Gender equality in early childhood

Greshma Momaya and Angelica Celinska discuss gender equality in early childhood classrooms and settings. Greshma shares practice from her school in India, providing examples and tips on how to ensure we not only promote gender equality, but also notice when we unknowingly might place or communicate gender bias. They discuss a gender neutral curriculum, challenging your own deep rooted, subconscious gender biases and much more. 

Episode break down:

00:00 - Greshma's 'why'
02:37 - Children's understanding of gender roles
08:34 - Gender stereotypical story characters 
10:00 - An overfocus on physical appearance 
12:10 - A gender neutral curriculum
14:54 - Educators checking in on their own gender bias
17:57 - Addressing behaviour inconsistently
21:25 - Are we living up to our values and beliefs?
22:40 - Professional challenge and creating safe spaces
24:21 - Representing diverse family structures
28:05 - Aligning the curriculum with children's direct experiences
31:00 - 'Give children global boots with local roots' - Sugata Mitra
32:50 - Working with resource companies and book publishers
34:50 - Challenging traditional language 
36:50 - The current context in India
38:30 - Respecting families' choices and preferences
41:15 - Famous and historical figures being more gender equal
43:55 - Setting boundaries and systems to promote gender equality
45:40 - 3 steps in checking your own gender bias

For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com