Councils could ban children’s books, toys and characters for not meeting gender test

CHILDREN’S favourites like Thomas the Tank Engine, Disney dress-ups and Barbie dolls, along with the terms “boy” and “girl”, could be banned as Victorian councils audit schools and libraries in response to radical new research.

VICTORIAN councils are auditing libraries, schools and kindergartens and urging a ban on the terms “boy” and “girl” in a bid to teach kids as young as three to have “gender equitable relationships”.

COUNCIL’S POOL PARTY FOR TRANS SWIMMERS

KINDERGARTEN KIDS TO LEARN ABOUT GENDER EQUALITY

City of Melbourne is among a number of local authorities responding to radical new research that suggests educators should:

AVOID classifying children according to gender and having boys-only and girls-only activities;

AVOID use of the terms boys and girls and to “minimise the extent to which gender is labelled”; and

AVOID comments that define what females or males do or should do.

 

Thomas the Tank Engine could be banned under the new guidelines for not meeting gender tests.

 

The Australian National University research, published in March, reviewed other studies that looked at how children were influenced by gender stereotyping and found “prejudice along race and gender lines can be observed in children as young as 3-4 years of age”.

Dr King wrote: “If girls avoid playing with toys such as Lego, they may miss opportunities to develop special and mechanical reasoning skills that are necessary for careers and courses in science, tech­nology, engineering and ­mathematics.”

Girls who played with “highly feminised characters” like Barbies had fewer career options; engagement with Disney princess toys led to more female-stereotypical views.

The study encourages girls to play with Lego, instead of Barbies. Picture: Tony Gough

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Boys who watched superhero shows were more gender-stereotyped in their thinking, according to the study, which analysed 28 academic papers on gender in early learning.

The City of Darebin recently got a $26,000 state grant to look at how promoting “positive and respectful roles and relationships” at preschool could prevent violence against women.

Under the new guidelines, children’s favourites including Thomas the Tank Engine, Noddy and Winnie the Pooh could be banned for not meeting gender tests.

Disney dress-ups, Barbie and Bratz dolls and superhero play could also become a thing of the past.

Educational resources suggest educators apply a “gender lens” to programs and materials, such as by reviewing books to ensure “a range of different stories and experiences beyond gender stereotypical narratives”.

Teachers are told to not select toys in gendered colours and to not use expressions such as “boys will be boys”.

Others councils running or managing hundreds of childcare centres and kindergartens are taking a similar approach.

A City of Melbourne spokesman said the council was developing materials to “promote the rights of all children to have safe, equal and respectful relationships”.

Manningham City Council checks books for gender modelling and diversity. Teachers are asked not to call girls “honey” and “sweetie” or classes “you guys”, and to consider how their gender or sexuality may influence interactions.

Maribyrnong City Council asks libraries to promote “gender equity and challenge gender stereotypes” in selections.

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Minister for Women and Prevention of Family Violence Natalie Hutchins said that despite record investment, without gender equality “the change needed won’t happen”.

But Opposition youth and families spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said councils should “butt out of this nonsense” of banning books.

“It’s crazy. Boys should be boys and girls should be girls,” she said.

“Any funding should be focused on interventions to prevent family violence, and not radical gender-based theories.”

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