0:00:02 > 0:00:04We live in a country where men and women are meant to be equal -
0:00:04 > 0:00:07same pay, same careers, same opportunities -
0:00:07 > 0:00:09but children as young as seven
0:00:09 > 0:00:12think the boys and girls are fundamentally different...
0:00:12 > 0:00:15I think boys are cleverer than girls.
0:00:15 > 0:00:20Men are better at, like, being in charge?
0:00:20 > 0:00:23I would describe a girl as being pretty.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26..and that these differences will define the lives
0:00:26 > 0:00:27they live as adults.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29If the woman has a child,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33the men have to go to work and earn some money.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38Men are more successful because they could have more harder jobs.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42I don't believe that biology alone can explain these differences.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I think the answer lies in the society we live in.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49I'm Dr Javed Abdelmoneim.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52What if they called you all sweet pea?
0:00:52 > 0:00:54ALL: No!
0:00:54 > 0:00:58I'm going to find out if by turning a class of seven-year-old primary schoolchildren...
0:00:58 > 0:01:00- What are we doing? - ..gender neutral...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02You've got to start going to the same toilet.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04ALL: No!
0:01:04 > 0:01:07..I can change the way they think about themselves...
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Everyone can have a chance to do what they like.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12..and the way they think about their future.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15I do not like reading but I like reading that book.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17And if I can do that,
0:01:17 > 0:01:21perhaps there's a chance of making their adult lives really equal.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24"Made to be underpaid" - would you dress your daughter in that?
0:01:24 > 0:01:25It kind of makes...
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Something that seems so innocent not really that innocent after all.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31But it isn't going to be easy.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33I don't want to do it anymore!
0:01:33 > 0:01:36I want it to go back to boys and girls.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39They didn't think I could do it at first.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42What we're trying do could actually be very difficult.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44I think you're going to struggle.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Every child deserves the same opportunities in life,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51but unless we stop treating our boys and girls differently,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53that simply isn't going to happen.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09This is Lanesend Primary School on the Isle of Wight...
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Can you please line up ready for assembly?
0:02:12 > 0:02:15..a local school with a good academic record...
0:02:17 > 0:02:19..run by headteacher Caroline Sice.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Good morning, everyone.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24ALL: Good morning, Mrs Sice.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29300 boys and girls, ranging in age from five to 11.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Graham Andre teaches one of the two year three classes.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Right, how could you describe the gladiator?
0:02:37 > 0:02:39- Mr Andre.- How are you?
0:02:39 > 0:02:40Sorry to interrupt...
0:02:40 > 0:02:4423 seven-year-old children, who were born between 2008-2009.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46- Hello, everyone. ALL:- Hello!
0:02:46 > 0:02:50The same time that the UK was drafting the Equality Act,
0:02:50 > 0:02:51the most comprehensive legislation
0:02:51 > 0:02:55anywhere in the world against sex discrimination.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Would you like to share what you've written?
0:02:57 > 0:03:00These children have lived their entire lives in a world
0:03:00 > 0:03:04that says it wants men and women to be treated the same.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Get things written down.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09But is that how things really are?
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Come on, Amber, give it a go, love.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Maisie, what we're doing, love,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16is we're saying we're gladiators, so we're describing what we're seeing.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26It seems to me that if we treat boys and girls differently
0:03:26 > 0:03:29that's how they will see themselves.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Nancy. Finger spaces, of course, my love.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33We always needs finger spaces.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38But if we treat them the same, maybe we can transform their views
0:03:38 > 0:03:41and alter what the future might hold for them.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44So what do the children in Graham's class
0:03:44 > 0:03:47think about how different or similar they are?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Men are better because they're stronger
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and they've got more jobs...
0:03:53 > 0:03:54I think.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57I would describe a girl as pretty,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59lipstick,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02dresses, love hearts.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Boys can only do football.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Why is it only boys can play football?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Because they're fitter and stronger.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11I think strong is a boy word because
0:04:11 > 0:04:13they can fight lots of people.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Right, tell me, who's more important - girls or boys?
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Morely like boys because they can protect girls more.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22I think men are more successful
0:04:22 > 0:04:24because they could have more harder jobs
0:04:24 > 0:04:26and they would earn more.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28I think men are better at,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32like, being in charge.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35I think boys are cleverer than girls because
0:04:35 > 0:04:38they don't...
0:04:38 > 0:04:40they get into president easily, don't they?
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Louis?
0:04:42 > 0:04:44I think, from the moment they're born,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47they are aware of gender.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Those children are becoming that mind-set, this is what they are,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55the boys will play football, the girls will do drawing and art.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59They will tell me what jobs they can or can't do,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03so it's very much that they've still got very set views
0:05:03 > 0:05:05on what is acceptable for their gender.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Shhh!
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Right, Riley, we need to be quiet.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10Everyone.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13It's common sense
0:05:13 > 0:05:17that there are basic biological differences between the sexes,
0:05:17 > 0:05:21but do these differences explain the way the children think?
0:05:22 > 0:05:25To find out, I've come to see Professor Gina Rippon,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28one of the country's leading experts in neuroimaging,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31to see if there's something about how the children's brains work
0:05:31 > 0:05:33that could explain it.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39What are the differences between boys' and girls' brains, anatomically?
0:05:39 > 0:05:41The 64,000 question.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Structurally, there appears to be very, very few differences,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49which is quite a surprise to a lot of people who have assumed for hundreds of years
0:05:49 > 0:05:52that males and females are different because their brains are different.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54So you couldn't look at a brain scan and say,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56"That's the brain scan of a male or a brain scan of a female."
0:05:56 > 0:06:00That really doesn't explain why boys and girls might behave differently,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02then, if you say the structure of the brains are...
0:06:02 > 0:06:05There's no differentiation between the structure.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Well, the other thing that we now know
0:06:07 > 0:06:09about is that the brain is very, very plastic,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11mouldable, changeable,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14that something isn't necessarily fixed and invariant,
0:06:14 > 0:06:15which was always thought about the brain.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18What we now know is that brain development
0:06:18 > 0:06:24is very much entangled with society, experiences, upbringing,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and the differences we're seeing are not because they were
0:06:27 > 0:06:30determined at the moment of conception.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33It's because this hungry brain arrives in the world
0:06:33 > 0:06:38and the world is instantly plunging it into a tsunami of pink and blue,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41and I think we have not been aware, until recently,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43of how big that influence is.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45If Gina's right,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49the differences between boys and girls aren't set in stone.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53They're there because their experiences have taught them
0:06:53 > 0:06:56different skills and mental attitudes...
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Can you phone people on your phone and text and stuff?
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- No. I haven't got a Sim card or any credit.- Haven't you?
0:07:01 > 0:07:04..which means I should be able to reduce the differences
0:07:04 > 0:07:08between the boys and girls in Graham's class of seven-year-olds.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12What I need the boys to do is some pictures because the girls at the moment...
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Research at Stanford University has said that seven is a key age
0:07:16 > 0:07:19for children because it's at this point that they are beginning
0:07:19 > 0:07:20to have fixed ideas
0:07:20 > 0:07:23about the differences between a man and a woman.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Excellent! Amber, would you like to share yours?
0:07:26 > 0:07:29But not so fixed that they can't still be changed.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Five and two, they'd be quite loud.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Think about the patterns in the twos and the five times table.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- Riley?- Ten.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40So I've asked Dr Stella Mavroveli from the Psychometric Lab,
0:07:40 > 0:07:41University College London,
0:07:41 > 0:07:43to run a series of tests
0:07:43 > 0:07:46to gather some data measuring these differences.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50So, I am a scientist.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55I work with children and adults and I help them learn a little bit more
0:07:55 > 0:08:00about themselves, and you will be helping us learn a lot more about children your age.
