The Committee will consider the effectiveness of action across different areas, including:

• Public education and awareness-raising

• Police powers and legal protections for victims

• Criminal and civil justice processes, including the Specialist Domestic Violence Court Programme

• Support for victims, including finance and refuge services

• Perpetrator programmes

• Multi-agency approaches, and what barriers exist to their effective operation.

The Committee is seeking written submissions of no more than 2,500 words from interested parties, before it takes oral evidence on this inquiry. Organisations and individuals interested in making written submissions are invited to do so by Monday 1 October 2007. Further advice on making a submission can be found overleaf.

Oral evidence sessions will be held in late 2007/early 2008: further announcements will be made in due course.

SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL : MORE MEN ARE BECOMING VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

In a report delivered to Suffolk County Council's Public Protection Scrutiny Committee, it is revealed that 20% of Domestic Violence victims are men, up from 17% the year before. This is broadly consistent with the national figure of 24%. Between April 2006 and March 2007, 1060 men were victims in the county.

The story is covered here (link) and the report to the committee here (link). Suffolk CC also have a small section on a domestic violence web-site for men (link).

The issues facing Suffolk CC are no different to any other county, however, at least Suffolk County Councillors recognise that men are victims and have at least acknowledged it. This is so unlike most other local authorities (see recent post on Bristol City Council).

Suffolk CC's response to the Men's Aid request for a list of services is here (link). The challenge is for Suffolk CC to now actively provide services to help men rather than gender neutral or for women. Whilst they make great play that their domestic violence literature is gender neutral and they have a web-site and use events, there is nothing on refuges for men or specialist support.

Still, Suffolk CC is far better than the majority.

BRIEFING ON MALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE / MALE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS (UPDATE)

The briefing on male domestic violence victims has been updated with the 2006/07 British Crime Survey figures here Download dv_brief_august_2007.pdf .

BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL REPORT ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE : STUDY IGNORES MALE VICTIMS

In July, BBC Bristol (list) ran a story stating that domestic violence cost the city £28 million and that 8,000 women had been victims in the last few years.

To be fair to the BBC (though they had the usual picture of a man attacking a woman), this was based on a release (link) and a study (link) commissioned by Bristol City Council's Social Development Scrutiny Committee in Feb/Mar 2007.

The extent that male victims are ignored in the study can be clearly seen by these quotes in the report:-

"From national research (Walby & Allen, Home Office 2004), it is estimated that in Bristol there are nearly 40,000 women aged between 16 & 59 who have experienced some form of DVA. It is a problem which affects at least 1 in 4 women at some point in their lives, as well as some men."

The figure for men produced by Walby & Allen in the same Home Office report is 1 in 6 men (ie 40% of victims are men) so "as well as some men" shows a frivilous and almost begrudging recognition that Bristol men could be victims. It fails to give councillors the 1 in 6 figure, a crucial and purposely made ommission.

"Service providers in all sectors should ensure that access thresholds are set at realistic and consistent levels to ensure that women and children experiencing DVA are not excluded."

No mention of male victims, of course.

The following figures represent the costs of domestic violence towards women only...As the figures do not include DVA against heterosexual or gay men, they can be presumed to be an underestimate.

What is the point of producing figures if they do not include men, It would not take much more effort to include men.

The Commission recommends that the following needs identified by Scrutiny Commission witnesses should be addressed as priorities in any strategy process. Special attention to needs of : • BME communities • Same-sex relationships • Disabled people • Children • Genuine male victims

Could you imageine any DV report stating 'Genuine Female Victims', again a begrudging off hand attitude.

Some agencies do not recognise that a small number of men are victims of domestic violence and abuse, and agencies are not trained to distinguish genuine male victims from male perpetrators claiming to be victims themselves.

Again, imagine a report stating that agencies could not recognise genuine female victims.

This committee report whilst being forced to admit that male victims do exist in Bristol, its whole approach is off-hand, begrudging and it purposley ignored studying the impact on men and their families. A biased report in other words. Bristol male victims do not need to hold their breath for support from their council (see Men's Aid's conversation with Bristol Council here link).