I am racking my brains here, and coming up with NOTHNG...

[Oakmaiden]

Please help me...

I am writing a dissertation on stereotyping in KS2 children, and have ground to a complete halt.

I am TRYING to think of ways to show that gender stereotyping is pervasive throughout our entire culture - but without mentioning specific things like the media, books, TV programming, advertising etc (they will come later).

All I can come up with so far is that the baby changing units is generally in the women's toilet room.

There must be more examples of mundane things that people hardly notice but which underline the gender roles in society???

An interesting point on himalaya's post just now - I think the stereotyping she mentions about jobs might be a very British (older person?) thing. Do people really think like that now? I grew up elsewhere, and twenty-five years ago, I (nor my female friends) didn't encounter that attitude at all around career choices when we left our co-ed school. In fact, medical or legal careers were seen as favourable career choices for future motherhood options. And engineering or business careers were seen as great opportunities to live all over the world and be paid for the privilege. Teaching and nursing were considered very 'safe' options - female dominated though.

I think they do, Mias Mummy (I have read your thread, by the way, and Mia was so beautiful and such an amazing character. You must be very proud to have been her Mummy, and I am so sorry).

Anyway - Certainly in my first job I was told by another member of staff "well, it's not a wage for a man, is it?". My research with KS2 children has also illustrated that they very much view many occupations along gender lines.

Himalaya - no - ?I just talked about the arguement for an evolutionary basis, and criticisms made of that argument. Then talked about some psychologists consider society's influence to be more important - blah blah blah...

Haven't quite finished the lit review yet, but am getting there!

Miasmummy - but that is what I am talking about - the ingrained idea that a good job for a mother and a good job for a father are different things.

Oakmaiden - have you looked at the literature on 'nature via nurture' (evolutionary development) - I don't think it's an either/or argument.
When we things we learn things easily (conditioning) it is because they are easy to learn for humans (genes) e.g. It is hard to learn statistics, but it's easy to learn your mother tongue. Gender roles are not fixed, but they are impossible not to learn, because we are programmer to learn them.

Oakmaiden, I know it's late but you may find this site useful.

Wow - that would have been cool, slug - but I am printing my dissertation as we speak!!!

Into town first thing tomorrow to get it bound, and then hand it in by 12 noon!

Sooo pleased to have done the gitting thing!

When boys fall out, it's just that, boys falling out. When girls fall out, it's because 'girls are so bitchy' You read it most days on here - very depressing