Norwegian boys change gender to get into study program
Students at the prestigious Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet. Photo Facebook, NTNU - Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet
Northern Europe
Changing your gender is as easy as switching to a new phone subscription, a Norwegian student says. And for some, gender reassignment is just enough to get into their favourite study program.
To increase the number of women in the study program of Industrial Economics and Technology Management at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the requirements for female students are easier. Male students need to have an average mark of 68.8 to be admitted into the program, while female students can enter with a 67, Dagen reports.
However, boys use the possibility of gender change to benefit from this lower standard as well, Finansavisen writes. The newspaper spoke to one of the students that did so. “From the time I started until the gender change was completed, it took approximately seven weeks”, he says, laughing. According to the student, it is as easy as “changing mobile subscriptions.”
Assessment
Gender is a private choice, says dean Monica Rolfsen, as reported by Norge Idag. “We have nothing to do with that”, she adds. However, she acknowledges that much has changed in recent times and that a new assessment will be made after the studies have started.
Many questions remain open, according to Norge Idag. For now, male students with a female legal gender will happily take their seats at the prestigious study. However, must they continue to keep up their new identity as long as the study lasts? Or is it easy to change the gender back after the enrollment in the study is secured?
Norge Idag is critical of the fact that no one dares to object. “The world wants to be deceived”, according to the newspaper.
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