0:08:00 > 0:08:06These tests will look at the differences between the boys and girls when it comes to...
0:08:06 > 0:08:07One is only men,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10two is only women, and three is both men and women.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12So these are jobs, OK?
0:08:12 > 0:08:14..their levels of self-esteem...
0:08:16 > 0:08:20..how clever they think they are, known as perceived intelligence.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27..their understanding and levels of empathy...
0:08:27 > 0:08:30If my mother is happy, I also feel happy.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32..assertiveness...
0:08:33 > 0:08:37..and how good they are resisting impulses to act -
0:08:37 > 0:08:40a trait that is linked to aggression,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42bad behaviour and lying...
0:08:42 > 0:08:44You will be allowed to eat one sweet,
0:08:44 > 0:08:49but then you've got to leave the rest until the end of the day.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53- No!- No!- Yay.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Right, we need to get back on with our maths.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57I'm protecting mine.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59The wall might stop them.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Then the Roman couldn't get in there.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07..and how much vocabulary they have to describe their emotions.
0:09:07 > 0:09:08Happy.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09Excited.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12Joyful.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13Smiley.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Funny. Joyful.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18Um...
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Fun. Family.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24Love.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Excited. Enjoyable.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Er...
0:09:31 > 0:09:32I don't know.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Can't think of any.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I can't think of any.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Graham also scored each of the children
0:09:39 > 0:09:44for levels of classroom behaviour, hyperactivity and poor conduct.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Thank you so much. You've done amazingly well.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50I'm collecting them.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Stella has sent me the results of the week of tests
0:09:57 > 0:09:58and they are shocking.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00I'm seeing here evidence
0:10:00 > 0:10:03that the girls significantly underestimate
0:10:03 > 0:10:07how clever they are and have less self-esteem and self-confidence,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12and the boys can't seem to express their emotions, except anger,
0:10:12 > 0:10:13which is really disturbing.
0:10:13 > 0:10:20And the girls seem to use words such as, ugly, lipstick, pretty -
0:10:20 > 0:10:23so everything to do with looks to describe themselves.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27I'm disappointed by these results.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Gina has told me that boys' and girls' brains are the same,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33so there's absolutely no biological reason
0:10:33 > 0:10:36why the results should be like this.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41What is really worrying is that Lanesend is a school
0:10:41 > 0:10:43like any other in the country,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45so if these results are true for them,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49then they're probably true for every other class in every other school.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56So I'm heading back to the Isle of Wight,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58where, for the next five weeks,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01I'm going to stage a number of classroom interventions.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04When you think about love, what does it remind you of?
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Maisie, what does it remind you of, love?
0:11:06 > 0:11:10These are designed to tackle the differences I've seen in the boys
0:11:10 > 0:11:12and girls in our series of tests,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16and change them when Dr Stella retests the children
0:11:16 > 0:11:17at the end of the term.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Can you sit, properly, please, Amber, love?
0:11:19 > 0:11:21Cara, love, what does love remind you of?
0:11:21 > 0:11:24And to ensure that any changes that take place
0:11:24 > 0:11:26are down to my interventions,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29we're going to use the other year three class as a control group.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32They will be tested at the beginning and at the end,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36but, apart from that, they'll have a term of normal lessons.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39The girl would be Summer and a boy would be Sonny.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42I'll teach you all how to be Jedis.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45But before I do anything, I want to talk to Graham,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49to find out if what he knows about the children ties up with what I've found.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52So this is a really interesting thing, I think.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55It's something called perceived intelligence.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- Right.- OK? So there was a little test and the object was to ask them
0:11:58 > 0:12:00what score they thought they would get.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- That's right.- And overall, many,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06many more girls underestimated what they would achieve than the boys.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- Right, OK!- And, actually, three times as many boys overestimated what they would achieve...
0:12:11 > 0:12:13- Wow!- ..when compared to the girls.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Girls underestimate their ability and boys overestimate.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20And, in fact, one of the girls, Lexi, there,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22estimated she would only get three out of ten,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24- but actually scored nine out of ten. - Wow!
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Ditto for Grace and Tiffany, there.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28I definitely think that's something that we do see within class,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31that the boys actually have this greater belief
0:12:31 > 0:12:32in their own abilities
0:12:32 > 0:12:35and the girls seem to be a bit more quieter about it all,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37and Tiffany, Grace and Lexi, I can see,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40they're girls, actually, that are quite low on confidence.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Grace came to us from a different school and she was really low
0:12:43 > 0:12:45on confidence, especially when it came to things like maths.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48The most telling for me, personally, was the emotional vocab.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53So we gave them a word and we asked them to give a number of words
0:12:53 > 0:12:55- associated to that.- Right, OK.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And across all of these emotions, bar one,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- the girls scored more than the boys. - Wow.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03And the only one they didn't score more on was angry.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07- Wow!- So boys had more words to describe angry than girls.
0:13:07 > 0:13:08- Yeah.- But, already at this point,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12something's happened somewhere that girls can express their emotions
0:13:12 > 0:13:15much more. And do you see that in class?
0:13:15 > 0:13:16Yeah, we do, actually.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18It's harder for the boys to express their feelings.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22You can ask them, they get angry sometimes and you can say to them, "Why is it you are angry?"
0:13:22 > 0:13:25And they're like, "I just am. "I just am angry!"
0:13:25 > 0:13:29It wasn't just differences in intelligence or emotion
0:13:29 > 0:13:30that were revealed in our testing.
0:13:30 > 0:13:36For self-esteem, 50% of the boys described themselves as "the best",
0:13:36 > 0:13:39but only 10% of the girls,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42with one girl describing herself as "ugly."
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Girls also had low scores for self-confidence,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50while boys struggled with empathy.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53It was a shock looking at some of the data in the assessment
0:13:53 > 0:13:57that came back. There are some big challenges there for the children,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00especially the girls, that underestimated their own ability.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03And, also, there are some quite biased views about what boys
0:14:03 > 0:14:06are expected to do and what girls are expected to do,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and I'd really like to change that.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10That's the only thing I'm really nervous about -
0:14:10 > 0:14:12that actually we do this and nothing happens -
0:14:12 > 0:14:14because I really want there to be a difference.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16Oh, you got a big bit!
0:14:26 > 0:14:27Nancy, quick!
0:14:29 > 0:14:32The first thing I want to do is address the differences
0:14:32 > 0:14:35that the children told me about themselves.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Wherever they look, I want them to be faced with things
0:14:40 > 0:14:44that highlight their similarities and not their difference.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45Knock, knock! Mr Andre.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47- Hello, Javad.- How are you all?
0:14:47 > 0:14:48CHILDREN SHOUT
0:14:48 > 0:14:49Do you know what we're up to?
0:14:49 > 0:14:51ALL: No.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Right. What we're going to do
0:14:53 > 0:14:55is we're going to try and change the classroom.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58We're going to ensure that the boys and girls are treated equally
0:14:58 > 0:15:01because you can all do as well as each other.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03So, here, we've got some boards,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05which you're all going to help put up,
0:15:05 > 0:15:06that says that boys are strong...
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Yeah!
0:15:08 > 0:15:10..but so are girls.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13- Yeah!- Girls are strong!
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Let's start putting some stuff up, then.
0:15:15 > 0:15:16You could put it the table.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19It doesn't have to stay there for ever, it could change every week.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Where's the best place to put this sign so that people see it?
0:15:23 > 0:15:26These signs have been written to challenge what the children themselves
0:15:26 > 0:15:29have told me about how they view boys and girls.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Where do you think it would have the best impact?
0:15:32 > 0:15:34- What does yours say? - Girls are clever.
0:15:34 > 0:15:35Do you agree, girls are clever?
0:15:35 > 0:15:37- Yeah.- Great. - How about this one goes here?
