Nursery World - How to achieve gender equality through best practice

What are the issues related to gender inequality and stereotypes, and how can early years settings help children to have more inclusive attitudes? Gemma Goldenberg reports

Gender identity has been a hot topic in recent years. But to what extent does it apply to early years practice? Research evidence suggests that it is crucial.

Adults often subconsciously treat boys and girls differently, unintentionally reinforcing gender stereotypes. This happens through our interactions, the language we use and even the books that we share.

Seventy four per cent of parents agree that boys and girls are treated differently. Yet most educators have never received any training on challenging gender stereotypes (Fawcett, 2020). This matters because gender inequality can have long-lasting negative effects.

The gender pay gap, the lack of women in STEM professions, and the harm caused to men by ‘toxic masculinity’ – all of these things can be traced back to rigid ideas about gender, which we can work harder to undo during the early years.

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