I respectfully disagree that it has more to do with general self- confidence and gender roles although that certainly may be a part of it for many women. My original point dealt with a phenomena called "self-objectification." In this culture, most women are socialized to obsess on their appearance. There is an old cliche "tell a man he looks awful and he thinks he must look awful. Tell a woman she looks awful and she thinks she IS awful." This preoccupation with appearance can literally affect how a woman performs on a daily basis. I am including an Alternet article… >>>

When I use random assignment for informal groups, I like to be creative and use other than numbers. I am lucky to have Dollar Stores in the area, so sometimes I buy pencils in assorted designs and have them draw. Or organic lollipops and separate by flavors. Once I used favorite Halloween costume categories: scary, historical figures, occupations and so on. But in that particular class, I already knew that everyone celebrated Halloween. Not everyone does so the last suggestion is not always appropriate. I work with creative students and out of the box random assignments can be mini ice… >>>

One thing I would like people to be aware of is the impact of body image in job performance. As the past lesson made us aware, movement and "floating" is important in "claiming the classroom." I wonder how many of us are aware that many women can feel more self-conscious about movement? Studies have found women "self-objectify" (see themselves through the eyes of others) more than men, and this can actually impair their motor functions. I am sorry I don't have the studies off hand. I am bringing it up because it is not always as easy as learning new… >>>