By Katy Scott
From the moment a child is born, its gender pretty much determines how they will dress, which toys they’ll be given and ultimately how they are meant to behave within society.
But some schools in Sweden are trying to strip away such gender norms.
There’s nothing obviously out of the ordinary at Sweden’s gender-neutral preschools at first glance.
There are no designated areas to play with dolls or building blocks. The toys have been strategically jumbled to create an environment for girls and boys to play together.
These two preschools in Sweden — Nicolaigarden and Egalia (meaning ‘equality’ in Latin) — go to great lengths to de-emphasize gender. Children are given the freedom to challenge and cross gender boundaries.
Rather than encourage children to do particular things, the teachers are careful not to box children based on their gender or subtly discourage them from doing certain things.
The school has removed the terms “girl” and “boy” completely. Instead they make a deliberate effort to call each child by their first name or the gender-neutral pronoun “hen”.
But is it necessary to intervene at such a young age, and what are the long-term effects?
Children play in the garden of Egalia.
Removing the ‘gender straitjacket’
A new global study found that young girls and boys are outfitted with “gender straitjackets” by the age of 10, resulting in lifelong negative consequences.
The Global Early Adolescent Study analyzed how gender is learned, enforced and reinforced among early adolescents in 15 countries.
It concluded that culturally-enforced gender stereotypes — which are linked to an increased risk of mental and physical health problems — are firmly rooted between the ages of 10 and 14. The study found these stereotypes leave girls at greater risk of exposure to physical and sexual violence, child marriage, and HIV. For boys, the risks can include substance abuse and suicide.
In Sweden, which is ranked as the fourth-most equal country in the world when it comes to gender, the government has made a concerted effort to emphasize equality in the Education Act.
Following a new amendment introduced in 1998 requiring all schools to work against gender stereotyping, Lotta Rajalin set up her first gender-neutral preschool for one to five-year-olds in Stockholm’s Old Town.
The gender-neutral policies at Rajalin’s schools ensure that stories, songs and dramatizations are screened or re-scripted to include non-nuclear families (single parents or same-sex couples) and heroines sweeping princes off their feet.
Teachers opt for non-traditional plot twists to ensure that they’re not reinforcing gender stereotypes.
Photos:
Netherlands, personalized learning – Steve Jobs Schools are inspired by, but not affiliated with, the Apple founder.
Their philosophy is to encourage personalized learning by giving their students, all of primary age, more control. Pupils choose which subjects they study, how they want to learn and at what pace. Teachers are known as coaches and students are grouped not by age but by their strengths and interests. Schedules are flexible and students are each given an iPad. Starting out in the Netherlands, they opened a school in Johannesburg in 2016.
Their philosophy is to encourage personalized learning by giving their students, all of primary age, more control. Pupils choose which subjects they study, how they want to learn and at what pace. Teachers are known as coaches and students are grouped not by age but by their strengths and interests. Schedules are flexible and students are each given an iPad. Starting out in the Netherlands, they opened a school in Johannesburg in 2016.
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Photos:
Sweden, gender-neutral schools – At Egalia preschool in Stockholm, the words “he” and “her” are never used. Boys can play with dolls and girls with firetrucks. There are no designated areas for each gender and books are carefully selected to avoid traditional stereotyping. Egalia and other similar preschools in Sweden, reject gender stereotypes and hope to help children fight societal gender norms, which they believe can hinder growth and acceptance.
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Photos:
Singapore, robot teachers – Pepper is a robot that interacts with students and answers their questions. Introduced last year as part of a pilot project in Singapore, Pepper helped preschool teachers deliver lessons and told pupils stories. Teachers reported that the robot helped shy students come out of their shell and created a fun, interactive atmosphere to learn in.
