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A primary school
headmaster says the policies of Air New Zealand and Qantas not to let men sit
next to unaccompanied youngsters on flights is part of an attitude that
drives men away from teaching. The policy came to
light after a man seated next to a child was asked to change seats with a
woman sitting in another row. Auckland man Mark
Worsley said he was told by a flight attendant from Qantas that the airline's
policy stipulated that only women should sit next to unaccompanied children. A Qantas spokesman
confirmed the airline does not allow unaccompanied children to sit next to
men and Air New Zealand says it has a similar policy. The principal of Stratford
Primary School, Kelvin Squire, says the policy is part of an attitude that
drives men away from teaching. Squire says the chronic
shortage of male teachers can be blamed on a society that automatically
questions the motives of men who want to teach children. He says it's
ultimately the children who suffer at a time when children need male role
models more than ever. The airlines say their
rules reflect the concerns of parents as well as child safety issues. But
men's groups says the decision reflects a growing discrimination against the
male sex. Richard Ashton, chief
executive of Big Buddy - a charity that matches men as mentors to
fatherless children - says such decisions are creating a world which
segregates men from children. Green Party MP Keith
Locke says the policy is a clear breach of human rights and presumes that men
cannot be trusted. The acting Human Rights
Commissioner says Air New Zealand and Qantas could have a case to answer for
unlawful discrimination against men. |
