A special interest group in Sweden thinks that little boys and little girls should be treated exactly the same.
In 1998 a law passed in that country required schools and day care centers to provide equal opportunities for both genders from toddler on up.
The Swedes had already videotaped their kids in school and they didn’t like what they saw.
Little boys and little girls were treated differently. They were being stereotyped according to traditional roles.
Teachers spent more time and used more vocabulary when talking to girls. In response, girls developed stronger language skills and did better in school than boys.
On the playground girls were stopped sooner when they did dangerous things like tree climbing. They were not allowed to fall or take serious risks.
Boys were free to shout louder, run further and basically do whatever they wanted. They were discouraged from crying or being shy and when they got hurt they were comforted less than the girls.
Because boys were busy being boys and girls were being girls, the students naturally became boyish boys and girly girls. Some concerned citizens decided that this was unacceptable.
It was felt that children should be raised in some sort of gender-neutral environment, which would guarantee equal access to all the same opportunities.
After the Swedish law was passed a gender-neutral pre-school was opened to achieve these results. A small number of students attended. Not all Swedes are convinced this is the right approach.
Critics say that young children are driven by nature to be either girls or boys and they will behave accordingly. They are very much aware of their gender and just do what comes naturally.
Girls often go through a pink princess phase just as boys go through a blue period and the two genders often don’t care to play with each other. Their behaviour at this point is more driven by nature than culture.
Trying to eliminate these differences with a unisex, neutral-gender environment may not create equality and increased opportunity at all. In fact, some say it may be damaging and confusing to the kids.
It’s no secret that girls regularly out-perform boys in both literacy and numeracy. Also, drop-out rates appear to be higher for boys and they experience many behavioural and emotional problems.
Canadian educators have known this for generations and have occasionally dabbled in the gender-neutral approach as a remedy.
But just like Sweden, Canadian parents generally see nothing wrong with boys and girls behaving differently.
Nevertheless, gender neutrality has moved beyond the schools to influence children’s names, clothing, books, sports teams and even washrooms. But from a little kid’s perspective the most noticeable change is in the toy box.
Dolls, dump trucks, transformers and nerf all have the same status in the playroom now. Sometimes a little girl will grab a Power Ranger and every now and then a little boy will pick up a Barbie – you know, just like they always have.
But with Christmas coming it’s hard to believe many kids are dreaming about a non gender specific toy or a non-traditional reverse-gender gift. Very few boys are hoping for a new doll or a tea set under the tree and not many girls would be satisfied with Hot Wheels or a football.
For me it boils down to one question. Do boys and girls need to be treated the same to be treated equally? Pre-school children are smart enough to answer this for themselves – with a little help from Mother Nature.
Boys and girls are different. They always have been and always will. Vive la difference!