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- I think that's a good idea. - Who had this one?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42- Finlay.- Good job.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43Yeah.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45That's good.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50It looks like it's just a few words on the walls,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53but it's about more than that, it's about the language, the climate,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55the environment in which the children find themselves.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00They're now receiving lots and lots and lots of small messages,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03together, the sum of which is far greater than their parts,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06and it's telling them boys and girls are equal.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10They're in there for many hours a day, most of the days of the week,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12so it's a big thing.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19The biggest influence in the classroom is Graham.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21You two guys...
0:16:21 > 0:16:24I want to find out from headteacher Mrs Sice
0:16:24 > 0:16:28how she thinks he does at treating the children the same.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Mr Andre is a great teacher,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34but his biggest strength is his relationship with the children.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36He knows those children really well.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38However, when we were doing observations,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41when he was asking questions and gathering answers,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44often would ask more boys than girls.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Why do you think, fellas?
0:16:46 > 0:16:48And this is what we had picked up in observations with him.
0:16:48 > 0:16:54So, yeah, really important to see if we could change Mr Andre and ensure
0:16:54 > 0:16:58his children were getting an equal sort of experience in his classroom.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01I've got an idea that I think will do just that.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03What do you think this might be?
0:17:03 > 0:17:05What does it say on there?
0:17:05 > 0:17:06Grace! Oh!
0:17:06 > 0:17:08What does it say on there?
0:17:08 > 0:17:10- Maisie.- It says our names!- Ryan.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12One of the most telling findings in the testing
0:17:12 > 0:17:16was the girls' low levels of academic self-confidence...
0:17:16 > 0:17:17It's got your names on it.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20..which is partly expressed in the confidence
0:17:20 > 0:17:22that they have to speak up in class.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26We know that you might be skewed towards letting one of the kids
0:17:26 > 0:17:28answer a question if they're noisy or loud,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31so this is a way of making it entirely fair
0:17:31 > 0:17:33and straight down to chance.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Brilliant. So if I pull one out and say, "Riley,
0:17:36 > 0:17:37"do you think it is a good idea?"
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- Yeah.- You think it's a good idea?
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Yeah, it landed on me.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Of course it's a good idea!
0:17:43 > 0:17:46And we are going out now actually for a bit of an early break.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Lily? Come on, love.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Anthony. What's up, mate?
0:17:50 > 0:17:54There's little point in doing all I can to even out differences
0:17:54 > 0:17:57when, every time Graham opens his mouth,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00he uses names that massively reinforce
0:18:00 > 0:18:03the idea that boys and girls are different.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Have you ever noticed that Mr Andre calls you boys "mate" or "fella"?
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- Yeah.- He calls me mate sometimes.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14- Does he?- But you're not a man!
0:18:14 > 0:18:15Oh!
0:18:15 > 0:18:17So is "mate" only for men?
0:18:17 > 0:18:19- Yeah.- No.- OK, what about this -
0:18:19 > 0:18:21what if Mr Andre called you all sweet pea?
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- Oh, no!- Yeah!
0:18:24 > 0:18:28- Why not?- That would be weird!
0:18:28 > 0:18:29Sweet pea is the name for girls.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31That would be so weird!
0:18:31 > 0:18:33From those reactions,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36it's clear that this kind of language has power...
0:18:37 > 0:18:41..so I want to challenge Graham on his use of "love" and "mate".
0:18:41 > 0:18:44We counted through one of your morning sessions
0:18:44 > 0:18:48- the number of times you called girls "love", "my lovely", "darling", "sweet pea"...- Yeah.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- Yeah.- ..it was 104 times.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51Really? Ah, yeah.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55And the boys, you called the boys "mate", "lad", "fella" or "sir".
0:18:55 > 0:18:57- Right.- That was 47.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59OK. Do you know? I'm really aware that I do this.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03It's also the fact that you do tend to endear yourself
0:19:03 > 0:19:06- to the girls twice as much as the boys.- Right.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Crumbs, that's a lot, isn't it?
0:19:08 > 0:19:10It's sort of ingrained, it's something I do,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13so I find it really hard not to do it!
0:19:13 > 0:19:17It's all too easy to laugh this off as not really mattering,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20but constant reminders of difference sink in
0:19:20 > 0:19:24and have a lasting effect on the children.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27I've got an idea for a way the children themselves
0:19:27 > 0:19:29can help Graham change his ways.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- It's a face. - What do you think it might be?
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Here we go. So...
0:19:37 > 0:19:41We've noticed that Mr Andre likes to call some of you "love"
0:19:41 > 0:19:44and "sweet pea", and some of you "mate" and "fella".
0:19:44 > 0:19:46We're going to put this up
0:19:46 > 0:19:49and every time you hear him say "love", or "mate",
0:19:49 > 0:19:51or "sweet pea", or "fella", or "my darling",
0:19:51 > 0:19:56you can put a sad face next to whichever one that he's said.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58- What do you think about that?- Yes. - Yes!
0:19:58 > 0:20:01- I like it!- All right, but you've got to be honest with this.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02You have to be honest.
0:20:02 > 0:20:08If I stand any chance of effecting change then everything that marks the children apart as different
0:20:08 > 0:20:13based solely on being a boy or a girl needs to be gotten rid of,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17and nothing will do that more than pet names like "love" and "mate".
0:20:17 > 0:20:20So, yeah, you've seen the small things that we've put up all around the room
0:20:20 > 0:20:22and how we're going to change the words we use.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25So a small beginning, but this is your new classroom.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28- What do you think?- I like it!
0:20:28 > 0:20:30- It's just the beginning, Ronnie. - What?!- I know!
0:20:32 > 0:20:35It's been an interesting day today, with Javid coming in.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37I am a bit worried about the board at the back of the classroom.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I think cos the kids are part of that, too,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42they're going to keep an eye on me and help me to do that,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44and I know it's for the greater good.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46I know it will have an impact on the children.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Would you like dinners, Louis?
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Go and get yourself a form. Thank you, Riley.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58I look forward to seeing him.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01It's a new day at Lanesend Primary School.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Look, two minutes and he called me "miss".
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Mr Andre's messed up.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08And already Graham is struggling with the pet names.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10How long did it take you to say love?
0:21:10 > 0:21:13It was about two minutes, Lily, wasn't it, this morning?
0:21:13 > 0:21:16It was a real accident, as well.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18- Lexi, you all right there, love? - You said "love"!
0:21:18 > 0:21:20You just called Lexi "love"!
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Lexi!
0:21:22 > 0:21:25It's much harder than I thought it was going to be.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Although, to be fair, I do honestly think two's not too bad.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31I would have, by now, looking at 23 children,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34I would have called each one of them a term of endearment, I think,
0:21:34 > 0:21:35at least once this morning,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37so two's not too bad, but it's still not great.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39It's really, really, really hard.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41I really have to think about what I'm doing.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Despite the changes I've brought to the classroom
0:21:44 > 0:21:46proving a little challenging for Graham,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50he has a project of his own he wants the children to help with.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52So we've been talking about the different changes
0:21:52 > 0:21:54that we've made in our classroom.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56We've got these signs around.
0:21:56 > 0:22:02But we need to change our cupboards because, at the moment, we've got
0:22:02 > 0:22:05a cupboard for the boys and we have a cupboard for the girls.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08So what we want to do is we want to change that.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10We want to change it so actually, when you come in,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14you can put your coat in whichever cupboard you want to.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16So what we are going to do is paint.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18THEY GASP
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Right! Jay looks like Joseph in his technicolor dreamcoat.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24We need to decorate it.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26I'm doing a butterfly.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Painting a cupboard might seem a bit small, even ridiculous,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33but every time the children have a difference pointed out to them
0:22:33 > 0:22:37and then removed, it reinforces that they are the same.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Can we make the cupboard into one big one?
