Can a simple game affect a child’s development in later life? For example, a woman might not discover an inclination she may have in the construction industry, as she never happened to play with construction toys as a child, or vice versa, a man might not discover an inclination he would have in the caregiving professions, because as a child he was never allowed to play with a doll? How ready is our society to see a boy playing with a doll in an advertisement?
The questions about gender stereotypes in children’s toys are endless. Many of them, however, will be answered at the International Conference on the Role of Play in the Education of Young Children Play on Early Education (April 27-30, Seraphio of the Municipality of Athens 19 Echelides & Piraeus 144) by Stella Kasdagli and Penelope Theodorakakou, co – founders of the non-profit organization Women On Top – for the professional empowerment of women and equality at work.
Stella Kasdagli, co-founder of Women On Top and author, explains to how the game can change gender stereotypes.
When does a child acquire Gender Identity and then gender stereotypes?
The formation of gender identity is a complex and dynamic process and we can not set a “deadline” for any child. Gender stereotypes, however, we know begin to form and consolidate early on, when children are still months or a few years old and of course are based, in the beginning, on the expressions of the gender they know: clothes, toys, manner of speaking, characteristics of the face etc.
Is playing alone enough to change a child’s mind if the whole society is full of such stereotypes?
No single element is enough to change an entire worldview, let alone an entire generation. But because stereotypes are not a matter of “opinion” but a complex and often unconscious process, the game is a very important field in which stereotypes are formed and can, of course, be overturned. As we will discuss at the conference, Play on Early Education (April 27-30, Seraphio of the Municipality of Athens 19 Ehelidon 19 & Piraeus 144), children do not learn from what we tell them, but from what we do and it is worth thinking about how much more they learn from what they do themselves!
How do parents in Greece manage a little boy who asks for a doll or a girl who asks for little soldiers?
Some parents may be in a position to accept or even hesitate to accept this request: to consider it as “normal” as any other request of the child for a toy that goes hand in hand with his / her gender role. Most of us, however, are likely to stumble, wonder, or even refuse to do the child a favor or get angry (even temporarily) at his request. This is not because we are bad people or not smart enough or not good enough parents. It happens because we are born, raised, educated and shaped in an environment full of such stereotypes, which means that we need to go through a long, conscious and not at all straight process to manage them, first, and then, perhaps, get rid of even and from some of them.
How does this affect the child’s psychology?
It is hard for any child to feel that his preferences, desires, needs and inclinations are not accepted by the people he loves most in the world and on whom he depends. In this case, it is not just the frustration that any child experiences when he can not get at that moment something he wants. This is something more complex that children often experience as a cancellation of their personality, as a result of which they begin to hide or adapt key elements of their uniqueness in order to ensure that their close environment will continue to accept them.
Can girls sometimes be encouraged to play with girls but boys be prevented from playing with girls?
Of course. It is something we often see, not only in relation to games but also to other aspects of gender equality in Greece and the world: we push girls to become more dynamic, assertive, to win positions that traditionally “belonged” to boys, but in reverse path we have difficulty. It does not suit us to see boys and men in caring roles, in moments of weakness, in scenes where they express their feelings and vulnerability. And that, in my opinion, is the next big “border” in our quest for greater equality.
Do we see in Greece a tendency to change the mentality?
Very slowly and gradually, progress is being made both in the institutional framework and in the mentality of the people, mainly in the urban centers. Usually, however, as mentioned above, the change concerns the expansion of the field that girls and women can “conquer” and less the expansion of the space (emotional, mental, family, etc.) that can be occupied by a boy or a man.
Can the separation of toys prevent a girl from engaging in a different field later in life e.g. engineer;
To prevent maybe not, but to definitely prevent. How can a child, boy or girl, understand the power of a field such as technology and science, their prospects and their impact, if they do not have contact with them at the most basic level, that of play? And respectively, how will a child, girl or boy, see himself in the role of caregiver and supporter, when he does not have the opportunity to play with these functions and activities from an early age?
When did the separation of games begin? Has it always existed or started as a marketing topic?
As we will discuss in our talk at the end of April, in the context of the International Conference on Play on Early Education (April 27-30), games are often representations of the roles that people take on in their later lives, which means that they shape around them a field that welcomes or rejects children depending on their gender. Children usually see women taking on caring roles, for example, so in games that involve such relationships and behaviors, girls feel more welcome, more intimate, because they can imagine themselves in the role of mother or teacher. . The opposite happens in games that involve physical strength or intense mobility or engaging in complex objects and constructions.
How ready is society to accept e.g. an ad showing a baby boy feeding a doll with a baby bottle?
We will not know if we do not try it! I think, however, that many times society is more prepared than we think and communication has the power to bring a team that is “almost ready” to a point of even greater maturity in a short time.
How do companies react? Do they take steps too? (eg LEGO has eliminated the term boy and girl toys)
As with people, companies are mobilized to varying degrees depending on the wider environment in which they operate, the people who run them, the field in which they grow, etc. Of course there are socially sensitive and progressive companies that are more directly coordinated with social change, and our hope is that they shape the trends that will affect the ecosystem in the coming years, enticing other organisms to follow suit!
The Second International Conference “Play on Early Education” is addressed to anyone interested in preschool education and play-based education, to parents, psychologists, educators and generally to those who engage in activities for children.
All information can be found at the following link http://PlayOnAthens.com
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