Nursery World - Child Development: Intersex

Children born intersex or with differences of sex development are an often misunderstood subject. Caroline Vollans explores the issue and reveals how settings can offer support

Download the PDF of this article

We live in a world where issues involving the body, sex, sexuality and gender have an increasingly high profile. There is, however, one issue of bodily development that is rarely mentioned – that of intersex.

Babies all over the world are born with genital differences – that is, they do not have a typical male or female anatomy. This is an issue that should be of concern to all those involved in education who, indeed, could encounter these children and their families.

Good early years practice needs to consider how to be proactive in breaking the taboo of ignorance and stigmatisation of children with differences of sexual development.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included