0:22:40 > 0:22:42I think you should cut off the middle bit
0:22:42 > 0:22:44and then put them together.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49We just have a boys' cupboard and a girls' cupboard, actually, I don't know why we've done this.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51It's always been the same.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Because they're part of the process,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55because they've been able to paint it,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57I think they will start to mix it up a little bit.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- There we go.- Brilliant. Do you think you've done a good job?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- Yes.- Yeah.- Yeah, I think you've done a good job.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Excellent. And can you please line up at the door?
0:23:07 > 0:23:09So what I'm going to do is I'm going to queue up for assembly
0:23:09 > 0:23:12and I'm going to pick a ball out and this person will be the line leader.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15We could have a different person each day, couldn't we?
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- Bella.- Yes!- There you go, Bella.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's an encouraging first step to see the children and Graham
0:23:22 > 0:23:25being challenged by the changes I've made in the classroom.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30But next I want to tackle one of the questions
0:23:30 > 0:23:32that all children have an answer for.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35When I grow up, I want to be a Formula 1 driver.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39When I grow up, I want to be a pop star because I like music.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44I'd like to be a RAF pilot.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46I want to be a teacher.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51As part of our testing, the children were given a long list of jobs,
0:23:51 > 0:23:56these range from ones that are traditionally thought of as either female or male,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58like baby-sitter and plumber,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01to less obvious ones, like baker or dentist.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05We then asked which jobs a woman would do.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10I think a hairdresser,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14a baby-sitter and a nail designer.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16And which would a man do?
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Football player, tennis pe...
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Um... Tennis people.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Captain of a ship.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29What was shocking was just how certain they were
0:24:29 > 0:24:32that these jobs were only for men or women.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37And I think a hairdresser is a girl job
0:24:37 > 0:24:40because it's a girl job.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44I think a firefighter is for a boy
0:24:44 > 0:24:50because they need to hold up big ladders what are really heavy.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Boys can only be police officers
0:24:52 > 0:24:57because they're faster, so they can catch the robbers.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01If you thought of a nurse being a boy,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04it kind of sounds a bit weird
0:25:04 > 0:25:06and it would kind of look a bit weird, as well.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10On one level, this sounds like harmless kid's talk,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14but at just seven years old, there is no doubt in their minds -
0:25:14 > 0:25:17some jobs men do and some women do,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19and that is limiting.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22All right, year threes, would you like to stand up?
0:25:22 > 0:25:24I want to try and show them
0:25:24 > 0:25:27that it doesn't necessarily have to be that way.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Here we go, I'm going to show you this,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32and on this are four jobs.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Over here there's a ballet dancer, a magician,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38a make-up artist and a mechanic,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and what I want you kids to do is to get as creative as possible.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Draw in their body, draw in their arms.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Imagine what tools they might need,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47imagine what colour hair they've got,
0:25:47 > 0:25:48what clothes they wear.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I also want you to do one thing, which is really important,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53I want you to give them a name. Ready?
0:25:53 > 0:25:54ALL: Yes!
0:25:54 > 0:25:58I'm doing a magician.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I need a...
0:26:00 > 0:26:01You want to make them naked?
0:26:01 > 0:26:04You can do that. How many mechanics do you know that work naked?
0:26:04 > 0:26:06- Trillions.- OK.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09The jobs I've chosen aren't really the important part.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13I'm not trying to turn all the girls into wannabe magicians,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17but what I do want to do is to explore the kind of rigid thinking
0:26:17 > 0:26:19they showed in our testing.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22So you're thinking about who might do this job, yes?
0:26:22 > 0:26:24- A girl.- A girl, OK.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28I would put them in a normal job,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32like a make-up artist would normally be a girl
0:26:32 > 0:26:36and a car mechanic would normally be a boy.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Your magician is a mister, I see you've written here.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- He's going to be Mr and then Bubbles.- OK.
0:26:41 > 0:26:46And my car mechanic, I might call him Diamond Steve, I'm not sure.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50This is Hayley, she's a ballerina
0:26:50 > 0:26:54because most ballet dancers are a lady.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56My make-up artist is a woman,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59she's going to have a mirror and lipstick
0:26:59 > 0:27:01cos it's make-up and lipstick's make-up
0:27:01 > 0:27:03and usually you have mirrors for make-up.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Yeah. It's basically a woman cos it's usually a woman.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10And the ballet dancer's called Anne
0:27:10 > 0:27:14because lots and lots and lots of ballet dancers are girls.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18It's surprising how fixed the children's ideas are.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Almost without exception, the mechanics and magicians are men
0:27:21 > 0:27:24and the make-up artists and dancers women,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28but there is absolutely no reason why that should be.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31So I want to show them an alternative.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Are we ready?
0:27:38 > 0:27:39Come in. Come in.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Come in. You've all got your hands to your mouths, huh?
0:27:42 > 0:27:45So you were drawing four people earlier, weren't you?
0:27:45 > 0:27:48- ALL: Yes. - Are they the people on our sheets?
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Why don't you introduce yourselves and we'll find out?
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Hello, so my name's Rob and I'm a make-up artist.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56I'm Andrea and I'm a car mechanic.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Hello, my name is Dane and I'm a dancer.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Hello, I'm Karina and I'm a magician.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- What?- Is that surprising, Riley?
0:28:03 > 0:28:08- Yeah.- Come forward and meet them all properly, come on.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Right, you five ladies, would you like to come with me?
0:28:13 > 0:28:14Yeah.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Everybody stand back then.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19I am a magician.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Whoa!
0:28:23 > 0:28:28So my name's Rob and I work on films like Star Wars and Avengers.
0:28:28 > 0:28:29- Star Wars!- Yeah!
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Meeting role models can be hugely influential.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36- Turn.- Like this or something?
0:28:36 > 0:28:38Let's see. And go.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Very good. Very good.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42Because what we learn from them
0:28:42 > 0:28:45is more likely to change our behaviours and beliefs.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49- What is that?- It's part of the exhaust
0:28:49 > 0:28:52and what it does is it collects all the nasty soot.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54Is it really, really hot?
0:28:54 > 0:28:56It gets incredibly hot.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58- Have you girls ever met a female mechanic?- Yes.- No.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00- No.- Where have you met one?
0:29:00 > 0:29:02- Ah!- You've met me!
0:29:02 > 0:29:04So, Lexi, have you enjoyed meeting the mechanic?
0:29:04 > 0:29:08Yes. I think that it's really cool that it's a girl mechanic.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11So sometimes, we might have to paint on a little black eye
0:29:11 > 0:29:15because someone in the film, it might happen that they get punched in the face or something.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Yeah, like Thor's brother Loki when they're fighting.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Yeah, like with Loki, yeah.
0:29:22 > 0:29:23Yeah.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27I like it cos a boy gets the chance to be make-up artist,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29not always a girl.
0:29:29 > 0:29:30Oh, looks sore, doesn't it?
0:29:30 > 0:29:32- It was tickling, wasn't it? - And turn left.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36And drop to the floor. And fall down. And up. And turn. And finish.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38Very good, very good.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40Who's been the coolest person you've met?
0:29:40 > 0:29:43It's got to be the dancer because...
0:29:43 > 0:29:46I don't know why, I just like it.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49I think they're everyone jobs
0:29:49 > 0:29:52because everyone can have a chance to do what they like.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57This was not a hard thing to do,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00to get some people in a room and show the children
0:30:00 > 0:30:01that there's an alternative
0:30:01 > 0:30:06to what they think as the inevitable path for men and women.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09By making them face their own assumptions,
0:30:09 > 0:30:12we've made a lasting change.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Boom. High five, double.
0:30:14 > 0:30:15Yeah.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17It would be easy for schools
0:30:17 > 0:30:21to do something like this, but they aren't
0:30:21 > 0:30:24and that means another generation of children growing up
0:30:24 > 0:30:27with fixed and limiting ideas about what they can achieve.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31So what do we need to say to all these wonderful people who have come to see us this afternoon?
