Bias in PE classes?

[Lost In Translation]

In many all public schools, PE is co-ed. Everybody does the same thing, follows the same code of conduct, and gets graded on their performance.

However, I have observed that in many cases, there is a double standard for guys and girls. For example, the maximum time allowed to get an A to run 5 (or was it 4?) laps around a 400m oval is 12 minutes. However, this standard is changed for girls. They do not need to run AT ALL within the 4 or 5 laps, and they get the same (if not better) mark than the males who finish the exercise in under 12 minutes.

In other sports for PE, for example basketball, when a female misses (an outright miss, an airball), the coaches makes excuses like "oh, well girls aren't as strong as guys, good try". However, if a male just barely misses, he is denounced, and mocked by the coach.

So, is the double standard in PE acceptable, given the physical advantage of males, or is it outright bias?

[Dean]

In many all public schools, PE is co-ed. Everybody does the same thing, follows the same code of conduct, and gets graded on their performance.

However, I have observed that in many cases, there is a double standard for guys and girls. For example, the maximum time allowed to get an A to run 5 (or was it 4?) laps around a 400m oval is 12 minutes. However, this standard is changed for girls. They do not need to run AT ALL within the 4 or 5 laps, and they get the same (if not better) mark than the males who finish the exercise in under 12 minutes.

In other sports for PE, for example basketball, when a female misses (an outright miss, an airball), the coaches makes excuses like "oh, well girls aren't as strong as guys, good try". However, if a male just barely misses, he is denounced, and mocked by the coach.

So, is the double standard in PE acceptable, given the physical advantage of males, or is it outright bias?

Given that the sporting industry is already heavily in favor of males, I wouldn't expect anything different from PE. However, I doubt that PE actually favors females, as you say.

[Lost In Translation]

Well, you could look at it both ways, I guess. The double standard may be offensive to females because they might think the coaches don't think they can match the males. The obvious view would be that it's biased towards males, because they're working hard to get a good grade in PE, while the females don't have to work as hard, in their opinion.

[mykittyhasaboner]

ah, its different in every school, its not as simple as a "bias" against females. have you considered that some schools have female PE teachers?

[TC]

Having graded PE at all is extraordinarily stupid and biased against non-athletes.

Having said that, to say that say, making girls do 5 chin ups and boys 10 chin ups (or whatever) is 'biased against boys' would be one way of looking at it, another would be that making kids do an activity that males on average have such a clear psychological advantage in is biased against girls. Which is not to say that running 5 laps of whatever is such a case, just that such cases exist (it might also be pointed out that while the peak physical condition for men is better than the peak physical condition for women in arguably most athletic areas, certainly in running, this doesn't necessarily mean that the mean or mode physical condition for male teenagers is above the mean or mode condition for female teenagers and this is what would be relevant).

[Decolonize The Left]

Having graded PE at all is extraordinarily stupid and biased against non-athletes.

Bingo.

- August

[Lost In Translation]

Having graded PE at all is extraordinarily stupid and biased against non-athletes.

Yes, I hate PE too. But it's because our teachers don't know how to do it, so a total newbie could pass of as a pro in their eyes, while the actually athletic are under appreciated.

[Sharon den Adel]

There was nothing like that when I was at school, however, our PE classes were quite biased, in that we had to play more male oriented sports than female oriented sports.
We played mostly golf, football, soccer, basketball. None of the sports that females like to play were ever included.

[KrazyRabidSheep]

ah, its different in every school. . .
^^this^^

When I was in high school (way back when) we were not graded on athletic merit; we were graded on participation and dress.

As long as you dressed out and played, you got an A, no matter how good or bad you were.

Originally we didn't have co-ed gym, but my junior year co-ed gym was introduced (you could choose between co-ed or not). Co-ed was nice because it was not very competitive (I was a high school jock, so I didn't want to risk injury and I had enough competition after school anyway), and it was quite flirtatious.

We even had a table tennis and an archery unit in co-ed (co-ed gym was the most kick-ass time I ever had in high school.)