One of the enlightening aspects of working with elementary school children over the past two years has been seeing the cultural changes that have occurred -- and those that haven't -- since I was a student. One area that encompasses both, especially among the fourth- and fifth-graders with whom I worked most closely, is that of gender relations.

Boys and girls, due in large part to the media world they inhabit almost from birth, grow up a lot faster than did previous generations. This manifests in their attitudes and behaviors, as well as the way they dress, talk, and think about the world. They still tend to stick with their own kind during this pre-adolescent period, just as my friends and I did, and are still suspect and critical about each other's behaviors and attitudes. This is the period, as described by Carol Gilligan, when girls reach their peak of power and self-esteem, before hormones and a larger worldview creep in. When, in these girls' words, "Girls rule, boys drool."

Faced with constant gender tension among the students in one after-school media production club, I split them into two gender-mixed groups. They were assigned the task of creating a video production in a specified time, in any genre, that: 1) was no longer than five minutes; and 2) taught something about relations between girls and boys.

One group chose a game show format that pitted boys against girls. The other group created a talk show with girl and boy "experts" as guests. Neither set really came up with any earth-shattering revelations to ease the tensions, but as usual, the process was as important as the product. In this case, it included boys and girls having to work together to make collaborative decisions about format, content, production, and so on. Another, even more interesting, aspect occurred in post-production.

Each group had a male media artist as its advisor/production coach. One group worked on the project during club time, stayed within the time limit, and included all group members in the production process. The other bunch took a longer time on the production stage, so the media artist came in during school and worked with a few of the boys on the editing process. The result was a slicker, longer, and more male-centric production. This, in turn, created a competitive aspect that effected future productions. The whole thing provided some important lessons on how the message can differ depending on who's creating it. It's no wonder this is the first question in media literacy -- Who is the author of this message and what is his or her purpose?

Certain gender trends are evident in recent local, national, and international scandals and crises. Visualize the main players in the Plunder Dome, Enron, WorldCom, terrorism, and War on Terrorism productions. Now think of the whistle blowers that brought some of these situations to light. In many cases, one group is exclusively male and the other is predominantly female. This has caused comment and concern. Those who have commented include Anita Hill, who, in an essay in the New York Times, mentioned the common situation of women who rise within the ranks of previously all-male systems, organizations, or echelons, achieving insider status while retaining outsider values. In a recent Los Angeles Times article, Kris Kolesnik, executive director of the National Whistleblower Center, agreed with Hill's theory. Apparently, half of the center's calls are from women, and the men who come forward tend to be loners, not a part of the corporate pack mentality.

The concern, of course, is that now that this trend is being openly noted, there will be a backlash against women employees, especially at the top, as well as against any employee, regardless of gender, who doesn't accept the code of silence or the brotherhood of "my country (company), right or wrong." Who are the authors of this message and what is their purpose?

Before the backlash begins, I'd like to propose an alternative plan. Before the powers-that-be step in to squelch the whistleblowers, let's speak up in favor of exposing to the light the dark side of our controlling systems. Let's speak up in support of the humanizing, cooperative, moral, and ethical influence that women and outsider men have brought to their workplaces. Then, take the concept of job sharing one step farther than just allowing working mothers more time with their families. Let's have male and female co-executives in all the major positions of power -- whether public or private.

It would be easy to do at the top governmental level. Two senators from each state -- one male and one female. Co-presidents instead of president and vice president. We wouldn't even have to spend more money on that. The same model could easily be adapted to state, community, and corporate administrative positions. The representative bodies might be a little tougher to figure out. But let's face it, women -- who comprise more than half the population -- haven't ever been truly represented in such places, so a little erring on the side of female representation would be fine with me until we get the formula figured out.

Don't you think the country could benefit from a bit more cooperation and a little less competition? If nothing else, insist on the formation of a Council of Grandmothers as the final filter before any major national decisions are made. Admit it -- wouldn't you feel safer if those decisions had to pass through the likes of Barbara Bush instead just her son and his posse? Wouldn't you feel better if a group of women like Mary Ellen McNish -- who, in a recent editorial in an American Friends Service Committee publication, named the real axis of evil as "environmental degradation, pandemic poverty, and a world awash in weapons" -- decided when it's necessary for our vital national interest to drop bombs on some foreign land and people?

Alas, I fear the backlash may have already started. Just yesterday I received an e-mail stating that US Representative Cynthia McKinney, a Georgia Democrat, is being targeted by her own party. McKinney has a 100 percent rating on the environment, led the effort for full accountability for the Department of Defense's "lost" $2.3 trillion, and demanded an independent inquiry into what President Bush knew and when he knew it regarding the events of September 11. You can find out how to support McKinney and her efforts toward government accountability at www.cynthia2002.com. What this country really needs is more Cynthias, not less.

We also need the long overdue gender balance at the top of our country, corporations, and organizations. We have loads of research showing that having two committed, involved parents is the best model for raising healthy children. We know that children suffer from having absentee fathers. Why can't we see that our nation suffers from the absence or inequity of women in the decision-making process? Are no other transitions possible than from "Girls rule, boys drool" to "Men lead, women bleed" or "Women cry, men die"? How about men and women share? That's fair.

Pam Steager can be reached at pamsteager@earthlink.net.

Issue Date: July 12 - 18, 2002