How many times have you discovered the sex of a newborn by the color of their clothes? Or how many times have you seen toy advertisements on television in which the protagonist is a girl if we are talking about dolls or a boy in the case of car racing? These concepts are still so deeply rooted in our society. Today, we talk about how to help our children grow up in an environment free of gender stereotypes.
They begin to discover if they are boys or girls
In our culture, it is common for children to associate meanings and stereotypes with sex that they assume and learn as they grow and their relationship with their environment grows. Around 2-3 years old, children begin to discover the particular characteristics of their body that differentiate bodies of different genders. These differences are purely physical; the environment and environment in which the child is raised takes care of the rest.
Each child constructs the meaning of being a girl or boy through observation and the messages they receive about what is appropriate or inappropriate for each sex. On a daily basis, children encounter many stereotypical messages, sometimes very subtle, but which imply that there is a barrier when it comes to developing freely in the future.
What type of messages are we referring to?
Society is changing little by little and our little ones will also have the opportunity to see on the street two men hugging, two women kissing, grandparents taking care of their granddaughters, mothers going to work, women who wear short hair and men that they leave it long. This will give them the opportunity to learn about other, less stereotyped models of being a man and woman, which allows them to grow with greater freedom. Even so, there is still a long way to go in a world in which stereotypes are in every advertising campaign, in every advertisement we see and even in the heads of each of us.
Let's talk about children's stories
The story is children's first contact with literature. Through the story, dominant values are instilled, and children are socialized; it is one of the most important and powerful resources that parents and teachers have at their disposal. The first contact is usually with traditional stories, those stories full of fantasy and so integrated into our society.
But research shows us the high sexist content that we find in these harmless children's stories. For example:
Fortunately, these traditional tales are having a second life, and we can find more and more children's stories that speak to real values, consistent with the society we live in. One example is a very interesting collection titled "Once Upon a Time Twice..." where the role of women in classic fairy tales has taken a significant turn, and we find brave protagonists who don't wait to be rescued and refuse to depend on men. These stories are generally recommended for children over four years old, but they are worth keeping in mind for when our little ones grow up.
We read, in an article, that the parents' association of a school in Barcelona had decided to remove more than 200 stories from the center's children's library due to their high sexist content and loaded with stereotypes. Families argue that at such an early stage, children do not have critical capacity and can naturally absorb and assimilate sexist behaviors. On the other hand, there were opinions regarding the need not to erase this part of the literature since, and I quote verbatim, “There are still many little rats that clean the stairs or carry the load at home, so it is normal that these books exist and that reflect this reality. We cannot expect all books to be transgressive right now. Maybe we are asking literature to stay ahead of society.” Is it true that we intend to move ahead of what we are as a society or is it necessary that we start moving and carrying out actions like that of the parents' association?
Keys to avoid sexist attitudes in early childhood
Education within the family nucleus is essential for children to acquire more tolerant, respectful and egalitarian attitudes. On a daily basis there are small microhabits that are still potential and that we can change, such as:
The world of stereotypes and gender inequality in our society is a current, controversial, and above all, sensitive issue where progress seems difficult. We've included a link to a TED Talk that I highly recommend you listen to: https://bit.ly/3eDakOy
And you, what do you do on a daily basis to reduce these stereotypes? Have you stopped to think about this topic? We read you!
