Tudi jaz sem ženska
I, too, am a woman
Written by Dr. Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner
May 1, 2018
Otroci se v svoji nedolžnosti in empatičnosti ne zavedajo razlik med spoloma. So – preprosto – otroci, vsi enaki in enakopravni. Da med njimi obstajajo razlike v spolu, se začnejo zavedati šele v procesu socializacije, v stikih z drugimi – predvsem odraslimi.
In their innocence and empathy, children are not aware of gender differences. They are – simply – children, all equal and the same. Their ideas about gender differences only start exist through the process of socialization, in contact with others – especially adults.
Spolni stereotipi se z odraščanjem krepijo. Najstnice in mlade ženske so ob pozivu, pokaži, kako teče dekle, kako meče dekle in kako se bojuje dekle, komično krilile z rokami. Enako so počeli tudi najstniki in mladi moški. Toda desetletnice brez vcepljenih predsodkov so ob enakem pozivu pokazale, da deklice tečejo, mečejo in se bojujejo enako kot dečki – z vsem srcem, na vso moč in z enim ciljem: da bodo dale vse od sebe.
Sexual stereotypes grow stronger as children grow up. Teenagers and young women were asked to show how a girl runs, how she throws [a ball] and how she fights, and they comically waved their arms. The same thing was done with teenagers and young men [with the same results]. However, 10-year-olds without any such prejudices showed girls running, throwing and fighting in the same way as boys – with all their heart, all power and one goal: to do their best.
Kljub temu pa vsakodnevne izkušnje iz vrtcev in šol razkrivajo, da so spolni stereotipi prisotni in samoumevni v retoriki in vedenju.
Nevertheless, everyday experiences from kindergartens and schools reveal that sexual stereotypes are present and self-evident in rhetoric and behavior.
V uredništvu Časorisa smo denimo izvedeli za primer, ko so tretješolko, ki je želela igrati nogomet in košarko, vrstnice, ki so se večinoma identificirale z roza barvo in igrale z barbikami, izločile. Pa tudi za primer četrtošolke, ki je ob gledanju filma izjavila, ta fant kriči kot deklica. In neka ravnateljica nas je prosila za pomoč, ker v šolah ne vedo, kako se soočiti z izločanjem deklet, ki so jim blizu »moške zadeve«, kot je nogomet, oziroma dečkov, ki so jim blizu »ženske zadeve,« recimo balet – predvsem v nižjih razredih.
In Časoris, for example, we learned about the example of a third-grade schoolgirl who wanted to play football and basketball, whose peers excluded her because they identified more with the colour pink and playing with Barbies. And also the case of a fourth-year schoolgirl who watched a film and said that a boy [on screen] screamed like a girl. And a school principle asked us for help because they do not know how to deal with the exclusion of girls who are close to "men's affairs" such as football, or boys who are close to "women's affairs", say ballet – especially in lower grades.
S projektom Tudi jaz sem ženska želimo prispevati k večji ozaveščenosti otrok glede spolnih stereotipov v družbi in krepiti usposobljenost učiteljev ter staršev za ustrezno obravnavo tematike pri otrocih.
Through the project, I, too, am a woman, we want to contribute to raising the awareness of children about gender stereotypes in society and to strengthen the qualifications of teachers and parents for proper treatment of such issues with children.
Z imenom projekta smo na igriv in simpatičen način želeli ohraniti spomin na trenutek, ko se otroci, ki šele vstopajo v procese raziskovanja svoje samopodobe in vloge v družbi, zavedo, da niso le otroci, ampak tudi deklice in dečki. Ime izhaja iz izkušnje s petletno deklico, ki je 8. marca opazovala ženske, ki so mimo nje hodile z rožami v rokah. Vprašala je, zakaj jih imajo, in ko je izvedela, da na ta dan običajno dobijo v dar rože, na ves glas vzkliknila: »Tudi jaz sem ženska.«
With the name of the project we wanted to highlight, in a playful and sympathetic manner, the moment when children who are only entering the processes of exploring their own self-image and role in society realize that they are not only children, but also girls and boys. The name derives from the experience of a five-year-old girl who on March 8 watched some women who walked past her with flowers in their hands. She asked why they had them, and when she learned that they were usually given the gift of flowers on that day, she exclaimed, "I'm a woman too."
