Campaign launched to attack sex stereotypes in young kids

What’s your kind of guy (or girl)? (C’est quoi ton genre?) is the title of a campaign that encompasses a vast programme meant to combat sex stereotypes in young children in Vevey and Montreux.

Despite efforts by the many organisations sparked by women’s lib movements in favour of equality between men and women, education experts and social workers observe that the divide between girls and boys, instead of decreasing, is actually increasing in many school and social environments.

“When we decided to broach the subject, even amongst professionals, we realized that we had problems defining what we meant by gender differences. We discovered that we too were trapped in stereotypes,” says Michèle Theytaz Grandjean, youth delegate for Vevey, who together with 12 different partners has put together the campaign.

“So we decided that it was important to start the campaign by asking kids to think about who they are before thinking about others," Theytaz Grandjean adds.

This lead to a three point campaign developed along the following questions:

1. Who am I and what do people expect of me?
2. Who is the other and what is expected of him or her?
3. What kind of relationship do I want to build with others?

“The point is that young girls are too often railroaded into doing things that they don’t want to do, simply because they don’t dare say no,” indicates the Vevey delegate. “We want them to realize that they have their word to say.”

Furthermore, rock and rap bands project an image of a male-dominated society that girls are too quick to embrace through sheer copycat behaviour, says Simon Smith, the Montreux youth delegate.

He also warns against the “explosive mixture” of extreme macho behaviour by kids from cultures that hide their women and the availability of pornography that exhibits and undresses them, although he is quick to point out that Muslim cultures are far from being the only ones that perpetrate these stereotypes.

“We only have to look around to discover that the clichés are everywhere,” Michèle Theytaz Grandjean stresses. “Even in a catalogue for children’s furniture, the boy’s room will probably be in Ferrari red, with just the right kind of mess and unfinished food, whereas the girl’s room will be perfectly tidy in pastel pink with furry animals.”

According to Sylvie Durrer, who heads the Vaud bureau of equality, such differences play into the hands of the economy. “There is definitely a commercial advantage to producing every object twice: black scooters for boys, pink ones for girls. Fifty years ago, scooters were red for everyone,” she said in an interview to 24 Heures.

“Such codes in themselves are not a problem, but they become one when they contribute to producing a hierarchy between sexes,” Durer adds.

Each of the partners that has contributed to the development of the present campaign will be organizing specific events according to the age and needs of their young publics, from theatre forums to storytelling, conferences and exhibitions. See complete programme .

“We want children to become aware of how they build their relationships with society, taking into consideration their differences, but also building on the notion of respect,” explains Michèle Theytaz Grandjean.

The campaign runs until April 2010.

Related link: Vevey website