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Thank you!
0:30:34 > 0:30:38- Bye! Bye!- I do apologise for some of your children,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41what's happened to them this afternoon, I don't know,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44but they have lots of things they can tell you about today.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It's been amazing today.
0:30:46 > 0:30:47- Did you have fun?- Yeah.
0:30:47 > 0:30:48- Let's have a look.- I saw...
0:30:48 > 0:30:50It looks really real!
0:30:50 > 0:30:55- It's a painting!- A lady magician, a lady car mechanic,
0:30:55 > 0:31:01a male dancer and a male make-up artist, which done this.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04- Were you surprised?- Yeah.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08I think, if we did the same activity that we did earlier again tomorrow,
0:31:08 > 0:31:13then you'd get a whole different set of pictures on those bodies.
0:31:13 > 0:31:14I'm sure you would.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18I actually think this could be a step in the right direction
0:31:18 > 0:31:20of a change in their views.
0:31:20 > 0:31:21Bye.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27While changing the children's perceptions is a start,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30I think it's just one part of the problem.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35In our testing, the girls scored 30% lower than the boys
0:31:35 > 0:31:37in self-confidence in maths.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Two, three, four, five,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48The ability to process and understand numbers,
0:31:48 > 0:31:50shapes and how objects fits together,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53known as spatial awareness, is key to success
0:31:53 > 0:31:56in a number of traditionally male-dominated professions.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02According to the Office of National Statistics,
0:32:02 > 0:32:07less than 10% of engineers and 20% of architects are women.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12I want to know why it is that men dominate
0:32:12 > 0:32:14it when comes to spatial awareness.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18People are very interested in the fact that on average
0:32:18 > 0:32:21girls tend to do worse on what we call spatial tasks
0:32:21 > 0:32:26and it seems to be very much a function of encouraging boys,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29or boys having more experience with visual and spatial skills.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32They've got their heads stuck in a Lego instruction book, for example.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35So people have looked at whether or not
0:32:35 > 0:32:37you could improve performance by training,
0:32:37 > 0:32:42so these are scans of girls who had opportunities to play Tetris
0:32:42 > 0:32:44intensively for three months
0:32:44 > 0:32:48and what they found was that their spatial skills improved
0:32:48 > 0:32:52and actually there were structures in the brain which changed.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54So it's physically changed in response to Tetris training.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56Yes, the cortex has got thicker -
0:32:56 > 0:32:58to put it in simple terms.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02So a male child might be much more encouraged
0:33:02 > 0:33:06to play with games that are to do with spatial awareness,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09so the brain has rehearsed and practised that,
0:33:09 > 0:33:13develops more and actually the child becomes better at it.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15- Yes.- And we know that practise it makes perfect.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18Yes. And also, if you're better at something, you enjoy doing it more.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26No!
0:33:26 > 0:33:30Gina has given me an idea of how I can brain-train my class to even out
0:33:30 > 0:33:33these differences and build their confidence
0:33:33 > 0:33:37in their abilities that affects subjects like maths and science.
0:33:37 > 0:33:42Spatial ability is a key component in the stem subjects,
0:33:42 > 0:33:45the subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths,
0:33:45 > 0:33:47and those subjects are crucial for future careers
0:33:47 > 0:33:51potentially in engineering, architecture, even surgery.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55OK, kids, what we're trying to show today is to see if any of you
0:33:55 > 0:33:59are better than the others at spatial awareness -
0:33:59 > 0:34:01being able to look at physical objects
0:34:01 > 0:34:03and seeing how they relate to each other -
0:34:03 > 0:34:06and Mr Andre and I are going to have a quick test now.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08- Are we? Excellent.- Yeah.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10- Hang on, here we go.- Shh, shh.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13- Listen.- Look at these big colourful shapes again.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16- Wow!- This is a Tangram puzzle.
0:34:16 > 0:34:21Mr Andre and I's task is to make this shape out of these.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Right. So shall we go for the ends first?
0:34:24 > 0:34:26So if I... One...
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Tangram puzzles use seven geometric shapes
0:34:29 > 0:34:32that can be arranged into various complex patterns.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36A green triangle that needs to go...
0:34:36 > 0:34:39To be good at it, you need to be able to manipulate shapes,
0:34:39 > 0:34:41understanding how they fit together
0:34:41 > 0:34:44and how they change when you flip or rotate them.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48- There we go.- Wow. That took some thinking, didn't it?
0:34:48 > 0:34:50This trains the temporal lobes of the brain
0:34:50 > 0:34:53that are responsible for processing shapes.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58- There we go.- That was good.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00- Teamwork.- Well done.
0:35:00 > 0:35:01Teamwork!
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Now, you're each going to get one,
0:35:04 > 0:35:08and you're going to practise right now with one particular shape.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11OK, this is the shape I'd like you to make.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13You've got it in front of you. What does it remind you of?
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- Boat.- A sailboat. Yeah.
0:35:16 > 0:35:17Away you go.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22This looks easy.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29I've given the children ten minutes
0:35:29 > 0:35:32to try and reproduce the shape that looks like a ship.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34If you're a boy who's been playing
0:35:34 > 0:35:37with Lego or Minecraft his whole life,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40you're much more likely to be better at this type of task
0:35:40 > 0:35:42and more confident in it,
0:35:42 > 0:35:46and have confidence in those subjects like maths and physics.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48- Done! Done!- It looks like the boys have done it before.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51So is it that they're more practised at it, more rehearsed?
0:35:51 > 0:35:55And the point of this is to give them all an even playing field,
0:35:55 > 0:35:56in terms of rehearsal,
0:35:56 > 0:36:00- practise and exercising that part of the brain.- Yeah.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04Grace, these are even wrong.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08Both Grace and Tiffany scored in the bottom half of the class when tested
0:36:08 > 0:36:10on their self-confidence in maths.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17Which point comes off?
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Look at that point in the shape of it.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23On the sheet it doesn't look the same as the...
0:36:23 > 0:36:27same shapes as the wooden block ones.
0:36:29 > 0:36:30There's a couple, actually.
0:36:30 > 0:36:35- Tiffany's really struggled.- I think, you know, 15 minutes a day,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38ten minutes a day, not long out of the school day
0:36:38 > 0:36:41could really help exercise this and get them all up.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43These are great maths problems as well, you know.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Would this fall into your numeracy type...?
0:36:45 > 0:36:47- Absolutely.- Brilliant. Brilliant.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51There's clearly a huge gap between boys and girls,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54which I hope this intervention will go some way to closing.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58There we go, I'm done.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01Graham's class isn't unique.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03It's worrying to think that the difference I've seen here
0:37:03 > 0:37:07could well be found in other classrooms in the country.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13And I don't think people are doing enough,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16leaving generation after generation of little girls
0:37:16 > 0:37:21excluded from future careers that require abilities in stem subjects.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25It's five to three.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28It's home time already.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31So, Riley, Louis and Cara, off you go to games club.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33The rest of you can go home.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39It's easy to think that boys are just better
0:37:39 > 0:37:43when it comes to developing their spatial awareness skills.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49That girls don't like playing in that kind of way.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52They naturally prefer dolls to boys' toys.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57I want to put that to the test
0:37:57 > 0:38:00because I'm pretty sure that that idea is rubbish.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Toys are just toys.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09So I'm going to conduct an experiment -
0:38:09 > 0:38:12something a little unorthodox.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16I've gathered some babies and swapped their clothes.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19For the next couple of hours,
0:38:19 > 0:38:21Marnie becomes Oliver
0:38:21 > 0:38:26and Edward becomes Sophie because I want to see the kinds of behaviours
0:38:26 > 0:38:28and assumptions adult volunteers make
0:38:28 > 0:38:31when they think they're playing with a little boy or girl,
0:38:31 > 0:38:32even when they're not.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Look at this.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36Look at this. Would you like a dolly?
