GENDER BENDER

AGOLD Coast school is being criticised – rightly – for selecting two male students as the senior school’s captain and vice-captain.

Despite a tradition of one male school head and one female, A.B. Paterson College’s principal now argues it is selecting the roles on “merit alone”.

In an age of gender equality remaining imbalanced – look at pay rates alone – this sends the wrong message.

And with teenagers at a fragile age, whether two males or two females are selected for the roles, it leaves one cohort without a gender-based role model and sends a negative message to the sex which missed the cut.