Tonight (Wednesday) sees the first of two hour-long programmes exploring attitudes to gender and seeing how they are influenced in childhood.
No More Boys and Girls: Can Our Kids Go Gender Free? features 23 seven-year-old pupils from Lanesend primary school in Cowes, who spent a term ‘gender neutral’.
Dr Javid Abelmoneim poses some of the most profound questions facing the UK today.
Is the way we treat boys and girls in childhood the real reason we still haven’t achieved true equality between men and women in adult life?
And could stripping away the pink and blue – and the other more subtle ways that boys and girls are shaped to be different – be the way to raise kids with abilities and attitudes that are the same regardless of their gender?
Not about ‘gender identity’
The experiment attracted criticism from Wiltshire councillor, Mary Douglas, who claimed it was “abusive” and “inappropriate”. The same Conservative councillor was recently slammed for suggesting transgender people are mentally ill.
Cllr Douglas said,
“Children in particular are very vulnerable and susceptible to what adults say. To even suggest that he or she might not be essentially male or female is potentially very harmful.”
Dr Javid was clear with his response,
“One, this is absolutely not about gender identity.
“Two, in no way could you imagine anyone ever trying to steer children in a way that’s harmful. We’re talking about the BBC. I’m a Doctor. Their parents and teachers were involved.
“Three, watch the programme and then if you still want to hold that view – well, then you’re daft.”
Where and when
Tune into BBC2 at 9pm to see the first of the two programmes. It will be on the BBC iPlayer after the broadcast if you are unable to watch tonight.