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Shall we go for the dolly? There's a good girl.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42You're a good little girl, aren't you, Sophie?
0:38:42 > 0:38:43Look, what does this say?
0:38:43 > 0:38:45"Sweet dreams."
0:38:45 > 0:38:47"Sweet dreams."
0:38:53 > 0:38:54Oh, and what's this?
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Ooh! Look at this, Sophie!
0:38:57 > 0:38:59What's startling is the assumption that,
0:38:59 > 0:39:01because Edward is dressed as a girl,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04the adult thinks he wants to play with the soft toy.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07Meow, meow.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Not the toys that encourage understanding
0:39:12 > 0:39:14shapes or being physically confident.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Do you think she had any favourites?
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Yes, I do. I think she liked that pink dolly the best.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22If I were to tell you actually that Sophie is Edward...
0:39:22 > 0:39:25- Ah!- ..does that change anything?
0:39:25 > 0:39:27I maybe thought, "Oh, this is a little girl,
0:39:27 > 0:39:30"so I have to give her little girl things."
0:39:30 > 0:39:34- You made the choice for this infant to play with that doll.- Yeah.
0:39:34 > 0:39:35What I'm saying is,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38when adults choose for the children how they play,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41what with, what role they're going to have
0:39:41 > 0:39:43then they're going to end up there.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45- Yes.- One, two, three.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep!
0:39:49 > 0:39:51What do you want to play with?
0:39:51 > 0:39:53Do you want to see my robot?
0:39:55 > 0:39:59She's picked the robot, the car, the puzzle game.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02I think she's been much more physical in handling the child
0:40:02 > 0:40:05than the other adults have been with girls.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Say hello.
0:40:08 > 0:40:09Say hello.
0:40:09 > 0:40:10Hello.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12Hello!
0:40:13 > 0:40:16What's this one?
0:40:16 > 0:40:17What's that one do?
0:40:17 > 0:40:18Is that a robot?
0:40:18 > 0:40:20What about this one?
0:40:21 > 0:40:23You like that one.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25What does this one do?
0:40:25 > 0:40:26Right, OK.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29Oliver.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32- Oliver.- You've gone for, you could say, boy toys...
0:40:32 > 0:40:34- Possibly. Possibly. - ..for this boy.
0:40:34 > 0:40:35Possibly, in my subconscious.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38For me, I was just going for what was around me,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42but perhaps my subconscious was automatically playing a trick on me.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44If I tell you that he is actually a girl.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47- Really?- Yes.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50Oh, wow! That's really interesting.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52I suppose it's because of the stereotype.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54And then that changed your behaviour towards the child.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58- Yes, it did. It did.- And your behaviour was quite directive.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00- I can't lie.- So how does that make you feel?
0:41:00 > 0:41:02You changed your behaviour.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Really shocking, because children today,
0:41:05 > 0:41:09we're trying to teach children that you can be what you want to be,
0:41:09 > 0:41:13but yet we're still forcing an identity on a child.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21This identity based on how we think a child should act isn't harmless.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26It has much deeper and longer-lasting consequences
0:41:26 > 0:41:29than choosing which toy to play with.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31Gender differences in emotional health.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34So here, it says women with anxiety disorders are more likely
0:41:34 > 0:41:38to internalise, which results in typically loneliness,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40withdrawal and depression.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Men, on the other hand, are more likely to externalise,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46which leads to aggression, impulsive behaviour,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49coercive and noncompliant behaviour.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52There's an article. "Are men natural-born criminals?
0:41:52 > 0:41:54"Prison numbers don't lie."
0:41:54 > 0:41:57So less than 5% of the country's prison population is female.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59People who research masculinity in prisons.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03"Men don't cry. Men take it on the chin. You can't be soft."
0:42:03 > 0:42:05Simply being born a boy
0:42:05 > 0:42:08means you're much more likely to end up in prison,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11but then they're much more likely to earn more than a girl.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13The gender pay gap.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17There are less women full stop in the top 100 companies
0:42:17 > 0:42:20as bosses than there are men called John.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22The sum of all these statistics...
0:42:22 > 0:42:26Well, there's potential for it to be really quite sinister, or insidious,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29if you don't stop to think about why.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36These statistics have really brought it home to me that some children
0:42:36 > 0:42:40across the country have a difficult and uncertain adult life because of
0:42:40 > 0:42:43what we tell them it means to be a man or a woman.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51I'm determined more than ever to make a difference
0:42:51 > 0:42:55for Graham's class, so I've asked him to have another look
0:42:55 > 0:42:59at his classroom to make sure every last bit of difference is removed.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02It's not something I've thought about before,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04so it's things like the superheroes.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07These books are really aimed squarely at the boys.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10It is the boys that go for them...the majority of the time.
0:43:10 > 0:43:11Very occasionally, a girl will,
0:43:11 > 0:43:14but it is quite a gender-based bookcase,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17which doesn't really give out the right signals.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19Graham is right to be concerned.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21A study by the Florida State University
0:43:21 > 0:43:27found that, in 6,000 books, only 31% had a central female character.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31I just wonder up and down the country
0:43:31 > 0:43:34how many class book shelves are just like this.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38It's hard. What do we replace these books with?
0:43:38 > 0:43:42While another study found that the boys featured in the stories
0:43:42 > 0:43:46celebrated negative traits, like excessive competitiveness...
0:43:46 > 0:43:48What's more important? Friendship or winning?
0:43:48 > 0:43:50Winning, because you might get money.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52..and aggression.
0:43:52 > 0:43:53I think it's better to be a boy
0:43:53 > 0:43:56because girls don't like guns as much as boys.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59And I think reading books with passive princesses
0:43:59 > 0:44:02and aggressive heroes makes it all the more likely
0:44:02 > 0:44:05for the children to accept these behaviours as normal.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08Do you think boys are braver than girls?
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Yeah, because sometimes girls are frightened
0:44:11 > 0:44:13and sometimes boys are not.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16What are girls better than boys at?
0:44:16 > 0:44:18Being pretty...
0:44:20 > 0:44:22..and wearing dresses.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26I'm really keen to change Mr Andre's classroom
0:44:26 > 0:44:30into a space full of messages to counter those ideas,
0:44:30 > 0:44:33so these books are really going to challenge
0:44:33 > 0:44:35some of the traditional roles.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38There's a book here where the princess
0:44:38 > 0:44:40saves the prince from the monster
0:44:40 > 0:44:42and that's really good to just give them an idea
0:44:42 > 0:44:44there are different characters out there.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46Shh! And listening carefully.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50I've left these books for Graham's next reading class.
0:44:51 > 0:44:52"Chapter three.
0:44:52 > 0:45:00"No-one knew the princess in Black Secret except her faithful steed."
0:45:00 > 0:45:04OK, what I'm going to do is I'm going to ask some of you to tell us
0:45:04 > 0:45:06about the book that you've been reading.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09This girl called Stella,
0:45:09 > 0:45:13she always dreamed that she caught the googly moogly.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16What sort of things did she need to show to go and catch the googly moogly?
0:45:16 > 0:45:18What did she need to be, do you think?
0:45:18 > 0:45:20- Confident.- Confident.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23- What else did she need to be? - Brave.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26And do you think she was brave?
0:45:26 > 0:45:27Right, Bella.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31Our story is The Princess In Black and The Perfect Princess Party.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33There's a princess,
0:45:33 > 0:45:38and she has this special ring that tells her if there's monsters
0:45:38 > 0:45:44attacking, and there was a monster attacking, and she saved people.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48Wow. So she's like a normal princess, but she's got superpowers,
0:45:48 > 0:45:52- is that right?- Yeah.- Do you prefer her when she's like this...
