A guide to promoting gender equality - Gender equality support

Resources, training and awards

Scottish charity Zero Tolerance’s general guide to preventing gender stereotyping in the early years is a good starting point (https://bit.ly/2RaSAfz), while its 2018 report, Gender equal play in early learning and childcare, was co-produced by the Scottish Care Inspectorate. Reports and posters on play, healthy relationships and parents’ attitudes are also available on its website (https://bit.ly/2rKbIqc).

An early-years focused guide to recruiting men has just been produced by the Men in the Early Years (MITEY)campaign. Led by the Fatherhood Institute, MITEY (https://miteyuk.org)aims to increase the number of men working in early years settings, as well as provide support. It also runs an annual conference and training.

Gender Action Schools Award – developed by King’s College London, UCL Institute of Education and University Council of Modern Languages – is a free, four-stage awards programme (see ‘Nursery World archives’, below, for full details). Its website has a comprehensive library of resources (www.genderaction.co.uk).

Gender Friendly Nurseries, based in Glasgow, offers a full-day training session and support pack (https://bit.ly/2P2ZxMZ), with an audit, action points and accreditation. Its trainer manual (https://bit.ly/2OLLtY0)is for those wanting to cascade the training to others.

The Gender Equality Collective (https://thegec.org)is planning a self-assessment tool for nurseries and schools, to be launched by mid-2020, which will take settings through an audit, contain training modules and resources, and award a quality mark when complete. A ‘token’ annual charge applies.

A pilot promoting gender equality in primary schools by Lifting Limits took place earlier this year – see the report here: www.liftinglimits.org.uk

Child- and parent-focused programmes and resources

Inspiring the Future (https://bit.ly/2sv9J9o) runs a programme which connects schools with diverse female volunteers. The initiative has featured in experiments where children have been asked to draw pictures of people in stereotypically male jobs, and then are confronted with real people in those roles.

Watch this BBC video on the potential detrimental effects of stereotypical messaging on girls’ clothing: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05d9kmg.

Watch this Spark video of students talking about stereotyping and unconscious bias and what gender equality means for boys and men: https://vimeo.com/groups/594278.

Download this Let Toys Be Toys ‘Raising children without gender stereotypes’ poster: https://bit.ly/34RawA5.

Books, television shows, and films that combat gender stereotypes, as recommended by parents or teachers: You Be You (https://bit.ly/37WVydF)

and Let Toys Be Toys (http://lettoysbetoys.org.uk/early-years/​).

For settings

Action guide from the Institute of Physics for early learning and childcare practitioners on improving gender balance: https://bit.ly/34MZxrm.

Top tips to tackle gender stereotypes in education and the early years from Gender Action: https://bit.ly/33JUKFr and https://bit.ly/2qdBS4f.

Recruiting men into childcare and men’s experiences of working in childcare, from Leyf (https://vimeo.com/81021501), Teachers TV (https://bit.ly/2OHxdB1) and The Male Montessorian (https://vimeo.com/175619027).

Books and research

Men in Early Years Settings: Building a Mixed Gender Workforce by David Wright and Simon Brownhill

Men in Childcare: Gender balance and gender flexibility by Jo Warin

Gender Diversity and Inclusion in Early Years Education by Kath Tayler and Deborah Price

Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates

The Gender Agenda: A first-hand account of how girls and boys are treated differently by Ros Ball and James Millar

Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood: A Literature Review (https://bit.ly/2LeNWJU)

Good Practice for Good Jobs in Early Childhood Education and Care by the OECD (https://bit.ly/33j6Oyc).

Research projects

Gender EYE is an EU-funded project which aims to find out why so few men are willing to work in the early years and what support they need. The project has extended its deadline for its surveys on gender diversity to 20 December 2019 (https://gendereye.org/survey).

The Norwegian Framework Plan for Kindergartens (https://bit.ly/2rQWM9x) includes a video clip showing how ‘normalised’ gender diversity is in early childhood education.

See also the Men in Kitas project in Germany (https://bit.ly/33Ltg2B).

Nursery World archives

A report on the Gender Action programme

www.nurseryworld.co.uk/features/article/inclusion-free-to-choose

Gendered comments from children in early years settings and their lasting impact

www.nurseryworld.co.uk/features/article/inclusion-gender-the-fight-continues

Children’s self-image and staff perceptions

www.nurseryworld.co.uk/features/article/image-problem

Gender equality, management and the law

www.nurseryworld.co.uk/features/article/managing-equality-and-diversity-part-8-gender-in-the-balance