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Photos:
Denmark, forest preschools – While nature-centered schools are not uncommon around the world, in Denmark teaching children the importance of Mother Nature starts at a very young age. According to the Danish Forest and Nature Agency, over 10 percent of Danish preschools are located in forests or other natural settings. These schools use their surroundings as teaching tools, where eating organic food, hiking and raising chickens are all part of the daily lessons. Proponents of forest preschools say that children develop better motor skills when there is more space and time to play in nature rather than sitting in a classroom.
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Photos:
USA, the world as your classroom – Students at the THINK Global School in New York spend each semester in a different nation. They learn languages and in each new place they visit, they work with local experts to gain insights into the historical, cultural, and socioeconomic aspects of their host country. Destinations for the 2018-19 school year include India, Botswana, Japan and Spain.
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Photos:
Bangladesh, solar-powered floating schools – All around the world, schools are reinventing education. During monsoon season in Bangladesh, almost one third of the country is flooded, making school attendance next to impossible. Nonprofit Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha came up with a way to bring education to the children most affected: by creating solar-paneled floating schools. Each morning, the elementary schools travel to different communities, picking up children along the way. The boats then docks and teach up to 30 children at a time. The schools contain a laptop, hundreds of books and electronic resources powered by energy generated from the solar panels.
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Photos:
UK, virtual reality – Immersive technology is having a big moment in education right now, making its way into classrooms around the world. Among those adopting the technology is Sevenoaks School, in the UK, which has introduced VR into its classrooms for a range of subjects including art, history and geography. Students are using the technology to go on virtual field trips and creating three dimensional paintings that move.
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Photos:
Bali, going green – As the Green School in Bali demonstrates, innovation doesn’t always equal technology. Nestled between rainforests and made entirely from bamboo, the school’s mission is to educate its students about sustainability by using a holistic approach. Students from nursery to high school learn how to be more environmentally-conscious while studying traditional topics like math and languages. The Green Schoolboasts a diverse student body from all over the world and aims to create the next generation of green leaders. The school runs on three simple principles: be local, let the environment lead and think of your grandchildren’s future.
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Photos:
Ghana, empower playgrounds – In many parts of rural Ghana, electricity is either limited or unavailable. Students in these areas are unable to study after it gets dark, which hinders their chances of getting into a secondary school. So Empower Playgrounds created merry-go-rounds that use the children’s energy to charge a battery, which then powers a small lantern. Each recharge lasts for over 40 hours and allows students to study in the evening.
Hide Caption
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Photos:
Canada, paper and desk-free classrooms – It’s hard to imagine a classroom without desks and paper but it’s now a reality. In some schools in Canada and the U.S., for example, recent trends of creating more comfortable and open classrooms have seen traditional desks disappear. Instead, bouncy balls, bean bags and seating mats having taken their place, while iPads and computers replace traditional pen and paper. Students submit their work via different tools, such as Google Classroom, and teachers are able to give feedback and mark assignments in real time. Even chalkboards and whiteboards are being replaced by interactive smartboards.
Hide Caption
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Photos:
Netherlands, personalized learning – Steve Jobs Schools are inspired by, but not affiliated with, the Apple founder.
Their philosophy is to encourage personalized learning by giving their students, all of primary age, more control. Pupils choose which subjects they study, how they want to learn and at what pace. Teachers are known as coaches and students are grouped not by age but by their strengths and interests. Schedules are flexible and students are each given an iPad. Starting out in the Netherlands, they opened a school in Johannesburg in 2016.
Their philosophy is to encourage personalized learning by giving their students, all of primary age, more control. Pupils choose which subjects they study, how they want to learn and at what pace. Teachers are known as coaches and students are grouped not by age but by their strengths and interests. Schedules are flexible and students are each given an iPad. Starting out in the Netherlands, they opened a school in Johannesburg in 2016.
Hide Caption
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Photos:
Sweden, gender-neutral schools – At Egalia preschool in Stockholm, the words “he” and “her” are never used. Boys can play with dolls and girls with firetrucks. There are no designated areas for each gender and books are carefully selected to avoid traditional stereotyping. Egalia and other similar preschools in Sweden, reject gender stereotypes and hope to help children fight societal gender norms, which they believe can hinder growth and acceptance.
