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How to help gender neutralise my DD4?

105 replies

Teacher12345 · 06/06/2020 12:32

DD is already picking up alot of gender stereotypes at age 4. She is obsessed with makeup (I do wear it but only week days and barely since lockdown). She picks toys, often because they have a girl on the box so she says things like "thats a toy for girls" and today, her brother and Dad were digging up the garden and she said that only the boys could do it. I corrected this (always do) and said that girls could do it too but that she isn't big enough to use the tools. She often plays with her brothers toy tools, lego, like super heroes etc.
We have never intentionally encouraged gender sterotypes but we do ourselves fit quite stereotypical roles.
How do I avoid steer her in a way that doesn't lead to a life that is men do DIY, women do cleaning and childcare? Are there any toys that encourage girls to do more typically male tasks? She loves pink stuff so maybe pink tools etc?
I will make it clear that I want to do this to show her that she entitled to an equal life and will pick a partner, career and life that is not chosen by societal expectations!

OP posts:
TakemetoGreeceplease · 06/06/2020 16:17

but I do 90% of the cooking and cleaning.

^that right there is your problem. You are reinforcing gender stereotypes every day in your home. You can't really expect anything different from your daughter until you change.

Spied · 06/06/2020 16:20

I'd back off a little to be honest.

theDudesmummy · 06/06/2020 16:25

Why is it necessarily a problem that she does 90% of the cooking and cleaning (if that is what works for them?). When I was growing up my mother did literally nothing, no work, no cleaning, no cooking, took a nap from 2-4pm every day, and never had any higher education. Yet I grew up to study for 20 years, become a hard-working professional who will cook and clean if needed, (although that is not the way we split tasks in our home at present). You don't necessarily do things the way your parents did...

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TheMurk · 06/06/2020 16:30

Is this for real?

Why not just let the child do what she wants instead of trying to “neutralise” her?

Smh.

Lordfrontpaw · 06/06/2020 16:33

I don’t think being a girly girl is a bad thing. As long as she doesn’t buy into the nonsense retro-gender stereotyping nonsense that seems to be being reinforced these days.

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