And isn’t this emphasis on male/female ratios hugely at odds with the massive push to tell us that males and females are equal and that a person’s sex is whatever they choose it to be? 

Men and women may be superficially very similar – we are both human after all - but fundamentally we function in very different ways.  Many of these differences are developed in the womb and provide a terrific balance for our lives in the world.  

My career, 25 years of marriage and 14 years of parenting have taught me that men and women complement each other and make a fabulous combination of differences that provide a rich socialisation for children at home, enable symmetry in the workplace and enrich our community in general.   

Several programs rolling out to our primary and secondary schools currently, are teaching young people that their sex can be chosen – the theory of gender fluidity – information that simply is not true.

To change from one sex to another involves a lifetime commitment to pharmaceutical use, dependence on which can cause physical harm, and ultimately surgery, which sadly leads to a much higher suicide rate than that of patients who refrain from taking this final step. 

The Johns Hopkins Hospital, which pioneered sex reassignment surgery, no longer performs these operations for this reason.    

The majority of young people who pass through a phase of confusion about their sexuality emerge into adulthood with this issue resolved without requiring chemical or physical intervention, while those who pursue an alteration increase their risk of an early death. 

Is promoting the idea that we each have the power to choose our sex, while hiding the data on the danger of this fallacy, right, respectful or safe?   

We are all a bit quirky, so caring for, loving and supporting each individual and their uniqueness is vital, while empowering young people to make informed healthy choices would be a much more responsible way for the grown-ups to act.    

Yolande Grosser