Students At Sydney Girls High Ask Why Their Male Peers Got So Much Credit For Feminism Video
"Why [is it] that male voices are needed to bring attention to these issues that, if expressed by women, would be disregarded?"
Earlier this week, the prefects at Sydney Boys High School created a video in which they read out quotes from their female friends and family members about why feminism is so important.
The clip, which was posted to Facebook on International Women’s Day, has been widely shared, and the public response has been extremely positive. But some people have also pointed to it as an example of men being praised for talking about women’s rights while women who do the same thing are ignored, or are in many cases subjected to abuse.
In a letter published in the comment section of yesterday’s Sydney Morning Herald, the prefects at Sydney Girls High School have addressed this double standard, while calling out “the toxic subculture of masculinity in boys’ schools.”
“While we believe it is an important initiative promoting feminism by Sydney Boys, the reality of sexism at boys’ schools similar to and including Sydney Boys has failed to be addressed by the video,” reads the letter.
“As female students, we experience firsthand the objectification and devaluing of women by male students. The most notable example of this was at a ‘gender pay gap’ bake sale last year, where there was an outcry from the Sydney Boys student body at the perceived ‘discrimination towards men’, including intimidation against students of Sydney Girls. This is emblematic of the broader culture of misogyny present in boys’ schools.”
The letter goes on to ask “why it is that male voices are needed, even on International Women’s Day, to bring attention to these issues that, if expressed by women, would be disregarded”
You can read the entire letter here, and watch the original video here.
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Feature image via Nina Funnell/Twitter