The roles of men and women in society have always been a highly discussed topic. At a young age, children begin to learn these things such as: women must take care of the family at home and men must work and earn money for the household. Moreover, young girls are expected to play with dolls and dress up in princess-like outfits whereas young boys should be playing more manly games and dressing up in cool outfits.
However, such ideals are rooted in a more traditional viewpoint of society where women were considered subservient to men and didn’t get to have many rights like education for example, while men had to be the figure of the family. While it seems harmless and, well, standard to think of it that way, such clear distinctions of what women and men should do in society isn’t really fair as expectations have already been laid out for both and failing to meet such stereotypes would mean more pressure and demand from society—especially for women.
Now, many things have changed and feminism is in.
Feminism is about all genders having equal rights and opportunities. Reducing gender discrimination, especially for women, and holds society accountable for prioritizing the male point of view while women are treated poorly or unjustly.
However, teaching feminism to kids can be a tricky subject to approach. While many parents have their own way of taking on the subject matter, perhaps the most important step really is to have a conversation with them about it.
Ways to Teach Your Kids About Feminism
Consider how you would define Feminism to them
Eventually, the question of feminism would pop up from your kids one day. In this case, how would you define feminism to them? Giving a clear but simple definition of what it means is a good way to let them know about it early on. It’s important to get the message across of why gender is the reason why many women are treated unfairly, which is why feminism is there in order to prevent that unfair treatment and instead it’s pushing for women and men to be treated equally.
Encourage your children to notice gender inequalities
Sometimes, you’ll come across instances where there is a noticeable gender divide happening. What you can do as a parent is to help make your child understand or point out to them why the situation can be considered unfair, especially if this is something that they see happen frequently. Having a discussion with them helps in keeping their minds open, for example, they may have observed that their friend’s mother always picks them up after school. Basically, explore the ways in which it can be considered unfair, for example the mother has to stop working thus losing her job, while the father wouldn’t be able to spend more time with his kids because he is away.
Promote gender-neutral activities
Part of the reason why many adults tend to associate certain activities and even colors like pink and blue to a certain gender is because growing up they were taught that such specific things can only be appropriate for girls or boys. In order to raise children who understand what equality is, it can begin with encouraging them, for example allowing the girls to play sports like football or basketball, and allowing boys their preference for pink colored things. Rather than feed on the stereotypes, encourage them to do the opposite.
Be prepared for possible future hurdles
At some point, children may feel the gender divide happening more acutely like being excluded from things because what they may like isn’t gender normative like the instance of perhaps liking Star Wars or Marvel superheroes. Stopping the stereotypes from getting into their mindset can help them become more confident in their preferences and choices. Rather than saying that superheroes are for boys while princesses are for girls, encourage them not to view it in a restrictive way, instead be more open to enjoying these things with one another.
Use the right language
When it comes to addressing certain things about your children, for example, if your son cries, don’t say “stop crying. You’re crying like a little girl”. It’s not a very good message to impart to them. First, not only does it invalidate their feelings but it also makes them think that girls who cry are weak, which they aren’t. Second, it can definitely affect the way they deal with their emotions and it can turn into an unhealthy habit as adults. Instead, let them express their emotions because it doesn’t make them less worthy and in this way they are able to healthily voice out their feelings.
Meanwhile, if your daughter likes to sit in a certain manner, don’t ridicule her and force her to act feminine. Instead, tell her to sit properly instead of pointing out that she’s sitting “like a boy.”
Teach the importance of consent
Children need a lot of guidance because at a young age they are naïve and innocent, and this is one of those things that are very important to establish earlier on which is, consent. Teach them what a good touch and a bad touch is as this can help them distinguish when a stranger or anyone close to them is being inappropriate. Oftentimes, children who feel that they have been taken advantage of wouldn’t know what to say because they weren’t taught about it or weren’t aware that it wasn’t right. Furthermore, help them learn their rights over their own body, and encourage body positivity.
Be a role model
Kids tend to imitate what they see from their surroundings thus the best way to teach them about gender equality is to practice it. An easy method of doing so is by having both men and women do the household chores. Splitting in times of taking care of the children, etc. Doing these things make it easier for the kids to understand that women and men are capable of both things, and the distinction of gender isn’t as important nor should it be a hurdle that keeps another from being able to do it.
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