Hide Caption
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Photos:
Singapore, robot teachers – Pepper is a robot that interacts with students and answers their questions. Introduced last year as part of a pilot project in Singapore, Pepper helped preschool teachers deliver lessons and told pupils stories. Teachers reported that the robot helped shy students come out of their shell and created a fun, interactive atmosphere to learn in.
Hide Caption
8 of 10
Photos:
Denmark, forest preschools – While nature-centered schools are not uncommon around the world, in Denmark teaching children the importance of Mother Nature starts at a very young age. According to the Danish Forest and Nature Agency, over 10 percent of Danish preschools are located in forests or other natural settings. These schools use their surroundings as teaching tools, where eating organic food, hiking and raising chickens are all part of the daily lessons. Proponents of forest preschools say that children develop better motor skills when there is more space and time to play in nature rather than sitting in a classroom.
Hide Caption
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Photos:
USA, the world as your classroom – Students at the THINK Global School in New York spend each semester in a different nation. They learn languages and in each new place they visit, they work with local experts to gain insights into the historical, cultural, and socioeconomic aspects of their host country. Destinations for the 2018-19 school year include India, Botswana, Japan and Spain.
Hide Caption
10 of 10
Photos:
Bangladesh, solar-powered floating schools – All around the world, schools are reinventing education. During monsoon season in Bangladesh, almost one third of the country is flooded, making school attendance next to impossible. Nonprofit Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha came up with a way to bring education to the children most affected: by creating solar-paneled floating schools. Each morning, the elementary schools travel to different communities, picking up children along the way. The boats then docks and teach up to 30 children at a time. The schools contain a laptop, hundreds of books and electronic resources powered by energy generated from the solar panels.
Hide Caption
1 of 10
Photos:
UK, virtual reality – Immersive technology is having a big moment in education right now, making its way into classrooms around the world. Among those adopting the technology is Sevenoaks School, in the UK, which has introduced VR into its classrooms for a range of subjects including art, history and geography. Students are using the technology to go on virtual field trips and creating three dimensional paintings that move.
Hide Caption
2 of 10
Photos:
Bali, going green – As the Green School in Bali demonstrates, innovation doesn’t always equal technology. Nestled between rainforests and made entirely from bamboo, the school’s mission is to educate its students about sustainability by using a holistic approach. Students from nursery to high school learn how to be more environmentally-conscious while studying traditional topics like math and languages. The Green Schoolboasts a diverse student body from all over the world and aims to create the next generation of green leaders. The school runs on three simple principles: be local, let the environment lead and think of your grandchildren’s future.
Hide Caption
3 of 10
Photos:
Ghana, empower playgrounds – In many parts of rural Ghana, electricity is either limited or unavailable. Students in these areas are unable to study after it gets dark, which hinders their chances of getting into a secondary school. So Empower Playgrounds created merry-go-rounds that use the children’s energy to charge a battery, which then powers a small lantern. Each recharge lasts for over 40 hours and allows students to study in the evening.
Hide Caption
4 of 10
Photos:
Canada, paper and desk-free classrooms – It’s hard to imagine a classroom without desks and paper but it’s now a reality. In some schools in Canada and the U.S., for example, recent trends of creating more comfortable and open classrooms have seen traditional desks disappear. Instead, bouncy balls, bean bags and seating mats having taken their place, while iPads and computers replace traditional pen and paper. Students submit their work via different tools, such as Google Classroom, and teachers are able to give feedback and mark assignments in real time. Even chalkboards and whiteboards are being replaced by interactive smartboards.
Hide Caption
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How to be a gender-neutral teacher
Perhaps the most important distinction in these preschools is the way the teachers treat each child.
To help identify any unconscious bias they have when dealing with girls and boys, the teachers filmed themselves interacting with children and took note of how they responded to the different sexes.
