Gender Rules

Hi everyone. As always, we welcome you back to another issue of the JagWire. As we’re sure you’ll notice right away, issue four looks a little different than any issue we’ve put out before, as all 24 pages revolve around one coherent theme: gender. Producing this paper forced our staff to go beyond their comfort zone, and we’re so pleased with the result. The idea for this special edition of the pap...

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Walking into Engineering Design and Development, you initially see many heads staring at their computers. When engineering teacher Gayle Kebodeaux goes to take attendance, you realize only four female names out of 24 total are called. This is the norm for all engineering classes at the school. Kebodeaux believes the lack of females is a result of a little representation in the workforce. “Once they...

Like many other school districts in Kansas, USD 232 has a nondiscrimination policy which outlines what protections students and staff have under law. These include “not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, national origin, sex, religion, or disability in its programs, activities or employment.” Students such as senior transgender female Alicia Ratzloff are hoping to change the nondiscri...

Like many young girls, sophomore Patty McClain was inspired by the 2018 midterm elections record-breaking results. A record number of women were elected into Congress and other government positions, which in the past have been predominantly held by men. “[The midterms] made me really proud to be coming of age in such an accepting time,” said McClain. “It’s really inspiring to be a young Americ...

Scribbling complex mathematical equations across her paper in a classroom dominated by males, junior Isabella Baker finds herself representing the face of modern femininity in the masculine world of STEM.      After a childhood of dreaming about fashion as her future, Baker grew to recognize a unique part of herself, and she took “a one-eighty turn to mechanical engineering” by joining ...

Senior Blake Aerni breaks barriers by participating in theaterSenior Blake Aerni represents a change in standard stereotypes, such as the stereotype that theater is a girls department. Blake breaks this stereotype every day. Blake has been in five productions and is a Thespian, however, theater hasn’t always been his focus. Before he was in sixth grade, it was sports. “I would say [the transit...

Bella Line: Do guys cry often? And under what circumstances? Ben Stove: I cry a whole lot, I’m just going to say that right now. I’m really emotional.  Cade Clauder: Depends on the guy. I’ll only cry at a funeral or a really sad movie. Avery Altman: How do you deal if your friends stop being your friends? Because I know with girls you’re like ‘Why aren’t you being my frie...

When sitting down in the movie theatre, popcorn in hand, you’re filled with anticipation to see a movie unlike any other, the first female-led action movie in more than a decade: “Wonder Woman.” Diana Prince, played by Gal Gadot, rules the battlefield, but has no problem showing empathy. You find yourself feeling a content pride, something built off of the thrill of seeing a female character bu...

JagWire: Describe a timeline for representation over the last century Joseph Erba: I cannot give you a precise timeline, but I can give you, probably speaking in terms of trends. My main focus is representation of race, ethnicity, and social class. In terms of representations, as you can imagine, if you just ask your parents, or even your grandparents, if they remember from magazine advertisements f...

As StuCo sponsor Erica Crist pulls up a copy of the agenda for the morning’s meeting, senior student body president Hannah Barnes goes over StuCo’s goals for the month, delegating tasks to members of each board. Barnes is one of many female leaders, as males are often the minority when it comes to leadership positions at the school.   For senior Zach Bossert, who is both an NHS officer and section ...

In addition to student leadership initiatives, teachers take part in various committees and teams around the school. Most of these committees are either female-dominated, or have women in higher leadership positions. Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Emily Schmidt feels that, because teaching is a very female-heavy workplace, more women step into leadership roles around the school. “As an ed...

In light of the school’s recent girls team state titles, one could easily conclude gender stereotypes in sports have dissipated. Although the imbalance between boys and girls in sports has been decreasing at Mill Valley, gender stereotypes remain an integral piece of history. Boys basketball coach Betsy Meeks, who played basketball at Kansas State University from 1979 to 1983, faced gender related cha...

A new district girls lacrosse team, open to all girls from Mill Valley and De Soto, will play their inaugural season this spring. The team was founded by DHS sophomores Kaitlin Torres and Kennedy Ebberts, who faced challenges just for the chance to start the team. “We did a lot of research and sent a lot of emails and talked to a lot of professionals,” Ebberts said. “Then they finally liste...

A multitude of things play into how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us. One often overlooked part is our gender and the roles that come with it. While deciding whether or not to conform to gender roles is a personal decision, it seems as if it’s a controversial issue with everybody holding their own opinion. It shouldn’t be controversial. Be your best authentic self and don’t ...

Gender stereotypes are so entrenched in society that although they are untrue, many are still seen as fact. Women are emotional. Men are tough. Women are supposed to be homemakers. Men are supposed to be doctors and lawyers. These stereotypes misrepresent large portions of society and without change they will not only continue but become a larger part of society. While some strides have been made...

Often devolving into childish name calling or other forms of mudslinging, politics houses many candidates campaigning off more than just their stance on issues. Many voters make decisions based on a variety of factors, but a candidate’s gender should not be one of them. Political office is no different than any other profession. The most qualified person should get the job. A candidate’s skill an...

It seems to be the status in today’s society to defy tradition. Political movements and new legislation all seem to point toward “out with the old, in with the new.” However, I fear that traditional gender roles may be the baby that gets thrown out with the bathwater. People fear that ‘gender roles’ are constricting and stereotypical. There certainly are roles that society has imposed ...

Gender inequality: one of the topics, like politics, that can end friendships, families, and marriages if debated. Many self-proclaimed feminists that I’ve spoken to in my life say that, in their ideal world, women dominate STEM careers, with men pushed aside into caregiving and education careers. So, ignoring that feminism is actually about gender equality, they seem to think that women should be r...