Statistics show that females are still under-represented in education, political and economic decision-making processes. Unesco’s fifth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Gender Equality, aims to redress this imbalance. This SDG is closely aligned with the Quality Education goal. It is part of the Prevent Act and linked to British Fundamental Values, explicit within the EYFS (2017).
Educators are in a very powerful position to enable everyone to start to recognise the importance of equity while children are young.
You can begin by trying to avoid gender-specific names when addressing children, such as ‘my little soldier’, ‘little man’ or ‘my little princess’. Also, do not react negatively to their choice of activity or role, and be open and encourage diversity in language and play; for example, if a boy wears a tutu, or a girl wants to build or play with cars. Encourage an ‘I can’ attitude for all.
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