Australia’s All-Boys Schools Need to Stamp Out Toxic Masculinity

Article here. Excerpt:

'By invoking tradition, the protesters are endorsing a culture of machismo pervasive in elite boys schools. It is these young men who will go on to hold positions of power in business, finance, politics, law and the media, cementing old boys’ networks. That is why schools must act to stamp out damaging gender views and smash the sexist stereotypes that stand in the way of gender equality. Going coed is the right move. If we demand diversity in companies and our private and public institutions, it should start in schools during adolescents’ formative years. Apart from the home, there is no better place to hold schoolboys accountable for rampant appalling behavior toward girls that is pervasive at elite boys’ schools. Learning alongside them from early on about respect would help.

Change is afoot. Some recognize that we live in different times, and there is now an increased demand for mixed-sex education. Cranbrook, attended by billionaire James Packer and Atlassian Corp. founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, is in the process of enrolling girls in stages. Barker College, the alma mater of Midnight Oil lead singer and former politician Peter Garrett, and film director Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) became fully coeducational in 2022. Barker was established more than 100 years ago at a time of “different attitudes towards the roles of men and women,” its website notes, recognizing that “a more inclusive and diverse community” can help address “stereotypes that can develop in single sex environments.”'