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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Can you please help me articulate the issues with this? Jigsaw

88 replies

LimeLemonBergamot · 03/07/2021 09:22

Have NC for this.

This is an excerpt of a lesson aimed at 6-7 year olds under the 'Celebrating Difference' topic. It's a lesson on gender diversity.

There is a character, 'B'- where it is unclear if they are male or female. Jigsaw states that 'the lesson looks at whether being a boy or girl makes a difference when choosing friends and toys'. I'm not seeing this- surely a lesson that wanted to show this would explicitly show Billy playing with toys that are stereotypically girls toys and vice versa with Bella- and make the point that this is absolutely fine and normal because toys are toys for anyone. Why is it necessary to have a character whose sex is unclear, to stimulate a discussion on 'whether being a boy or girl makes a difference when choosing friends and toys?'

I think this is reinforcing gender stereotypes- Billy and Bella throughout this conform to stereotypes based on toys, who they think boys and girls should be playing with, and at the end we are told that they are happy being a boy or girl, and B is happy being B. Why are boys and girls shown to be so rigidly conforming- that children must have to be B to not conform to stereotypes- and what is a 6 or 7 yr old supposed to think about who B is?

Please help me articulate this a bit better. I need to go back to my children's school and wonder if I've explained the issues properly.

Can you please help me articulate the issues with this? Jigsaw
Can you please help me articulate the issues with this? Jigsaw
Can you please help me articulate the issues with this? Jigsaw
OP posts:
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WarriorN · 03/07/2021 10:12

It sounds like B is an early adopter of the non binary identity, and the others are "cis"

So it's labelling a preference from an early age.

And also labelling toys as being gendered.

MummBraTheEverLeaking · 03/07/2021 10:11

What it needs to do is say everyone can dress how they like and play with anything they want. Fin.

What it actually says is a load of sexist rubbish that just reinforces stereotypes, and would tell kids who don't conform that they must be some kind of third gender. Which then opens up into a world of gender identities/pronouns/flags going onto trans/blockers/hormones/surgery.

I'm so bloody glad the school I'm applying to for DD next year aren't associated with this crap.

WarriorN · 03/07/2021 10:10

It actually reinforces stereotypes.

All kids can play with all toys, end of.

WarriorN · 03/07/2021 10:09

Have you checked SSAUK, may be some guidance

Redapplewreath · 03/07/2021 09:59

I doubt many parents would be happy with that, and most classes under that strict stereotypical thinking would have the majority of their kids apparently 'non conforming'. Not because they need to transition but of this ridiculous political shite that 'proper girls like x' and 'proper boys like y' and if you don't get in those boxes here are the boxes you shall be stuffed in.

It's appalling. limiting, restricting, subordinating girls and stifling their freedoms and sense of self and independence while trying to separate the boys into the acceptably manly and not acceptably manly groups. It's hurling progress into reverse for both sexes to indulge grown ups with a political agenda to sell. Schools should absolutely not be passing those grown ups' issues on to kids.

grey12 · 03/07/2021 09:56

It should have said something genderless like some children like to play with dolls, some children like to play with cars, some children like to play with both and all have lots of fun!!! And show pictures of clearly boys, clearly girls and children who look androgynous playing with everything

grey12 · 03/07/2021 09:53

The mere fact that it keeps emphasising "girl's toys" and "boy's toys" is upsetting..... Envy

AnyOldPrion · 03/07/2021 09:50

The “Oh no, B is crying” slide makes no sense if we don’t know B’s sex. Why would children laugh at someone who might be a boy playing with boys or someone who might be a girl for playing with dolls?

It would make more sense if we knew B’s sex and could thus call out the bullying for non conformity to gendered expectations.

Or if we want to examine whether B should play with people of either sex or toys where there are gender expectations, there’s no need to imply B was bullied. It’s setting out a false situation because they’re so obsessed with gender identity and not really in challenging sex stereotypes.

Xoxoxoxoxoxox · 03/07/2021 09:49

I take particuar issue with the fact that the ball is seen as a boys toy.
Are the girls not allowed to play with the ball unless they declare themselves transgender?
The girls only get a doll? The girls get only one toy and the boys get two?

We don't even get a jigsaw ffs.

Soontobe60 · 03/07/2021 09:46

The mere fact that they start with ‘Billy wants to play with boy’s toys’ is compounding stereotypes. Children will hear that and will think there ARE boys toys and girls toys.

BatmansBat · 03/07/2021 09:42

I think it is rubbish due to having a stereotypical boy and a stereotypical girl. And indeed that you have to be gender nonconforming to play with both toys types.

I would focus on the ridiculousness of sex stereotypes, how much fun it could be had with both “boy toys” and “girl toys” and how sad for the children who stupidly excluded half of the available toys due to prejudice and sex stereotypes.

LimeLemonBergamot · 03/07/2021 09:40

That's a good point @AnnaMagnani - B does look more like a boy- that is what a 6-7 yr old will see.

OP posts:
AnnaMagnani · 03/07/2021 09:33

It's rubbish because the drawing of B is identifiable as a boy, not an ambiguous genderless child.

It suggests you have to be gender non-conforming to like both boys and girls toys.

A better resource might have had Bella, looking very obviously girl, liking boys toys, and Billy, obviously boy, liking girls toys and so making the point that toys are for everyone, you don't need to change whether you are a girl or a boy.