0:45:52 > 0:45:55or do you think she's better when she's like that?
0:45:55 > 0:45:57- That one.- Why do you like that princess better, then?
0:45:57 > 0:45:59Because the other one is a bit too girlie girl.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02The other one's a bit too girlie girl and this one's...
0:46:02 > 0:46:04She has to be quite brave, I should imagine, yeah?
0:46:04 > 0:46:07I do not like reading, but I like reading that book.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11So you don't like reading much, but you really liked reading this book? That's really good, Bella.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15The frustrating thing is just how easy this is.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19It only takes a few books to change the children's minds,
0:46:19 > 0:46:23to offer them alternatives to macho men and passive women,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26which should affect the boys' empathy and the girls' self-esteem
0:46:26 > 0:46:30when we retest the children - and, if they keep reading,
0:46:30 > 0:46:32I hope well into adult life.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Do you think these books are better than our last books?
0:46:37 > 0:46:39Thumb up. Excellent.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41So I think these new books are a real hit, don't you?
0:46:41 > 0:46:44- Yeah!- Yeah, excellent.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47Fantastic. Can we carefully line up at the door, please?
0:46:56 > 0:46:58So, Lexi, you've got to do the vote
0:46:58 > 0:47:01and you've got to choose a 100-word challenge.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03To be honest, I'm really proud of what I've done so far.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Just to have this number's good.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Graham might be feeling positive, but I'm keen,
0:47:09 > 0:47:12two weeks into my time at Lanesend,
0:47:12 > 0:47:14to hear what changes he's seeing in the children.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17And do you think they've noticed some changes?
0:47:17 > 0:47:20Yeah, I do think they've definitely noticed changes.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22They're taking it on board.
0:47:22 > 0:47:23They are making links between, you know,
0:47:23 > 0:47:27these positive signs and things that we're saying in the classroom.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29I think what will be interesting to see at the end,
0:47:29 > 0:47:32to see how much they've changed in a relatively short space of time.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35Has there been any resistance from one or two of them?
0:47:35 > 0:47:36No, not really.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38Not with anything that we've done yet but, you know...
0:47:38 > 0:47:39You don't know what's to come.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42Exactly. It's still early days!
0:47:46 > 0:47:50Next, I want to challenge another of the areas from our testing -
0:47:50 > 0:47:53what the children think about strength.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58I'm going to say some words.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02- Yeah?- And I want you to say if they're a boy or a girl word.
0:48:03 > 0:48:04Strong.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Boy.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08Weak.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Woman.
0:48:11 > 0:48:12Girl!
0:48:12 > 0:48:13Strong.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15A boy word,
0:48:15 > 0:48:17because they're stronger than girls.
0:48:17 > 0:48:18Boys.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21Boys, because they run round more.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Boys, because they go to the gym more.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26I think strong is a boy word because
0:48:26 > 0:48:29normally boys have really strong muscles.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33If you look at the world's strongest person, he's a boy.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36In the children's minds there is no doubt - boys are stronger,
0:48:36 > 0:48:40they've got bigger muscles, and girls aren't comparable in any way.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43As a doctor, I've got an understanding of our bodies,
0:48:43 > 0:48:45how we grow, how we change,
0:48:45 > 0:48:48and what I know is that there's actually no difference
0:48:48 > 0:48:50in muscle mass and strength between boys and girls
0:48:50 > 0:48:52right up until the age of puberty.
0:48:52 > 0:48:57But strength isn't just about biology.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00Our testing showed that the boys had limited vocabulary
0:49:00 > 0:49:02around expressing their emotions,
0:49:02 > 0:49:08that they linked being strong with not showing how they felt.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10- Do you cry?- No, but I do get angry.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13And what happens when you get angry?
0:49:13 > 0:49:14Ah, I try breaking my bed
0:49:14 > 0:49:17and I break my Lego.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19- Do you cry?- Yeah.
0:49:19 > 0:49:24I think girls cry more because, erm,
0:49:24 > 0:49:29because boys are stronger and they can hold their tears in.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32What about crying?
0:49:32 > 0:49:34- Do you cry?- No.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36Is it OK for boys to cry?
0:49:36 > 0:49:38No, because they're strong.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43These children have such different ideas when it comes to strength
0:49:43 > 0:49:46and there really is no reason for it.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49I want them to understand just how similar
0:49:49 > 0:49:51they are in terms of physical strength,
0:49:51 > 0:49:55even if that forces the boys to challenge the belief that they
0:49:55 > 0:49:58will always come out as the strongest,
0:49:58 > 0:50:02so I've built a little surprise for them - on their playing fields.
0:50:03 > 0:50:04Let's march.
0:50:06 > 0:50:08Right, come around here.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12OK, kids, now we are going to...
0:50:12 > 0:50:15- test your strength!- Yes!
0:50:15 > 0:50:18- How hard do you need to hit to get ten?- Sh, listen.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22But before we get to doing that, you've got one minute now.
0:50:22 > 0:50:29I want you all to line yourselves up, from strongest to weakest - go.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33Everyone's running to the left!
0:50:33 > 0:50:35So I want to see a line.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37Addy says he's in the middle.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39- I am not strong.- Me, too!
0:50:39 > 0:50:41Kara puts herself at the end.
0:50:41 > 0:50:42No, I'm stronger than you!
0:50:42 > 0:50:44- How do you know? - I'm stronger than you.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46Mr Andre, they won't let me go where I am now!
0:50:46 > 0:50:49Why, do you think you're the strongest, then, Riley?
0:50:49 > 0:50:51- Pushed me out.- Move over a bit.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53- Yeah, but I'm trying to get into my...- Boys, we're not fighting.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55They won't let me go there!
0:50:55 > 0:50:58There's been a bundle for who's the strongest.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01A little scuffle for the boys,
0:51:01 > 0:51:04trying to put themselves in the strongest position.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08No compromise, but there's certainly a preponderance for boys
0:51:08 > 0:51:11at the strongest end and girls at the weaker end.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14Knowing that these children are more or less equal
0:51:14 > 0:51:18when it comes to their biology, this isn't really about strength.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20Right, thank you very much for doing that.
0:51:20 > 0:51:21Now, come back together.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25I believe it's about the children's self-confidence
0:51:25 > 0:51:27and levels of self-esteem.
0:51:27 > 0:51:32So, I'm going to ask each one of you to tell Mr Andre and I
0:51:32 > 0:51:35what you think you're actually going to score.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39- Ronnie, what do you think you'll score?- Ten.- Ten?!
0:51:39 > 0:51:42Our tests showed that the girls massively underestimated
0:51:42 > 0:51:44what they thought they could achieve.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47Lily, you think you'll score...
0:51:47 > 0:51:48- Five.- OK.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Tiffany, what do you think you might score?
0:51:50 > 0:51:51Five.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55But with a simple demonstration of how strong they really are,
0:51:55 > 0:51:59I can challenge that and hopefully improve their levels of confidence.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04- Lexi?- I think I'll score a five.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06What do you think you'll score, Bradley?
0:52:06 > 0:52:09- Nine.- Riley, what do you think you'll score?
0:52:09 > 0:52:10Ten. I'll break the bell.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13- OK.- Some quite high predictions there.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16Yes. Now, kids, thank you for doing that.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20One by one, you're now going to come up and test your strength.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23They will each have three attempts to ring the bell.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25What happens if we miss the button?
0:52:25 > 0:52:28- If you miss the button, that's it. - You'll just have to put zero.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30Yeah, absolutely, Lily.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32OK, Orion.
0:52:32 > 0:52:33Choose your weapon.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35- Thor's hammer!- Three goes each.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37Hand-eye coordination - concentrate.