Spolni stereotipi, kot sta denimo »fantje ne jočejo« ali »punce ne znajo brati zemljevidov«, se izoblikujejo že v zgodnjem otroštvu. Okolje – družina, učitelji in šola – lahko pri tem vplivajo pozitivno ali negativno.
Sexual stereotypes, such as "boys do not cry" or "girls can not read the maps", are formed in early childhood. The environment – the family, the teachers and the school – can influence this positively or negatively.
Toda učitelji opozarjajo na svoja pomanjkljiva znanja in spretnosti pri obravnavanju vsebin, ki so povezane s spolnimi stereotipi – prepoznavanje, odzivanje, usmerjanje otrok, čeprav je šola najpomembnejša ustanova v otrokovem življenju in pomembno vpliva na dojemanje spola in spolnih stereotipov.
But teachers have drawn attention to their lack of skills in dealing with content related to gender stereotypes – identifying, responding, directing children [with regard to such affairs], even though the school is the most important institution in a child's life, and has a significant influence on gender perceptions and gender stereotypes.
Projekt smo zasnovali tako, da smo pripravili delavnice za otroke in učitelje na izbranih osnovnih šolah in ustvarili rubriko, v kateri objavljamo prispevke, in tako spodbujamo razpravo tudi na drugih šolah in zunaj šolskega prostora.
We designed the project by creating workshops for children and teachers at selected primary schools, and creating a section where we publish articles, thus encouraging discussion at other schools and outside the school.
Z delavnicami in prispevki otrokom omogočimo, da spregovorijo o tem, ali poznajo spolne stereotipe oziroma kakšne spolne stereotipe poznajo, ali so jih kdaj že občutili, kako so se ob tem počutili in kaj so naredili.
Through workshops and contributions, we allow children to talk about whether they know gender stereotypes, or what gender stereotypes know, whether they have ever felt how they felt and what they did.
Otroke seznanjamo s pojavnostjo spolnih stereotipov in hkrati prikazujemo, kako jih doživljajo, kje jih zaznavajo in kako zaradi njih spreminjajo odnos do sebe in do drugih.
We inform children about the incidence of gender stereotypes and at the same time show how they experience them, where they are perceived, and how they change their attitudes towards themselves and others.
Tako spodbujamo razpravo o tem, kako nas spolni stereotipi zaznamujejo ter kako vplivajo na naše življenje in na družbo, v kateri živimo.
We thus encourage a debate on how gender stereotypes mark us, and how they affect our lives and the society we live in.
Projekt dopolnjuje učno gradivo, ki povzema izkušnje projekta in s katerim želimo učiteljem pomagati, da bodo tematiko lažje vključevali v redni pouk.
The project complements the learning materials that summarize the experience of the project and help us to help teachers to facilitate themes in regular classes.
Otroci so zelo dojemljivi za tematike, povezane z enakostjo in pravičnostjo. Tisti, ki že kot najmlajši ponotranjijo družbeni pomen enakih možnosti žensk in moških, bodo tudi kot odrasli ravnali po principu zagotavljanja enakih možnosti za vse.
Children are very perceptive about topics related to equality and justice. Those who internalize the social importance of equal opportunities for women and men at a young age will also work as adults to achieve the principle of equal opportunities for all.
Za otroke je projekt pomemben, ker bodo tako širili svoja obzorja in se še bolj zavedali, da ima prav vsak od njih svoje sposobnosti in zmožnosti, ki jih ni treba zapirati in zatirati samo zaradi tega, ker je nekdo dekle oziroma fant. Tako se bodo učili sprejemati tudi drugačnost in postajali bodo bolj strpni. S krepitvijo razumevanja bomo pripomogli, da bodo otroci, ki so malo drugačni od stereotipne predstave o otrocih, normalno živeli in se razvijali.
For children, the project is important because it will widen their horizons and make them even more aware that everyone has his or her abilities, and that these do not need to be closed and repressed simply because one is a boy or girl. They will thus learn to accept differences and become more tolerant. By enhancing understanding, we will help children who are slightly different from the stereotypical perceptions to live and develop normally.
Projekt sofinancira Ministrstvo za delo, družino, socialne zadeve in enake možnosti.
The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris.
