The lecture titled “The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism is Harming Our Young Men,” was sponsored by the UF Federalist Society.

Christina Hoff Sommers, one of the speakers and a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, a private, nonpartisan, not-for-profit group based in Washington D.C., told the audience that the policies created to help close the educational gap for women is creating an educational chasm for men.

“The good news is we have great information on where girls and boys stand academically,” said Sommers. “The bad news is it’s not good news. If we continue on the present course, education for boys will continue to decline.”

Sommers cited several U.S. Department of Education studies that reveal the disparity between boys and girls in math, science, reading and writing.

“Today, boys are about three months ahead of girls in math and science, but on the average, boys are about 13 to 18 months behind girls in reading and writing,” said Sommers. “This is because there are no educational or social programs aimed to increase these skills for boys.”

Mary Ann Clark, Ph.D., the University of Florida College of Education B.O. Smith Research Professor and coordinator of the School Counseling Program, explained that the lack of educational programs aimed at boys coupled with the lack of positive, male role-models contributes to this disparity in education.

“Eighty five percent of single parents are women,” said Clark. “This means most boys are just not being exposed to men who encourage them to succeed or lead by example.”

Luis Ponjuan, Ph.D., a UF College of Education assistant professor of educational administration and policy warned that “males are slipping through the cracks” in regards to education.

“This is a silent crisis,” Ponjuan said. “Funding has been an issue for male programs to address this disparity. We need to challenge our policy makers and students studying to be teachers and administrators to address these inconsistencies and commit to closing the gap between boys and girls.”

Her presentation topic—“The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism is Harming Our Young Men”—derives from the title of her 2000 book in which she claimed that “by virtually every measure, girls are thriving.” Instead, Sommers writes, “it is boys who are the second sex in school.”

She will speak on the 18th at noon in the Bailey Courtroom at the law school. Following her opening talk, Sommers, a self-described “equity feminist”, will participate in a panel discussion with gender-equity scholars from the UF College of Education—Mary Ann Clark, associate professor of counselor education; and Luis Ponjuan, assistant professor of educational administration and policy.

The program, sponsored by the law school’s Federalist Society student organization, is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.

Sommers is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, a private, nonpartisan, not-for-profit group, based in Washington D.C., whose stated purpose is to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism. She previously was a professor of philosophy at Clark University and also has written for the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Weekly Standard, and The Atlantic.

She is the author of two books–“Who Stole Feminism?” and “The War Against Boys” (a New York Times “Notable Book of the Year” selection in 2000)—and recently co-authored a third book titled “One Nation Under Therapy.” Sommers has appeared on numerous television programs, including Nightline, Sixty Minutes, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.

Her fellow panel members, Clark and Ponjuan from the College of Education, both study gender-related issues in education. They say their work focuses not so much on misguided feminism than on the lack of male role models in society, concepts of masculinity, motivational issues and other perspectives. “But we are all addressing the same problem of male underachievement and gender differences in educational achievement,” Clark said.

Clark, the B.O. Smith Research Professor, is one of the lead investigators on a multi-year study that is looking at male underachievement in the United States, England, Australia and Korea.

Ponjuan’s research focuses on how, gender, ethnic background and other social differences are increasingly steering boys and young men away from participation in postsecondary education and more towards low-paying occupations or unemployment, military service or criminal activity.