Swedish preschool neutralises stereotypes by going gender-free

SWEDEN –  A preschool in Stockholm eliminated gendered pronouns with staff avoiding the use of words such as “him” or “her”, instead addressing the children as friends rather than girls and boys, The Age reports.

The preschool planned every detail to make sure children do not fall into gender stereotypes – from the colour and placement of toys to the choice of books.

A teacher at the preschool says: "Society expects girls to be girlie, nice and pretty and boys to be manly, rough and outgoing. [The preschool] gives them a fantastic opportunity to be whoever they want."

The taxpayer-funded preschool opened last year in a liberal district of Stockholm for children aged one to six.

It is among the most radical examples of Sweden’s efforts to engineer equality between the sexes by breaking down gender roles.

This is a core mission in the national curriculum for preschools, which is underpinned by the theory that even in highly egalitarian-minded Sweden, society gives boys an unfair edge.

Many preschools have hired "gender pedagogues" to help staff identify language and behaviour that risk reinforcing stereotypes.

However, some parents worry things have gone too far. An obsession with obliterating gender roles, they say, could make the children confused and ill-prepared to face the world outside.

A blogger and leading voice against “gender madness” in Sweden, says: "Different gender roles aren’t problematic as long as they are equally valued."

At the preschool – named Egalia connotating equality – boys and girls play together with a toy kitchen, waving plastic utensils and pretending to cook. Lego bricks and other building blocks are placed next to the kitchen to make sure the children draw no mental barriers between cooking and construction.

Director Lotta Rajalin notes Egalia places a special emphasis on fostering an environment tolerant of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Nearly all the children’s books deal with homosexual couples, single parents or adopted children. There are no Snow White, Cinderella or other fairy tales seen as cementing stereotypes.

Rajalin says the staff also try to help the children discover new ideas when they play.

"A concrete example could be when they’re playing ‘house’ and the role of the mum already is taken and they start to squabble," she says. "Then we suggest two mums or three mums."

Egalia’s methods are controversial; some say they amount to mind control. Rajalin says the staff have received threats from racists upset about the preschool’s use of black dolls. But she says there’s a long waiting list for admission.

Sweden has promoted women’s rights for decades and more recently was a pioneer among European countries in allowing gay and lesbian couples to legalise their partnerships and adopt children.

Kindergarten Parents Victoria spokeswoman Sue Smith said many preschools in Victoria would have gender equality policies and both boys and girls would be given toys such as dolls and trucks. She was unaware of any kindergartens in Victoria that placed the same emphasis on gender equality as Egalia.

Jay Belsky, a child psychologist at the University of California, Davis, questioned whether it was the right way to go.

"The kind of things that boys like to do - run around and turn sticks into swords - will soon be disapproved of," he said. "So gender neutrality at its worst is emasculating maleness."

Egalia is unusual, even for Sweden. Staff try to shed masculine and feminine references from their speech, including the pronouns him or her - "han" or "hon" in Swedish. Instead, they’ve adopted the genderless neologism ‘hen’, used in some feminist and gay circles.

"We use the word ‘hen’ when a doctor, police, electrician or plumber or such is coming to the kindergarten," Ms Rajalin says. "We just say, ‘Hen is coming around 2pm.’ Then children can imagine both a man or a woman. This widens their view."

- The Age