primary school - gender stereotyping

Agree green.

And welcome to FWR!

Sorry, just realised there was a whole thread. so glad you have already said something to the school. doesn't sound like you have had a great response though.

I think there should be something specific in the guidance given to schools that says you can't separate children by gender. It does happen a lot, in lots of schools. even seemingly innocuous things like lining up for p.e. It is just wrong.

I'm new to the feminist board and this is the first thread I've clicked on.

I work with children.

Never mind the utterly crap gender stereotyped activities - just dividing them up into boys and girls is bad enough for a complaint.

You wouldn't line children up according to eye colour. or ethnicity. or whether or not they have a disability. or by height (unless you were doing some specific maths activity, and made it clear that it didn't really matter what height they were). or for any other reason or of their control.

I am utterly aghast. complain, complain. ask for a copy of the school's equal opportunities policy. If you don't get a good response, call Ofsted.

What happened OP? Any more updates?

Well exactly! This is what happens at dcs' school and pupils take turns to pick first so there is no monopolising of certain activities by one group. I'm sure certain activities attract more of one gender than others but at least it's a free choice - over the last few weeks DS2 has done Thunderbirds, Zumba, scooters, biscuit decorating and finger knitting.

This is the sort of rubbish that makes me want to Home-Ed, even when the schools aren't as blatant as this, the casual way they are divided into children with penises and those without, at every opportunity is enough to put them in stereotype threat throughout the school day and affect their performance in everything.

Do you buy Christmas gifts for teachers? Instead of a box of roses or whatever the usual thing is... maybe a job lot of these for the staffroom would be more useful: Delusions of Gender

yy mishmoshi, have they actually watched Bend it Like Beckham?

I would want to have a chat with the governors about this, op. the teachers obviously aren't getting it. Their misinformed attitude (I'm being kind) is failing the students.

Did you tell the teacher that Bend it like Beckham is a film about girls who love football?

Shocking!!! Im a teacher and I understand giving topics that interest the students. Why not let the children select a topic from a list regardless of their gender? The 'girl' topics are pants!

What's a good response to "well, that's what my girl likes to do anyway" or even (from the school) "that's what most of them like, and so that's a good way to engage /teach them"

The response ot this is that it is fine to offer a wide variety of activities, including the thigns that are covered by stereotypically "boy" or "girls" activities, but insistisng that those choices are restricted to actual girls or boys regardless of their preference is* the heart of discrimination. And then to go on to point out tat supporting a social setup in which peoppe feel obliged to exhibit the characteristics generally associated with sex or gender regardless of their ablity to feel allegiene to interests that are nit as socially endorsed is what creates the gender dichotomy we currently have.

And I know that looks wordy. But teaching is a graduate profession concerned with a social endeavour (i.e. education) and this is really, really basic social science stuf. So they really ought to be held to at least an assumption that they are capable fo considering these ideas and how they can help tham do their jobs properly.

(Apologies for typos etc. typing without my glasses and after wine....)

It feels like we should have taken some noticeable steps forward since I was a kid (1980s) but I swear we're going backwards.

And sometimes the people who spout it can be the ones who should know better - I've heard this shit come from teachers, uni researchers, medics...

Who has the time for organising gendered party bags?!

I just found this report:
it's about challenging gender stereotypes in primary, and has quite a bit about why we should do it but it's more a descriptive report about 5 schools that tried to do this. Interesting reading but kind of depressing. Is this 1964? I thought we might have moved a bit more in the past 50 years...

It annoys me but also most of the parents do it as well. eg parties, separate circles for boy and girl pass the parcel, pink or blue party bags etc and almost all the toy adverts etc are sexist so it is hardly surprising.

I think sadly Pots might be right. What's a good response to "well, that's what my girl likes to do anyway" or even (from the school) "that's what most of them like, and so that's a good way to engage /teach them" (more re girls getting princess stuff and boys getting vehicles etc)?

The 'glamourous book for girls'? Ugh.

When my DD was about 6 there was something sort of like the 'dangerous book for boys', something like 'The girls book of how to be the best at everything'. Not that I like genderized books, but at least that one had a wide variety of things in it, many not at all stereotypically girly.

Agree with the others - that 'explanation' would make me feel even more angry. Does the school post their equalities policy on their website, or if not could you ask for a copy? Assuming that it commits them to gender equality, it might be useful to point out the gulf between what they've committed to and what they're actually doing.

I am really shocked that this could ever happen in today's world.

Please definitely complain to the governor.

You know, the worst thing is that I'm pretty sure few parents will have seen an issue with that. Because you know, that's what 'my son/daughter likes to do anyway'. :(:(
I would complain to the governors.

In that case I'd be tempted to write formally to the Head, copying the Chair of Governors, asking how this activity and the gender differentiation meet the school's statutory duty to promote equality, including gender equality.

I would get back to them on those books and why they're even IN school.