Sex segregation 597792 224724084 2008-07-10T03:34:26Z Sardanaphalus 427947 updating link using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{Discrimination (sidebar)}} '''Sex segregation''' is the separation of people according to their [[gender]]. The derogatory term '''gender apartheid''' (or '''sexual apartheid''') has been applied to segregation of people by gender, implying that it is [[sexual discrimination]]. In some circumstances, gender segregation is a controversial policy, with critics contending that in most or all circumstances it is a violation of human rights, and supporters arguing that it is necessary to maintain [[decency]], sacredness, [[modesty]], female [[safety]]<ref name="AI">[[Amnesty International]] includes segregated toilets among the measures to ensure the safety of girls in schools. ''[http://www.amnesty.org/en/alfresco_asset/ac4e9257-a2ab-11dc-8d74-6f45f39984e5/act770082007en.html Six steps to stop violence against schoolgirls]'', Document ACT 77/008/2007, November 2007.</ref> or the family unit. ==Public facilities== In the interest of [[modesty]], [[Toilet#Public toilets|public toilet]]s, public [[shower]]s, [[dorm]]itories, [[changing room]]s, [[prison]]s and other areas are usually sex segregated, outside of a private home. ==Sports== {{Refimprovesect|date=June 2008}} [[Sport]]s are usually segregated on a gender basis. Even sports that do not rely on physical contact, such as [[archery]] or [[golf]], have separate sporting events. It is only in the early years that boys and girls are permitting to play sports together. To cater for the religious requirements of various [[ethnic]] groups, and for other preference reasons, sometimes separation is achieved by allocating times or facilities for the exclusive use of one gender, usually of women. This is sometimes done with public [[sauna]]s, [[swimming pool]]s and [[Gym|gymnasium]]s. Many countries now have laws outlawing discrimination on the basis of sex, and regard the refusal to provide facilities on an equal basis to both men and women as [[sexual discrimination]], but exceptions are usually permitted. ==Sex discrimination== {{main|sexual discrimination}} Historically, certain occupations tended to be exclusively for men and others for women. Occupations such as nursing and secretarial tended to be almost exclusively for women. This is referred to as occupational segregation. With the movement to [[sexual equality]], formal barriers have been removed. However certain occupations still continue to be dominated by one gender or the other. For example, more than 90% of [[nurse]]s in the United States are women and only 6 of the fortune 500 companies have women CEO's.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} ==Education== For religious or other cultural reasons, schools might be segregated on a gender basis. There have been studies conducted to analyse whether single-sex or co-ed schools produce better educational outcomes, but each has its advocates and critics. Even in co-ed schools, certain classes, such as [[sex education]], are sometimes segregated on the basis of gender. On the other hand, even in single-sex schools teaching staff usually consists of both men and women. In Louisiana following the forced race integration of public schools, the schools were segregated by sex. St. Bernard and Jefferson Parishes (surrounding New Orleans) instituted sex segregation to reduce the likelihood of black and white students dating. The last year of sex segregation in Jefferson Parish public schools was 1975. ==Religion== Some religious buildings have separate entrances and worship areas for men and women. Some trains have designated [[women-only passenger car]]s. ===Judaism=== Traditional [[Judaism|Jewish]] [[synagogue]]s have separate men's and women's sections, separated by a wall or curtain called a [[mechitza]].<ref name="separation">{{cite web|url=http://www.jewfaq.org/shul.htm|title=Synagogues, Shuls and Temples|work=jewfaq.org|accessdate=2007-02-25}}</ref> In Israel there are a few "modesty buses", serving [[Haredi|ultra-orthodox]] Jewish neighbourhoods, which are segregated by sex, with men in front and women in the back of the bus.<ref>Katya Alder, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6584661.stm "Israel's 'modesty buses' draw fire"], ''[[BBC News]]'', [[24 April]] [[2007]]</ref> In Israel, there is new research that shows how both boys' and girls' performance can be increased at school, with a higher ratio of girls to boys in the classroom: [http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6859 "Keep Boys and Girls Together, New Research Suggests"] ===Islam=== {{main|Sex segregation in Islam}} [[Islam]] discourages social interaction between men and women. The textual basis for insisting on total segregation of the sexes is the [[hadith]] on ''[[zina]]'' (fornication and [[adultery]]) of the limbs narrated from [[Ibn Mas`ud]] by [[Imam Ahmad]] in his Musnad with a strong chain: "The two eyes commit ''zina'', the two hands commit ''zina'', the two feet commit ''zina'', and the genitals commit ''zina''." Another wording with a passable chain in the Musnad includes the tongue and specifies in the end: "Then the genitals actualize it or belly it.". However, it does not necessarily follow that this hadith can be used as justification for saying "Therefore, according to [[Shari'ah]], to look, speak, listen, etc. to any [[Ghayr Mahram]] (women you are not related to or married to) except at the time of extreme necessity is Haraam and impermissible." Sex segregation is strictly enforced in some Islamic countries. ===Christianity=== The terms "gender apartheid" and "sexual apartheid" have also been used to describe differential treatment of women in institutions such as the [[Church of England]]<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,580180,00.html Women clergy accuse Church of sexual apartheid | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> or the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. See, for example, Patricia Budd Kepler in her 1978 ''Theology Today'' article "Women Clergy and the Cultural Order".<ref>[http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jan1978/v34-4-article6.htm Theology Today - Vol 34, No. 4 - January 1978 - ARTICLE - Women Clergy And The Cultural Order<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In churches, men and women sit together in most [[Western Catholic]] parishes, while in many [[Eastern Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox]] parishes, there is a separation of genders. This is not as common in the New World as it is in the Old World, especially in more rural areas where men will sit on the right (near Christ's icon) and women will sit on the left (near Mary's icon). == See also == * [[Sexism]] *[[Golden Needle Sewing School]] ==References== <div class="references-small"> <references /> </div> ==External links== *[http://www.rawa.org/index.php RAWA - Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. Documenting Taliban atrocities against women] *[http://www.arches.uga.edu/~haneydaw/twwh/apartheid.html Gender Apartheid] an essay on the topic from Third World Women's Health *[http://www.helpafghanwomen.com/Global_Petition_Flyer.pdf Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan] an anti-Taliban pamphlet from the [[Feminist Majority Foundation]] *[http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2212/context/ourdailylives Taking the Gender Apartheid Tour in Saudi Arabia] *[http://www.petertatchell.net/direct%20action/sexual%20apartheid.htm Direct Action is Necessary Because Homophobia is Sexual Apartheid] by Peter Tatchell, [[October 7]] [[1994]] *[http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A15193-2001Dec21?language=printer Saudi Arabia's Apartheid] by Colbert King, ''[[Washington Post]]'' [[December 22]] [[2001]] *[http://www.wpiran.org/Against%20Sexual%20Apartheid.htm Against Sexual Apartheid in Iran] Interview with [[Azar Majedi]] *[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3327/is_199409/ai_n8033813 Sexual Apartheid in Iran] by Mahin Hassibi *[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,580180,00.html Church persists with sexual apartheid, say women priests] ''The Guardian'', [[October 25]] [[2001]] {{Segregation by type}} [[Category:Sexism]] [[Category:Islam-related controversies]] [[Category:Women's rights in religious movements]] [[Category:Gender]] [[Category:Sexuality and society]] [[Category:Apartheid]] [[cs:Segregace]] [[de:Geschlechtertrennung]] [[es:Segregación]] [[he:הפרדת עיסוקים מגדרית]] [[ru:Сегрегация]] [[sr:Сегрегација]] [[sv:Segregation]]