Tacit Endorsement?

A recent goal of mine is centering my student’s voices and speaking less. I try my best to let my students direct the discussions within my curricular goals, but sometimes I feel like I need to speak up. This occurred during a discussion about gender dynamics in ancient Rome and China in my 9th grade World History class. During the discussion one of my female students posed a new question to the class, “Would you rather live in Ancient Rome or Han China?,” which deviated from our original central question. Immediately some of the male students began sharing thoughts that were sexist and demeaning, in my opinion. For instance, one student said, “I would rather live in Han China because their women would stay at home, cook, clean, take care of children. That is what they should be doing.” After that comment I sensed some tension from my female students. As a woman, I also felt tense! But I didn't want to shut down a student and appear biased. I was afraid that if I shut down the comment, students would not feel safe to share their opinions. Also, I wanted to continue to amplify my students’ voices and remain quiet. But I also worried that if I did not say anything I would tacitly endorse the sexist comment, creating a space for harmful stereotypes. I wanted everyone to feel safe, seen, and heard, but those competing priorities did not lead to one action I could take as a teacher.