Do you think about how men and women/girls and boys are represented in your children’s books and TV?

[BertrandRussell]

For example, do you think it’s important that there are women doctors and pilots and male nurses and teachers in their stories? Do you make sure there are adventurous girls and caring boys? Mums going out to work and dads doing stuff at home? Is it something that you think is important and makes a difference?

I do. And I change what I'm reading if need be. Although eldest is starting to follow what I'm reading and corrects me. I must admit Sleeping Beauty has slapped the prince before

I do.

It's not just books that I think about, I also make sure there's a range of toys in the house for my DD, not just "stereotypical girls toys". Not that there's anything wrong with them perse, but I want her to make her own mind up about the type of toys she prefers. So far her favourite toy is her train track. Which she wouldn't have had if we'd listened to my FIL; "You can't buy a train track for a girl!"

Racial diversity is another thing I look at. She's getting a brown baby doll this Christmas to add to her blond doll.

I strongly believe that this makes all the difference.

It is important to me and important beyond books and TV because I think the most important thing is the gender roles in the household.

I thought this was a journalist post until I saw the username btw

DD (6yo) has just discovered Famous Five. In many ways the stories are perfect for her... It's a group of children off having an adventure. But I hate how the two girls are portrayed... George wanting to be a boy as boys are tough, and Anne as a bit wet as she's 'girly'. DD is definitely more George than Anne and I don't want her to think she has to be a boy to be brave and adventurous.

I find it odd you ask about women doctors but male nurses? Why not man nurses? Or perhaps female doctors.

But I hate how the two girls are portrayed... George wanting to be a boy as boys are tough, and Anne as a bit wet as she's 'girly'.

I was always an "Anne".
I don't see Anne that way. Anne is brave, really brave. She's braver than the others really.
She sees the consequences of doing what the others do on impulse-and does it anyway because she wants to be with them, and help them. That makes her braver than them because they're not scared. She's often the one that says that they're not going to be pushed out, or that they must help.
Yes, she likes cooking and keeping home. If that was one of the boys you'd be saying how great it is.
There seems to be an assumption that because she would prefer a quiet holiday without an adventure, and she likes doing the cooking that makes her "wet". It doesn't.
Read the books thinking of that and you'll see a different side to her.

I think books need to acknowledge that people are all different. Yes, there needs to be boys doing ballet, girls doing motor racing etc. But not exclusively. There also needs to be the girl who likes doing girly things/boy footballer etc. A girl can like cooking/sewing/dolls etc without being ashamed of it.
There should be a good mixture.

That a very good perspective on Anne.

I had a range of toys for my boys I including dolls and kitchens and a baby care sets, bottles, cleaning sets etc if I'd have had girls they would have had all the cars, trains, footballs they wanted.

I don't ban books but have been known to change the most overt racist and sexist overtones when they were younger. I will allow the kids to read them themselves though and just explain why those views aren't acceptable now.

Just remembered my boys loved sewing xmas decs and they both knitted a scarf for their teddies on child sized needles.

They tend to go for more stereotypical boy stuff now and that became more the case once they started school and mixed with more kids sadly...

But my youngest still cares for his monkey like he did the dolls, dresses them and feeds them etc

Witchend I agree... I think Anne is a lot braver than the others give her credit for.

There definitely needs to be a balance between male and female characters and job roles.

Yes I do.
I do change stories sometimes.

I've just put my children to bed, and read them a story. They chose Dora Dose the Doctor's Daughter. There is a picture in it with all the patients who had visited the doctor. Majority of the women were in heels and skirts/dresses. Only one woman in trousers. The only one in flat shoes was an old lady. It irritated for a moment, but of course these stories were written in a time where this was the norm. Of course the positive was that both mum and dad were doctors, and Dora was also aspiring to e a doctor.

I'm definitely critical of the stories we read and the messages I give out.

I have all boys by the way. 3 of them.

I also find it interesting that I would say I have a strong femenist tendancy. My inspiration is my mum. My mum was a teacher from the early 80's until last year. She always worked, full time. She encouraged me to be the same, always be self sufficient. Never rely on a man. She bought me toys across the gendered sterotypes. So I had dolls, barbies, lego, meccano, subbuteo, ghostbuster toys, cars and trains. Just everything she thought I would like (I'm an only child so all bought with my likes in mind). Yet my mum would staunchly argue she is not femenist at all. I don't get it! She raised me to believe women were as good as men. And that I could do and be whatever I wanted. But she feels no draw to feminism. 🤷

“ I find it odd you ask about women doctors but male nurses? Why not man nurses? Or perhaps female doctors.”
I actually struggled with writing that! I’ve always disliked the word “female” because in my experience non- feminists call women “females”. So I always say “women”. I wanted to use “men” in the same way but it sounded weird. I dithered for ages-and hoped nobody would notice.....

- to me woman as an adjective sounds wrong (but is fairly commonly used) so I try to response using man/men as an adjective as often as I can. You can see people thinking "that doesn't sound right" but they can't say it's wrong as woman pilot is ok, so man pilot must be too!