theChat.scot

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Talking about equality for boys and girls

As our children grow, we want them to understand that they can be a girl or a boy who has interests, skills, hobbies, dreams and ambitions regardless of their sex. The reality though is that children will pick up messages – sometimes quite subtle, but sometimes very direct and clear – that they should be or behave in a certain way just because they are a boy or a girl. Of course, ideas like this can also be heard within your own family and this can be tricky to challenge. It can also be the case that children can be criticised or have stereotypes imposed by other children. 

Some of the best chats happen when you child has had an experience of their own that they want to talk about, maybe because they have a sense of the injustice of something, or maybe because they don’t understand what has happened.

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Talking about gender stereotypes

if you want to encourage chats about gender stereotypes you could use these questions to get the conversation going: Have you ever heard someone say, ‘that’s boy’s stuff?’ Have you ever heard someone say, ‘that’s girl’s stuff’? Why do you think a person might say such a thing?

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Sexism and misogyny

Developing your conversations, it might be helpful to name and discuss what sexism and misogyny are. It is likely children will have heard of sexism, but there is much in mainstream and social media about misogyny. They might hear older young people talking about it. They might want or need to understand what this is. As we say elsewhere in the Chat, it’s a good idea to chat about where your child goes online, and the kinds of ideas they are engaging with. These explanations might help.

Sexism is a kind of prejudice and discrimination. Sexism is the belief that members of one sex are less intelligent or less capable than those of the other sex. Sexism is when someone is treated unfairly just because of their sex.

Misogyny is more than the kinds of prejudice or discrimination that we see when we talk about sexism. Misogyny is more like a hatred of girls and women. It is a belief that men should dominate over women. This is an idea that is harmful and hurtful to girls and women and boys and men.

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Feminism

Talking about equality between girls and boys, women and men, might provide an opportunity to talk about feminism. These words might help.

Feminism is the belief that everyone – girls and boys, women and men – should have equal rights and opportunities. Feminists are people who do their best to make sure that girls and women have the same chances in life as boys and men. If something is holding girls or women back from being equal, then feminists will try to change that.

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Should some toys be just for girls or boys?

Newsround investigates the idea of toys for boys or girls. Scroll down the page for a short film to watch together and chat:  Should some toys be just for girls or boys? – BBC Newsround (2 minutes 12 seconds)

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Newsround investigates sexism

You could watch this Newsround programme together: Let’s Talk about Sexism Let’s Talk About Sexism: A Newsround Special – BBC Newsround (28 minutes) In the programme reporter Lauren chats to children and young people across the UK to get their take on the issue, as well as speaking to some experts, celebrities, and leaders to learn about the impact that sexism can have on people’s lives and futures, and what we can all do to change things.

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Books

You might like to read these books together. Your school or library might have them, or you can ask the library if they will order a book for you.

An illustrated celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, brought to life by internationally renowned artists

Malala saw a world that needed fixing. Malala realized that she could work hard every day to make her wishes come true. Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist, student and the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

An introduction for children looking at the history of feminism, what it is today and its relevance to young people and a vital tool for children in the process of figuring out the world and how it works.

Each life story is accompanied by a portrait, along with stories on hard-fought causes and iconic quotes.