{"id":24464,"date":"2021-02-23T02:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T02:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=24464"},"modified":"2021-02-24T09:00:47","modified_gmt":"2021-02-24T09:00:47","slug":"5-ways-parents-can-help-kids-avoid-gender-stereotypes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/5-ways-parents-can-help-kids-avoid-gender-stereotypes\/","title":{"rendered":"5 ways parents can help kids avoid gender stereotypes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kyl Myers<\/a>, University of Utah<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the last century, significant progress has been made in advancing gender equity in the United States. Women gained the right to vote<\/a>, fathers have become more involved parents<\/a> and more people<\/a> and institutions<\/a> recognize gender identities beyond the binary categories of male and female.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, persistent gaps remain. Women hold only a quarter<\/a> of U.S. congressional seats, only a handful of states<\/a> mandate paid paternity leave and state legislatures are introducing bills<\/a> that discriminate against transgender people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of Americans believe there is more work to do<\/a> on gender equality. As a genderqueer sociologist, a parent of a kindergartner and the author of a book on gender creative parenting<\/a>, I study the importance of disrupting sexism in childhood. Here are five ways I\u2019ve found that parents and caregivers can fight gender stereotypes in kids\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Acknowledge that a child may be LGBTQI+<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gender identity and sexuality are diverse and personal<\/a> experiences. However, medical institutions and parents commonly assign a sex<\/a> to newborns based on physical characteristics and socialize children<\/a> as one of two binary genders. For example, children with vulvas are assigned female and raised as girls and children with penises are assigned male and raised as boys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most children are cisgender \u2013 meaning their gender identity aligns with the sex and gender they were assigned at birth. However, the percentage of young people in the U.S. who identify as transgender \u2013 meaning their gender does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth, or who are nonbinary<\/a> \u2013 meaning their gender is neither strictly male or female \u2013 is growing<\/a>. And an estimated one in every 1,500 to 2,000<\/a> babies born in the U.S. are intersex, meaning their sex chromosomes or reproductive anatomy may be different than what is typically categorized as male or female.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, nationwide, more than 11%<\/a> of high school students say they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning their sexuality. Young LGBTQ people are coming out to their families earlier<\/a> than older generations did. Research shows<\/a> that family acceptance of young LGBTQ people is associated with greater mental and physical health and protection against depression, substance abuse and suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Be aware of gendered marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Children\u2019s toys and clothes are increasingly divided by gender<\/a>, and many people blame the profit-driven exploitation<\/a> of gender-stereotyped marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, building toys and small vehicles<\/a> are marketed to boys, and dolls and makeup<\/a> to girls. In children\u2019s clothing stores, primary colors, transportation and sport graphics are often on one side, and pastels, flowers and sparkles on the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children learn important social, emotional and physical life skills through play. Playing with a variety of toys<\/a> provides opportunities to develop and build upon well-rounded skills, including spatial awareness<\/a> and empathy<\/a>. Gender-stereotyped marketing can limit the kinds of toys and experiences children are exposed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents and caregivers can shop all the aisles of a toy or clothing store to show children that gendered marketing boundaries are arbitrary and can be crossed. They can let kids explore what is available and choose for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counterstereotyping<\/a> \u2013 explicitly reversing a stereotype \u2013 is also a powerful way to disrupt gender stereotypes in play. For example, a caregiver can look at dolls with a boy and say things like, \u201cBoys like dolls\u201d and \u201cDaddies are really good at caring for babies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Disrupt gender stereotypes at home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Parents and caregivers are children\u2019s first models for how gender is performed. Adults can model language and behavior that challenge binary and harmful sexist stereotypes, such as the belief that women should do more housework<\/a> \u2013 even when they have full-time employment. For example, in households with more than one parent, and especially in different-gender couples, parents can share parenting responsibilities<\/a> and household tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actions speak louder than words, and children are more likely<\/a> to reject the idea of traditional gender norms when their parents exhibit fairness and divide domestic labor equitably, not just mention it as something they value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents can switch up children\u2019s chores so they learn about housekeeping in a nongendered way. Boys can do dishes, and girls can take out the garbage. Parents can also ensure allowance is equitable, as the gender pay gap can start at home. Research suggests girls earn less allowance<\/a> even when they do more chores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Use gender-neutral language<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Using gender-neutral pronouns and other words can reduce gender bias and increase positive regard for women and LGBT people<\/a>. For example, using anatomical language instead of gendered words, like \u201cvulva\u201d instead of \u201cgirl parts,\u201d teaches children that not all people who have vulvas identify as girls. This doesn\u2019t erase cisgender girls, but is inclusive of many transgender boys and nonbinary kids. Similarly, replacing \u201cmoms and dads\u201d with \u201cparents and caregivers\u201d is not only inclusive of same-sex<\/a> and nonbinary parents but also acknowledges single parents and the millions of grandparents and nonrelative<\/a> guardians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Adult<\/a>
Parents and caregivers can replace the all-too-common he\/him pronouns in children\u2019s books to she\/her or they\/them. Irfan Khan\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In children\u2019s books, where boy characters far outnumber girls<\/a> and other genders, caregivers can change he\/him pronouns to she\/her and they\/them. Adults can also choose books and media that represent kids in diverse and inclusive<\/a> ways, and call out stereotypes when they come up in stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Encourage mixed-gender play<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gender segregation is deeply embedded in social structures and can have negative implications, such as sexist attitudes<\/a> toward people of other genders. Children are often categorized in gendered groups, sometimes casually (\u201cboys line up here, girls line up there\u201d) and other times explicitly, like in single-sex schools<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research shows<\/a> that children who have close friendships with children of other genders hold more positive and less sexist attitudes toward their friend\u2019s gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents and educators can create opportunities for kids to interact with children of different genders. They can stop segregating children by gender, choose sports teams and other organized extracurricular activities that are open to all genders and host mixed-gender birthday parties, for example. All-gender activities help children recognize their similarities and celebrate their differences<\/a> and are inclusive of children who don\u2019t identify as a girl or boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyl Myers<\/a>, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Utah<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kyl Myers, University of Utah In the last century, significant progress has been made in advancing gender equity in the United States. Women gained the right to vote, fathers have become more involved parents and more people and institutions recognize gender identities beyond the binary categories of male and female. However, persistent gaps remain. Women […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":24465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[292],"tags":[7438,5456,9517,2474,2071,9520,1034,9519,1976,9518],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24464"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24464"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24470,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24464\/revisions\/24470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}