Smithsonian World: Gender--The Enduring Paradox

Sharing the same problem as earlier Smithsonian World specials from filmmaker Sandra Wentworth Bradley, Gender is a good program that could have been a great one had it not spread the subject matter so thin. The first half of the program stays admirably on track as child psychologist Kyle Pruett, social SF novelist Ursula K. LeGuin, and others discuss the differences between boys and girls, both genetic and social--which eventually lead to the differences between men and women. Today, less than 13% of American families fit the traditional stereotype of male breadwinner/female houseworker. Acknowledging the rapidly changing social landscape where more and more women are entering the work environment, the interviewees discuss the possible outcomes of such a change. The second half of the program offers thumbnail sketches of a handful of interesting individuals: a gay Native American, a black female poet, and a Vietnamese-American female performance artist. While each of these personal stories is engaging and enlightening, the subject of gender has given way to the subject of race relations in America. Still, the program is a very good discussion starter, and benefits especially from novelist LeGuin's cogent commentary. Recommended. (See FRONTLINE: THE MAN WHO MADE THE SUPER GUN for availability.)