Early Childhood and Preschool Age
In 1973, “Dalla parte delle bambine” (“On the Side of Little Girls”) by Elena Gianini Bellotti was published, a work that, 50 years later, continues to be considered a reference point for the pedagogy and sociology of childhood.
It is especially so for its main premise, namely: “The concepts of femininity and masculinity, which are presented to us as innate and instinctive characteristics of individuals, are in reality ‘manufactured’ by the cultural environment in which one is immersed.”
A social construct, therefore, born of a patriarchal culture that has always influenced the behaviors and personalities of boys and girls. An assignment of induced roles so ancient that it often goes unnoticed, yet it inexorably shapes the destinies of many. This applies to boys, but unfortunately continues to apply even more to girls. Girls, in fact, are conditioned into a narrow, limited dimension of possibilities in thinking about and imagining themselves in the future, and into a position of subordination compared to their male peers.
Inferiority understood in a malevolent way as a “burden,” as a “worry” to be managed and controlled; and understood in a benevolent way as “fragility,” as a “flower” to be protected. They are two sides of the same coin.
Girls must be kept within a certain sphere, they must be monitored, they must be disciplined—whether by gentle means or harsh ones. Therefore, it is “good” (of course, it is bad) to identify “aptitudes” for them from the very beginning. Care, for example—of themselves and of others. Girls must be beautiful, kind, and quiet. Girls must draw from an imaginary world full of defenseless princesses and princes who will save them (let’s be clear: we are not demonizing this type of story; the problem is that we believe it should not be the only one). Dolls are for girls, while animals and dinosaurs are for boys. The kitchen, the iron, the shopping cart are for girls, while cars are for boys. And then makeup, dresses, and beads for girls, and the first tech toys for boys. Because, according to dominant culture, girls have no scientific inclination, while boys do. In fact, from the earliest years of life, it is instilled in the minds of boys and girls—through these first induced lifestyles—what they will be able to do and what, instead, is not “meant” for them.
From here, not by chance, comes the ridicule to which gendered language in Italian is subjected. There has been, and still is, an attempt to hinder the affirmation of feminine linguistic forms, considering them useless, unimportant, a waste of time. Yet the assignment of social roles is strongly influenced by linguistic models. That is, some professions are habitually heard only in the feminine form, and sound almost incorrect in the masculine—or they take on a different meaning. The reverse is also true. But this is not a problem of the Italian language itself; rather, it is the reality that certain professions have historically been assigned to one sex, and today there is either an inability or an unwillingness to acknowledge a new balance that—though still to the disadvantage of women—could nonetheless foster new cultural models for girls. If, instead, there is the erasure of a gender in public and private everyday discourse, then the removal of women’s contributions can be felt everywhere.
Even in primary school textbooks, once the preschool stage of games has been left behind, it still causes strong indignation to read in children’s textbooks examples that refer back to a traditional social order in which the mother stays at home washing dishes and the father is out working. Or again, the representation of professions: the mother is at most a nurse, but never a doctor. All of this, beyond the family’s educational sphere, contributes in the school environment to creating and reinforcing those cultural stereotypes that feed gender inequality and produce in girls a limitation of freedom of choice which will inexorably shape their personal paths, both emotional and relational, as well as cognitive and professional.
Emotional and relational, because they will see themselves as functional to the good of others rather than their own.
Cognitive and professional, because they will think they lack the intelligence to access certain fields of knowledge.
As we said at the beginning, boys too are absorbed into these stereotypes, limiting above all their emotionality. We are, of course, very interested in investigating this area as well. Starting from the premise of wanting to counter and prevent male violence against women, it is essential to also analyze the cultural cages that restrict boys. But unlike girls, the main limitation to highlight is indeed the emotional one, because in terms of cognitive achievement, boys are not hindered at all—on the contrary, what is suggested to girls in a domestic, everyday dimension takes on authority and power for boys. If, on the one hand, women’s place is in the kitchen, on the other, the great chefs are men. This is just a small example of how the collective imagination acquires different meanings depending on gender. In the emotional/relational sphere, however, things also become complicated for boys. They are not allowed to cry or express fragility. For them, the stigma of being a “sissy” is always lurking. They are encouraged toward a “pack” mentality, starting with sports, where soccer is seen as the sublimation of this model of premature virility and sense of belonging.
For the age group corresponding to preschool and primary school, the Foundation proposes an educational intervention differentiated in its tools, but placing at the center—during early and middle childhood—the deconstruction of gender stereotypes and the emotional storytelling of boys and girls.
- Teacher training
- Reflections on classroom spaces, games, proposed activities, and textbooks
- Experiential, play-based, and artistic workshops
- Read-aloud sessions with curated bibliographies
- Screenings of cartoons and films with reference lists
- Meetings with families
- Psychological support
- Sharing of results through the presentation of the work carried out or a product created during the project