Comments on: Going Back to Single-Sex Dorms

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:07:30 +0000

So, in the presence of the fairer sex, the young men contain many of their smaller stupid impulses but try more really stupid stunts. Is that net positive or negative? I suppose the problem is that they have no outlet for positive risk-taking.

By: Doctor Pat

Doctor Pat — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:17:56 +0000

As someone who’s lived in both single sex and mixed places, my opinion is that
1. Having girls around results in boys indulging in less horseplay type fighting, less outright vandalism, less living like a pig, and less sheer crudity in regular conversation.
2. Having girls around also results in more serious violence, more sex, and more situations that get totally out of hand.
3. No effect on levels of drinking were observed.

YMMV

By: Bill

Bill — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 19:04:38 +0000

I wonder if that study controlled for the possibility that students who were willing to be in a single-sex dorm were by nature more conservative than those who wanted to be in co-ed dorms.

Also, the statement “I would have thought young women would have a civilizing effect on young men” is quaintly 19th century. Recent studies have demonstrated that high school girls are now the ones most likely to initiate sex.

I was also charmed by his notion that it is boys who are encouraging girls to drink because then they get what they want. Given the study I cited above, I think that it is obvious that girls are drinking more with boys because it gets them what they (girls) want.

If you constantly tell girls “don’t wait for Prince Charming” and “take what you want”, this is what you get.