Flap Over Swim Class is All Wet

U-T San Diego -- Adina Batnitzky and Avi Spiegel are assistant professors of sociology and political science, respectively, at the University of San Diego.

Imagine this scenario: a group of women in San Diego ask their local YMCA for an extra swim class. The YMCA would have to stay open a bit later than usual, but it happily obliges. It is summer, and the women, who are content to pay for the class, are eager to use this opportunity to improve their health. For many of them, it will even be their first time in the pool.

Why did they ask for this class in the first place? Perhaps their work schedule prohibits them from finding another suitable time. Perhaps they are shy and prefer not to swim around men. Perhaps this is a unique opportunity for the women in the community to bond together. Any of those reasons would have probably been met with widespread approval or even indifference. None would have sparked the outcry that this class did. (Full Story)