“After we had been filming and observing each other, we understood that it’s not the children we have to change, it’s ourselves,” Rajalin tells CNN.
Lotta Rajalin, director at Nicolaigarden and Egalia gender-neutral preschools.
They discovered they used different tones of voice when talking to girls or boys, and tolerated rowdiness in boys while discouraging it in girls. Similarly, they found themselves to be more likely to comfort a crying girl, while they would tell a crying boy to brush it off.
“When you change yourself and your thinking and your expectations, you will see new things and you will see that it’s better for children’s development,” she says.
Rajalin believes gender stereotypes limit the opportunities available to a child. Her gender-neutral teaching methods stem from what she calls “the whole life spectra” or “circle of opportunity.” This circle is often divided into two semi-circles — one for boys and one for girls.
Through gender-neutral teaching, Rajalin hopes to open up this circle of opportunities for all children to define themselves.
“We try to take away the barriers which stop both girls and boys doing what they want to do,” she says.
“We want all children to have the same opportunities to feel, to express themselves, to like what color they like, to play the sport they’re in, and so on. We don’t want to limit them.”
Following a small, structured observation of children at one of Rajalin’s preschools, Ben Kenward, a researcher in psychology at Uppsala University in Sweden and Oxford Brookes University in England, found these children had a reduced tendency to be influenced by gender stereotypes, compared to a control group of children from a typical Swedish preschool.
“The [gender neutral] pedagogy is having some of the effects that it’s intended to have, and if you’re committed to giving these young children the same opportunities … then our study suggests that this kind of pedagogy is a good tool.”
‘Brainwashing children’
However, these gender-neutral policies have generated much criticism over the years.
Swedish psychiatrist and author David Eberhard considers calling boys and girls “hen” to be “intellectually dishonest” as it is being “blind to biological differences.”
“This is the kind of brainwash that works when the kids are small and in the short run they adapt to this, but what happens when they go to normal school and they find out they were living in a sect?” he tells CNN.
“This is a sort of a religious sect to say there’s no differences between men and women, it has nothing to do with science.”
Eberhard explained that he does not oppose boys choosing to play with dolls, but he draws the line at calling a girl or boy “it” or “hen”.
Rajalin believes a lot of criticism is misguided, as people do not fully understand what they are trying to do. “We are not trying to say girls should be boys or boys should be girls, we just want every person to have the right to be the person they are, regardless of gender,” she says.
Rajalin says her gender-neutral preschools give children the same opportunities, obligations and rights, regardless of gender.
Harmless ‘experiment’
While Eberhard’s views are strong, he says gender-neutral schooling is unlikely to have any negative long-term effects on young children.
“I suppose that they [the children] are so sure about their identity that it doesn’t matter,” he says. “But, as individuals, you may very well have young kids of different sexes that become very frustrated or confused.”
He believes Sweden would be better off solving the problem of gender inequality in the real world.
Rajalin, however, believes adopting gender-neutral methods and exposing children to teachers of various different ethnicities, religions, sexes and sexual orientations, will better prepare them for the nuances of the real world. It will boost their self-confidence and set them up to be more successful in life, she says.
Psychology professor Philip Hwang from the University of Gothenburg is not convinced. He thinks Rajalin’s gender-neutral preschools are harmless but overrated.
“I don’t really see any harm in it, but I think it pleases the parents more than it changes the children,” he tells CNN.
He says he has met a couple of parents that really believe sending their children to gender-neutral preschool will have lasting effects and that they will grow up in a gender-neutral society.
“It’s a statement more than something that has actual effect on children’s long-term development with regard to gender issues,” he says.
“It takes generations to change norms and values like this.”
Even Kenward, who is optimistic that the gender-neutral pedagogy is creating equal opportunities for children of both genders, is unsure what the long-term effects will be.
“It’s an open question what happens to these children when they move into primary school,” he says. “My guess is it [gender neutral pedagogy] could continue to influence their behavior potentially, not in a very strong way necessarily. But it may have some lasting effects.”
