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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol 6, No. 5. May 5, 1943

The Sexes Differ

The Sexes Differ.

From all the men there were only eight replies indicating factors which interfered with associating with other students, and all these pertained to the last three above-mentioned questions. Of the women's thirty-two such replies, eighteen pertained to these same questions. We may infer that women need to exercise more caution in their social contacts because they run a greater danger in regard to sexual relationships.

When asked if they thought there are social classes existing in the College, only three answered negatively, and these all men. Two other [unclear: men] while believing social classes do exist, find themselves quite class mobile.

Despite the fact that class distinctions are so widely believed to exist, no one was able to give a satisfactory classification. Students were variously sorted out according to academic attainments, occupation, nationality, financial position, and length of time spent at College. However, seven people agreed that there is a class called intellectuals, and five that there is another called full timers.

Is the result of this Questionnaire significant of general student opinion? Of course the greater the number of replies the more valid the results are likely to be. However, this sample of twenty-two students was sufficiently representative to make the validity of the results highly probable.

It appears, therefore, that there are social distinctions of some sort or another in the College. I would not interpret the results to mean that they are class distinctions in the true sense of the word.

When we talk of the upper, middle, and lower classes we generally have in mind distinctions based mainly on economic, occupational, and educational differences. Within each of these broad classes there are many sub-classes, based on such factors as differences in belief or moral standards.