The Surprising benefits of gender segregation

The thrust behind this post is my surprise that there could be benefits of gender segregation. I wholehearted hate and in no way endorse segregation by gender, race, religion, nationality or any other grouping. This includes de-facto segregation such as faith schools.

I find it a particularly odious idea for gender. Wouldn't life have fewer issues for trans- and non-binary people if we weren't constantly classifying the human race into two distinct groups? I was recently discussing feminision at a CEO conference and I realised that I don't hate men. I'm not even pro-women (sorry women). I just hate gender.

I didn't hate the idea of gender when I was ten and choosing which school to go to. I proudly told my mum that "boys were stupid" or some such intolerant nonsense (sorry men) and that it would be better to go to a school that was all female.

Like all 14 year olds in single sex education, I started regretting this decision four years later. However, something interesting occurred to me when I was interviewed about my school aged 17. The fact that there were no males meant that, within the world of the school, there was no gender division. There were no "strong boys" to carry things - girls had to do it. There was no concept of physics and maths being "boys' subjects" - we had two full physics classes and a further maths class. All female.

Does the end justify the means? Did my school make life better for me, but worse for other people in the gendered world outside? Would I still have been a programmer and eventually a CEO, if I'd had to "fit in" within a mixed school?