A high school dating assignment has parents crying foul as it supposedly proliferates gender bias and sends a sexist message. Parents whose 16-year-old kids attended the Highland High School in Utah posted parts of the homework on social media, which have already gone viral.
Jenn Oxborro shared the $5.00 Date material for her daughter on her Facebook. It cited that, among other things, girls shouldn't correct or comment on their date's personal habits, or waste his money, or worry about feeling fat. It also emphasized on showing respect for the guy.
Jo Robinson, on the other hand, posted the $5.00 Date material her son on Facebook as well. The bullet points didn't list physical tips similar to the girls' list. It did, however, emphasize the role of the guy as the alpha.
Oxborrow told Fox 13 that her daughter took a photo of the assignment and sent it to her because she had concerns about classmates who "might not identify with traditional gender roles." The mom agreed and also thought that the dating tips for girls were "old-school thinking."
"The girls' assignment was essentially based around how to please boys," Oxborrow's daughter Lucy told The Guardian. Oxborrow, who is a therapist and the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition executive director, also said the assignment, which was distributed online from the school district's website, pushed for male entitlement that can bring serious consequences among impressionable teenagers.
Oxborrow took the matter to the State Board of Education who agreed that it was a mistake. The materials were supposed to be part of adult roles and financial literacy class and the handouts have since been taken down online.
"We really don't have business whether or not boys and girls should be kissing on a date in a financial literacy class," Mark Peterson of the school board told Fox 13. "[We] are looking into how it got in there so we don't repeat the same mistake again," he said further.
