Busting a few stereotypes, early
Girl/ 5 y.o.: I want to be an astronaut
Boy/ 8 y.o.: Girls are not astronauts, only boys go to space.
Girl: I want to play football
Boy: Girls don’t play football, only boys do
Overhearing this a few months ago sent up a huge red flag with me, on how early stereotypes are set.
Probably much earlier than 5, as kids watch cartoons where mummy is always making stuff in the kitchen; girls are always dolled up in pink; and boys are always super-heroes or doing cool stuff.
Turning off the TV isn’t enough of a solution.
At playgrounds, girls get shepherded to ‘safe’ games like swinging and skipping and not kicking around a football.
Well I don’t know what the big solution is, or if there is any escaping gender stereotypes at all?
So what I did was showing evidence that busted stereotypes. Simple stuff really.
Using pictures from the daily paper:
Men who are chefs and women pilots. Women who play basketball; men who figure skate. Male models and women car rallyists!
Proof that women & men can take on any role they want. I have never been more appreciative of the power of photographs!
Mythology is a great source:
Stories are powerful tools. Indian mythology is replete with stories of Kali, Parvati, Durga, Lakshmi – women goddesses who are revered. Their stories exemplify that women are powerful too!
What mom does everyday, matters most!
‘What mom does’ exerts a very big influence on a child’s notions of stereotype – both male and female.
When a child watches their mother work [home/office] and be independent, they’re far more likely to understand male-female equality in their heart as much as their mind.
A big moment for the 8 year old boy was proudly telling his friends, ‘my mom drives a car’.
A big moment for the 5 year old girl was playing football with mom and all the neighbourhood kids. And flat-out races for girls and boys together!
We all know that stereotypes set artificial limits on both girls and boys.
Limits that need to be done away with quickly, gently, firmly and early before they settle in.
The two kids are my children – and this story is yours too.
I’d love to know how you bust stereotypes.
3 comments
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I'd love to discuss this further. How may we connect?
