No more girls and boys; can our children go gender free? BBC 2 tonight

[Ekphrasis]

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09202lp

I heard PM in radio 4 discussing this research, it seems to hugely benefit girls in terms of their views on their own achievements and the achievements of women in general.

Will listen with interest.

What surprised me (as we have had this language banned in my place of work, with children) is that the teacher, pre experiment, called girls sweetie and petal, and boys buddy etc.

Yep. Thought it was pretty good. Definitely need to work on gender roles around the home though

I'm just about half way and they've taken away the kids' toys! I hope they're going to replace them with some interesting toys instead.

Glad to see it ended happily :-) Poor Javid let his frustration slip with the Tshirts, I don't blame him.

Good work Mr Andre!

It was so heartwarming to see the kids change and the girls to gain more confidence.

I was shouting at the TV though during the t shirt bit because it's so bloody obvious!! And the parents are all "oh I hadn't thought of it like that"!

🙄 I mean duh!!

I thought it was much better this week. It made it a bit more explicit that it was life success due to ingrained behaviour as an effect rather than gender itself that they were focussing on. I felt last week was more on not wanting girls to be girly and boys to be boyish. This week was more about why and the impacts.

Lovely that confidence was an effect too.

Glad they listened to the children about loos!

I went to an all-girls school and noticed how a lot of these roles/assumptions weren't present in the school. It was common to talk of wanting high powered jobs etc. But it was a highly academic selective school. Also perhaps once I was then in a co-ed/real world environment the roles were even more apparent to me which gives a slight oppressing feeling. I'd be interested on a study about these effects in all-girls or all-boys schools.

What I liked about the program really was that it emphasised the positive impact on children's self esteem and behaviour, with particular reference to social interactions and confidence. It was not all about helping girls but creating a more equal positive environment for all. Interesting viewing.

Mr Andre well done.

I've just watched episode 2.

I'm so angry that kids are still being shoe-horned into these restrictive gender roles half a century after second-wave feminists tried to get to work dismantling them.

So much wasted potential

What I liked about the program really was that it emphasised the positive impact on children's self esteem and behaviour, with particular reference to social interactions and confidence. It was not all about helping girls but creating a more equal positive environment for all. Interesting viewing.

I agree, I found this very positive and it aligns with my beliefs that although radical feminism centres women any changes effected will impact society as a whole in a positive way. It was fascinating to me that just by implementing these changes the parents could see a difference in their behaviour at home with one parent commenting on how her son had been much kinder to his sister. The gender bias insidious in society has a direct impact on how men treat women and it starts early, the fact we can change this if everyone took these ideas on board actually makes me feel emotional. Imagine if we really could reduce male violence through small, conscious changes in the gender biased way children are treated? It has huge implications.

The crushing empathy we feel for those girls shows how just how barely under the surface this all is.

This is so very true Datun I cried during the programme. I find myself in daily life having to explain my feminism to those who see it as unnecessary or who think I am too extreme. I am tired of justifying my beliefs to people and to see it laid out there on this programme, to see how much the gendered way we treat children affects them and how early it affects them moved me. I felt like shouting 'SEE!' to everyone. I also felt extremely frustrated.

I agree madam.

Still haven't yet had a chance to watch the second episode!

This is bang on (Robert Webb):

www.facebook.com/BBCRadio4/videos/10159152942560459/

Apologies for fb link I can't find it elsewhere.

I have just watched the first episode on catch up with my children and I too shed a tear watching Lexi ringing the bell. Even though I'm decades older I can totally relate to that anxiety she felt before doing it within my work. I look forward to watching the second episode. I realised that the majority of my children's bookcases totally contradict the message I'm trying to pass on to them and am inspired now to get them some new books-and also get some for their friends as Birthday presents. Does anyone know what books the class were looking at within the experiment?

I think I posted a link to some upthread, I have a list somewhere on my phone but I don't know if I'll be able to find it tonight or tomorrow morning if you could be patient!

Worth googling it though, 'list of books breaking gender stereotypes for children"

I can absolutely be patient. Thank you!

Hi, sorry for the delay! This isn't what I was looking for but a good list and article anyway.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/09/queens-just-look-out-of-windows-how-childrens-books-are-failing-to-show-gender-equality?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

I'm all for removing the gender bias from teaching. But not removing the privacy boundaries due to biology.

Yes definitely agree with this.

I don't understand why the two get mashed together. Dress sense and such are absolutely nothing to do with biological reality. I am all for removing the stereotypes associated with sex, including clothing styles, which toys kids play with and so on. But this does not mean I wish to pretend sex does not exist at all as I realise that it is necessary to have sex segregation in certain areas of life, including but not limited to changing rooms, prisons and sports.

Sex segregated areas are separated by biology. NOT by hairstyles, clothing and names. Why some insist on pretending that this is not true I don't know...

Because sex and gender are two totally different things. Gender is socially constructed.