What can parents do to ensure that their sons develop into men who value women as equals?
I think there are a number of things that are very important, and I don’t think we should limit this to just parents, because we know how limited their roles can be. We need to think about the schools and other influential adults and what they can do. The terrible flaw in Glen Ridge was that achievement was divorced from character. I think parents need to understand that character is an important thing and that achievement can’t be regarded separately. For instance, if the participation in high school athletics for these guys had been preconditioned on qualities of character as well as the ability to throw a football, then they might have turned out a whole lot differently. The other crucial element is that young women need to be taught to understand that they have support from their parents and other adults, that they can be assured that their complaints will be heard and that they will be defended, that their self-esteem will be supported. The tragedy in Glen Ridge is that there was
