The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) has demanded that the New York City Board of Education take immediate steps to remedy discrimination against girls in vocational and technical high school programs. The NWLC says that male and female students are being illegally segregated, and that girls are receiving inferior educational opportunities, in violation of federal, state, and city laws.
While the four schools with predominately female students provide vocational programs leading to traditionally female, lower-wage jobs, such as clerical work, the nine schools with predominately male students provide programs in traditionally male, higher-paying jobs, such as engineering and technology. Further, the predominately male schools offer twice as many Advanced Placement courses as the predominately female schools, thus more adequately preparing male students. The NWCL charges that these inequities are further perpetuated by the schools’ discriminatory recruiting methods.
