Early years visual references-ABC of careers

[RainbowOctopus]

Hello all,
I'm not going to pretend to be anything I'm not. I am looking to find out whether there is an appetite for a product I'm creating.
It's an artwork for children's rooms, nurseries, pre-schools etc. It's an alphabet A is for astronaut etc. Why am I discussing this in a feminist forum? Because the characters depicted are in roles that challenge social norms. Female astronauts, male social workers. During the course of my studies I came across a video of 7 year old children being asked to draw a fighter pilot, fire fighter and police officer (pretty sure that was the professions). All drew them as male. When the children were introduced to females in these roles they thought they were fake, or dressing up. Sadly this is quite a recent video. I feel sad that a male might be brought up to consider a role in the caring profession might in some way emasculate him, and even sadder to think he might be brought up thinking a female can't be an astronaut, Judge or mechanic! The artwork is also addressing the issue of race. There are so few children's books and pictures that have anything other than white children. We all want to believe that our children can be who they choose, that they can excel and be accepted in the world of work, but can they really if by the age of 7 they already have firm ideas about what boys and girls can do an achieve? I would really appreciate any thoughts or ideas

Great idea , I’d like to see a female Gardener

@TheBuffster

Can I also please request you don't use Christopher Columbus for anything. He's evil personified and for some reason really popular in ks1 ATM. I'd love to see someone like Katrina Webb represented too.

Can I ask why?

Mainly because he's responsible for mass genocide of natives. Also dehumanised the people he didn't kill, raping women etc.
Obviously we don't cover that in ks1, but I do think it makes him unworthy to study, particularly in a British Curriculum where he's not the most relevant explorer anyway.
Katrina Webb because my son is being diagnosed with cp and it's a personal preference of hero.

That definitely wasn’t included in my history lessons!

@TheBuffster

Mainly because he's responsible for mass genocide of natives. Also dehumanised the people he didn't kill, raping women etc. Obviously we don't cover that in ks1, but I do think it makes him unworthy to study, particularly in a British Curriculum where he's not the most relevant explorer anyway. Katrina Webb because my son is being diagnosed with cp and it's a personal preference of hero.

Who would be worthy to study in your opinion?

OP, love your idea

great idea OP

I did a whole scheme where we looked at alternative explorers. A Malaysian slave who was the first person to sail around the world, a woman journalist who circumnavigate the globe in an air balloon. There are lots of historical figures who aren't white men you know.

most boys will object reading a novel with a female protagonist for example.

So?

Do the boys get their preferred choice instead?

I would use that in my nursery!

@WhichOneOfUsIsCaving2

most boys will object reading a novel with a female protagonist for example.

So?

Do the boys get their preferred choice instead?

Yes, in primary generally boys do get their own way. I'm not saying it's right, but it's generally how it is. You'll get the occasional female protagonist, like Rose Blanche, but the curriculum, like the history curriculum, is overwhelmingly male. Changing it from the inside is hard work as you are working against government, parents, pupils and other teachers.

@WhichOneOfUsIsCaving2

most boys will object reading a novel with a female protagonist for example.

So?

Do the boys get their preferred choice instead?

I think the issue is usually that, due to massive societal sexism, boys will object to reading a book 'about a girl' but girls see reading a book 'about a boy' as normal and unobjectionable, so books about boys are the path of least resistance, especially as it's generally regarded to be harder to get boys reading in the first place. Even as a teenager I never questioned why we were studying Lord of the Flies - in an all girls' school! - for instance, and I've never encountered an adult woman who doesn't read books by and about men but huge numbers of men would never read a book by a female author and/or with a female protagonist.

I think it's a huge perpetuator of misogyny, that boys are allowed from really young to just never put themselves in a position where they imagine experiencing the world as a girl/woman, and that that's seen as fine. It's one of the things I'm really conscious of with my son and most of his books have female lead characters but he's still really young so I don't know how long I've got until he realises that he's not 'supposed' to like books about girls.

This already exists or at least very similar, take a look at Boss Babs on Instagram or website linked

bossbabs.com/collections/flash-cards/products/the-galphabet

They do posters and wall art too

The op wants to show men in traditionally female roles too @SquirtleSquad

They do show men in traditionally women's roles, they also do a really good equal pairs snap game showing both sexes doing the same job like in the second photo on my first post.

My point is OP it's a fab idea but there is competition out there, Instagram, Etsy and not on the high street are good places to start market research!

www.amazon.co.uk/ABC-Me-What-Boys-anything/dp/1633227243

They do a girls version of this book too, if you go through the photos on the boys one there is examples such as fashion designer and ballet dancer.

It is a great idea OP please don't think I'm knocking you I think it's ace, but there is a fair bit out there!

Amazing, and thank you for putting your idea into practice. I work in early years and the sexism, even amongst my younger colleaguess, is quite something. When I’ve raised this subject I get eyerolls and ‘lefty liberal’, ‘woke’ type comments.
The irony is that many of the female parents have STEM careers, but our learning resources are outdated.
Gender neutral job titles are also important, for example police officer rather than policeman/policewoman, nurse/male nurse, manager/manageress (my mum’s favourite 1950s throwback title) our language often defaults to gender stereotypes.

I think the issue is usually that, due to massive societal sexism, boys will object to reading a book 'about a girl' but girls see reading a book 'about a boy' as normal and unobjectionable, so books about boys are the path of least resistance, especially as it's generally regarded to be harder to get boys reading in the first place.

Add to this that most writer's of children's literature who want to appeal to both sexes deliberately choose a male protagonist even if it's a female writer. Harry Potter for example. Some writers like Jacqueline Wilson deliberately write for girls but as a result are never very popular with boys.

Sorry, meant to put that in quotes

I can't thank you enough for all of the comments, examples and ideas that are being shared here. I'm heartened that similar things exist, and really applaud the idea of the matching pairs game. I think some of the reasoning for including all sexes is that no one is put off from engaging with it. It can't simply be said 'there are no boys on here so this isn't for me'. I want boys to engage and see people in roles they wouldn't necessarily associate them with. I know it's not necessarily groundbreaking but I hope that in some small way catching children whilst they're young might sow some small seeds of change. I am much more comfortable in working with teenagers myself and aim to develop resources for teens too at some point. I was think of a careers top trumps game for teens

** The more of these sorts of resources the better.

I was think of a careers top trumps game for teens

That sounds like a good idea, but how would you allocate the relative number of points for different roles?

@ErrolTheDragon

** The more of these sorts of resources the better.

I was think of a careers top trumps game for teens

That sounds like a good idea, but how would you allocate the relative number of points for different roles?

I guess I was thinking of categories such as: Number of years to qualify.... Average annual salary.... Job satisfaction rating... Maybe a bonus point system if the job features of the occupation shortage list. I think this could be limited to a UK only tool as jobs require different qualifications and pay differently from country to country

My concern is it might tend to make roles seen as traditionally male look more desirable and 'women's work' less so.

@Hardbackwriter
Your part about men reading female authors or female protagonists is one of the many reasons I think my current BF is a keeper 🤞
Bought me a book and some flowers for our first date 😁 female author.

He loves Kate Morton and others we can chat about books together eeeeek!! 😍

[quote shakeitoffshakeacocktail]@Hardbackwriter
Your part about men reading female authors or female protagonists is one of the many reasons I think my current BF is a keeper 🤞
Bought me a book and some flowers for our first date 😁 female author.

He loves Kate Morton and others we can chat about books together eeeeek!! 😍[/quote]
Flowers and a book?

Definitely a keeper!