0:52:37 > 0:52:38Two.
0:52:40 > 0:52:41Two.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43Four!
0:52:43 > 0:52:45Go, Bella.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47- Yes.- Oh, five.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Hey!
0:52:49 > 0:52:51Well done, Bella.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53That's close to a ten, wasn't it?
0:52:53 > 0:52:56Oh! He missed it.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59Go on, Louis, give it a good effort.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Go for it, Lily.
0:53:03 > 0:53:04Oh!
0:53:05 > 0:53:07Lexi, have you had a go?
0:53:07 > 0:53:09Come on, Lexi.
0:53:09 > 0:53:15Lexi estimated that she would score just five out of ten.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17You can do it, Lexi.
0:53:23 > 0:53:24BELL DINGS
0:53:24 > 0:53:26SCREAMING
0:53:26 > 0:53:29All right, Lexi. Well done, Lexi.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32Sh!
0:53:32 > 0:53:35Hey! Are you all right, Lexi?
0:53:35 > 0:53:38- What's up? Are you a bit overwhelmed?- Yeah.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41Crying because you're happy?
0:53:41 > 0:53:44Why are you happy, then, Lexi?
0:53:44 > 0:53:47Because I didn't think I could do it at first.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50Yeah, and you're really happy because you did?
0:53:50 > 0:53:51We're really happy because you did, too.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53Is it happy tears?
0:53:53 > 0:53:55That's all right, then. We don't mind happy tears.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58That's brilliant, Lexi. Well done, you.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00- Excellent!- Lexi, I'll get you a well done card
0:54:00 > 0:54:02and I'll send it at your house.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04Next up, Riley.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08He has predicted hitting the bell and getting a maximum score of ten.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10I'm going to break that bell!
0:54:10 > 0:54:13- Come on, then, Riley.- Move!
0:54:13 > 0:54:15Good luck, Riley.
0:54:16 > 0:54:17- Oh.- Does that count?
0:54:17 > 0:54:20- Yeah!- I can't hit it!
0:54:20 > 0:54:23- Oh!- I can't hit it, I can't hit it.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Don't worry, Riley.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27HE CRIES
0:54:27 > 0:54:30I can't hit it!
0:54:30 > 0:54:33HE SCREAMS
0:54:33 > 0:54:34When we tested the boys,
0:54:34 > 0:54:3863% of them had problems dealing with their emotions,
0:54:38 > 0:54:40including Riley.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43Why do you think that happened?
0:54:43 > 0:54:46Why are you kicking the hay? HE SCREAMS
0:54:46 > 0:54:47I don't want to do it any more!
0:54:47 > 0:54:49But do you think you're going to get a chance
0:54:49 > 0:54:52if you do it again at the end? Of course you are, yes.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55Yeah, but it wouldn't count as my proper score!
0:54:55 > 0:54:56Why do you think it didn't work?
0:54:56 > 0:55:00Oh, I don't know! But it won't count as my proper score!
0:55:00 > 0:55:03No, it doesn't matter. It's all about trying, isn't it?
0:55:03 > 0:55:05Why are you so upset now?
0:55:05 > 0:55:07Because I always get ten on them.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Aren't you even happy that your friends did well?
0:55:10 > 0:55:11- No.- Why not?
0:55:11 > 0:55:14I always win everything!
0:55:14 > 0:55:17So you...you're quite competitive, aren't you?
0:55:17 > 0:55:19So, listen, when you throw yourself on the mud like that,
0:55:19 > 0:55:21what's that achieving?
0:55:23 > 0:55:26- Don't know. - Why do you have that reaction?
0:55:26 > 0:55:28Because I'm angry.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32Riley was overconfident
0:55:32 > 0:55:36and, of course, he got upset in front of the whole class
0:55:36 > 0:55:37not scoring anything.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40He doesn't use words to describe negative emotions
0:55:40 > 0:55:43and that's quite telling.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46- Shh! Listen. - Right, what do we see here?
0:55:46 > 0:55:49Look at Grace. She thought she'd get six - she got ten.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52Kara thought she'd get six - she got ten.
0:55:52 > 0:55:57- Ronnie, Bradley...- Lily, Lexi - down here, Lexi, five...
0:55:57 > 0:55:59So many of you got ten.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01What I want to tell you is this -
0:56:01 > 0:56:05at your age, boys and girls have exactly the same strength.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07- But we all got different scores! - As long as...
0:56:07 > 0:56:09That's a good point, Kara.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12If you're the same size as another boy or girl,
0:56:12 > 0:56:15your muscles are exactly as strong as each other.
0:56:15 > 0:56:16So what do you think about that?
0:56:16 > 0:56:18Boys and girls are as strong as each other!
0:56:18 > 0:56:21SHOUTING
0:56:21 > 0:56:23Not a surprise, and good for them,
0:56:23 > 0:56:26to see the boys having confidence in themselves and estimating
0:56:26 > 0:56:27they'll score highly.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30But with the girls - why do they underestimate themselves?
0:56:30 > 0:56:34Six of the girls thought they'd score six points or less
0:56:34 > 0:56:36and, in fact, five of them then scored ten.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39So they are achieving what the boys can achieve.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41They're seeing that they can do that,
0:56:41 > 0:56:44but they don't have the belief in themselves in the first place,
0:56:44 > 0:56:47and hopefully all that we're doing is going to change that.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51I can't get it!
0:56:51 > 0:56:55I thought I was going to get a five and I was happy crying
0:56:55 > 0:56:58because I got a ten.
0:56:59 > 0:57:03I feel really happy and proud of myself.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06Before I did this, I think that boys were stronger than girls
0:57:06 > 0:57:09because everyone just said that,
0:57:09 > 0:57:12but now I think that girls and boys can be strong.
0:57:12 > 0:57:17Seeing the girls actually coming up and achieving as good,
0:57:17 > 0:57:19if not better - most of them were far better -
0:57:19 > 0:57:23but I think actually that's probably instilled in them that confidence,
0:57:23 > 0:57:28so actually to see that change, and I think it is a real change,
0:57:28 > 0:57:30it's exciting.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32Well done!
0:57:32 > 0:57:33Lexi's done it.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37But today hasn't been a total success.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40- Riley?- Can I have another one?- Well, I think you can in a minute, yeah.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42Do you know what? The first time you do it and,
0:57:42 > 0:57:44if you miss, take your time, OK?
0:57:44 > 0:57:46And be positive.
0:57:46 > 0:57:47You can do it.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51Although Lexi's had a really nice breakthrough,
0:57:51 > 0:57:54this represents a big setback for Riley
0:57:54 > 0:57:57and there are 23 children in the class.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59I've been here two weeks, three weeks.
0:57:59 > 0:58:03I'm worried that all I've done is upset a load of kids
0:58:03 > 0:58:06and none of this is having the slightest effect.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10I've realised just how entrenched these differences are
0:58:10 > 0:58:12for boys and girls and that interventions
0:58:12 > 0:58:15in the classroom aren't going to be enough.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21Do you like being a girlie girl?
0:58:21 > 0:58:24- Yeah.- ..I take the fight home to the parents...
0:58:24 > 0:58:26Because it's all very pink and girlie.
0:58:26 > 0:58:28Wow! ..challenging them...
0:58:28 > 0:58:30Yes, I'm afraid that has to go.
0:58:30 > 0:58:33- ..and the children...- He said, "Look, Mum, I've got a handgun -
0:58:33 > 0:58:36"you can't take this one off me."
0:58:36 > 0:58:39..before finding out if I have succeeded...
0:58:39 > 0:58:42I want it to go back to boys and girls.
0:58:42 > 0:58:44..with my class of gender-neutral seven-year-olds.
0:58:44 > 0:58:46I've turned these kids into monsters.
0:58:46 > 0:58:49The girls... They were never like it before!