Gender through primary school children’s perspective in Italy: between stereotypes and experiences

Abstract

Gender education is currently facing a huge challenge. On the one side, it is trying to break free from several and malicious accusations produced by a suspicious context against the term “gender” and on the other, it is trying to make every form of education as a “gender” one, in the sense of a respectful educative action for the several forms of expressions of a flexible and dynamic identity. On this basis, this paper aim is to present some of the results of a research project conducted in Italy to investigate children's representations about two individual elements of differences through focus groups, i.e. gender and skin color. Children's dialogues and conversations related to gender identity, gender stereotypes, sexual identity and sexual orientation were encouraged by some photos and children also showed a considerable reflexive competence in relation to these “gender” issues.

Keywords: gender stereotypes, primary school children, gender and “race”, colorism, discrimination.