This Teacher’s Mind-Blowing Experiment Has Gone Viral

Can you imagine being outnumbered every single time you have to make a decision about an issue that matters to you? Now you know what it feels like to be a woman in politics. Women are grossly underrepresented in Congress — they currently hold just 19% of the seats. That's why Nicholas Ferroni, an educational activist and history teacher at Union High School in New Jersey, set out to teach his students why gender equality in politics matters. Ferroni divided his classroom between male and female students. But this time, girls held the 80% majority. When he started taking votes on gender-specific policies benefitting his female students, the boys found themselves unable to do anything to sway the outcome in their favor. "You can't put this approved if it's all girls voting," one male student said. He added, "80% of the class is all girls. It's majority rules." That was the reaction Ferroni was looking for. The teacher explained to his class that the charade was an experiment to show how disadvantageous it is for women to have so little representation in Congress. As he put it: "In Congress, 80% of men tell women what to do with their bodies — your moms, your sisters, your cousins, your girlfriends, and so on."