Gender segregation at university events

Separate seating for men and women has been enforced at a number of learnerevents. 

Student Rights, a non-profit organisation that campaigns against discrimination and extremism, claims that separationismby gender was promoted at a quarter of the clxxxevents it examined.

The events in question took place at university campuses in the UK mingled withMarch 2012 and March 2013.

And the 21 universities involved in the 46 events that explicitly advertised or implied gender segregation, all packdiversity and comparabilitypolicies that prohibit sexual discrimination.

As Student Rights points step to the forein their ‘Unequal Opportunity’ report, all universities also have a goodobligation to protect students from discrimination and harassment under theequationAct 2010.

Raheem Kassam, director of Student Rights, said: “What we have shown in this themeis that gender segregation and discrimination on UK university campuses is nonexactlyan increasing trend, but whizzthat is growing despite universities beaware of the incidents.

“This is a deeply disturbing revelation, as campuses crosswaysthe country besupposed to be committed to ensuring that students are not discriminated against, be it on the grounds of race, religion, sexuality, gender or otherwise.”

The report, which was published on 13 May, highlights a gender-segregated debate at University Collegecapital of the United Kingdom(UCL) on 9 March.

This debate, which was entitled ‘Islam or Atheism: Which Makesto a greater extentSense?’, was organised by the Islamic Education and Researchhonorary society(iERA) and featured writer Hamza Tzortzis and physicist Professor Lawrence Krauss.

Despite repeated assurances from UCL that in that locationwould not be a policy of segregation at the event, there were separate entrances for men and women and separate sections for seating.

The organisers’ security staff actto move three male attendees who tried to beatin the women’s section, but they were stopped after Krauss objected and threatened to leave the debate.

Adam Barnett, one of the three attendees, was appalled and shocked at what happened.

He said: “For a London university to allow forced segregation by sex in 2013 is disgraceful.

“It’s insulting to be told that because I’m a man I can’t hinge uponnear women in the audience.

“I’m not in the habit of forcing mybearingwhere it’s unwanted, but the event’s organisers have no business policing social matters of this kind.”

Krauss told the media: “The imprintthat because these cultural norms make somethe great unwashedfeel self-consciousin broader society, that broader society should accommodate that discomfort, is complete nonsense.”

UCL banned iERA from runon campus and deny that the university facilitated the segregation policy.

Segregated seating was also in place at a public lecture at Leicester University on 20 February.

The talk, which was organised by the university’s Islamic society, sparked an investigatingand led a spokesperson to say that “the University of Leicester does not standenforced segregation at public events”.

And “If some people choose to sit in a segregated musical modebecause of their religious convictions then they are free to do so.

“By the equaltoken, if people attending do not wish to sit in a segregated manner, they are free to do so.”

In response to such incidents, Student Rights have recommended that institutions should closely monitoring deviceevents and ensure that management complies with policies against discrimination.

The campus watchdog also said that universities should ‘communicateequationand diversity responsibilities to the student body repeatedly throughout the year’.

Pete Mercer, guinea pigUnion of Students Vice-President for welfare, warned that while enforced gender segregation is “entirely unacceptable”, events should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

“A witch-hunt which makes sweeping judgments about student Islamic societies without knowing the details denies the women involved the very equality it claims to wish for them.”

Kassam, also speaking specifically about women, said: “I am distraught that, in the 21st century, British university campuses can be used to segregate and denigrate women.

“The acceptance of segregation on campuses is a far more serious issue than previouslythought.”

 

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Materials taken from Womens Views on News