After the discussion we had in class on gender and the emphasis
our society puts on distinguishing boys from girls, I was talking to my mom
about the topic. I grew up in Sweden and society there tries to enforce more
gender equality. My mom mentioned that now Sweden’s government has made an
effort to implement some daycare's that are gender neutral. I thought this was
an interesting concept, so after doing a little research I came across this
article:
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/26/no-boys-and-girls-at-gender-neutral-preschool-in-sweden/
This daycare is trying to be gender neutral in the sense of
not calling children "boys" or "girls" instead they use the term “friends”. Do you think that having gender neutral daycare's is the first step to becoming a more gender equal society?
I think gender neutral daycare's where the children aren't addressed as boys and girls might contribute to more confusion among these children. The children are most likely going to be addressed as a boy or girl at home and within society. While I think the intention is good and it is at least an effort in the right direction, this may lead to confusion among the children. However, this can also lead to great discussion between these children and their families which can have positive influences on their outlook on gender later in life. I'm torn about how I feel about trying to have a gender neutral daycare.
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