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 > 0:00:08But children as young as seven
0:00:08 > 0:00:12think that 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 > 0:00:25And that these differences will
0:00:25 > 0:00:27define the lives they live as adults.
0:00:27 > 0:00:33If a woman has a child, the 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 Javid Abdelmoneim.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52What if they called you all Sweet Pea?
0:00:52 > 0:00:53- No!- No!
0:00:53 > 0:00:55I'm going to find out if by turning
0:00:55 > 0:00:58a class of seven-year-old primary school children...
0:00:58 > 0:00:59What are we doing?
0:00:59 > 0:01:00..gender neutral...
0:01:00 > 0:01:03You've got to start going to the same toilet.
0:01:03 > 0:01:04No!
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 > 0:01:12And the way they think about their future.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15I do not like reading but I liked 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 > 0:01:24Made to be underpaid. Would you dress your daughter in that?
0:01:24 > 0:01:26It kind of makes something that seems so innocent
0:01:26 > 0:01:29not 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 any more!
0:01:33 > 0:01:36I want it to go back to boys and girls.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39I didn't think I could do it at first.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42What we're trying to 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 > 0:02:08This is Lanesend Primary School on the Isle of Wight...
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Good morning, everyone.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16- STUDENTS:- Good morning, Mrs Sice.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Good morning, everybody.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23..where, at the beginning of the term,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I ran a series of tests to measure the level of difference between
0:02:26 > 0:02:29the boys and girls in this class of seven-year-olds.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Differences in areas like levels of self-esteem,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37confidence and empathy.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41And the results were shocking.
0:02:42 > 0:02:48I'm seeing here evidence that the girls significantly underestimate
0:02:48 > 0:02:51how clever they are, and have less self-esteem and self-confidence.
0:02:51 > 0:02:58I think men are better at, like, being in charge.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02And the boys can't seem to express their emotions.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04What's happiness?
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Um...
0:03:07 > 0:03:09I don't know.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Except anger, which is really disturbing.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15You've done it, you just have to let go!
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Hot-headed.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Knock-knock! CHEERING
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Are we learning today?
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I'm determined to tackle these differences
0:03:26 > 0:03:28via a number of interventions.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30How are you, sir? Nice to see you.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32To see if by treating the children the same
0:03:32 > 0:03:35those differences will disappear.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38We've got some boards which you're all going to help put up.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40It says that boys are strong.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42CHEERING
0:03:42 > 0:03:44But so are girls. CHEERING
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Girls are strong!
0:03:49 > 0:03:52And that has meant getting rid of anything
0:03:52 > 0:03:55that marks out boys and girls as different.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00From their classroom to their teacher.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Lexi, are you all right there, love?
0:04:03 > 0:04:06You said, "Love!" You just called Lexi "love!"
0:04:06 > 0:04:09I'm halfway through my time here at Lanesend,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13and I've had some success in getting the children to think differently
0:04:13 > 0:04:17about traditional roles for men and women.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21I think that it's really cool that it's a girl mechanic.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26And how they view each other and what they are capable of.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Now I think that girls and boys can be strong.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35But it hasn't all been plain sailing.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38BOY SOBS
0:04:40 > 0:04:44And it's clear that I'm facing attitudes that even the people who
0:04:44 > 0:04:48know them best see as deeply ingrained.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53I think, from the moment they're born, they are aware of gender,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57from the clothes that they're given to the language people use.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00So, even though we do a lot of work around it,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03it's very much that they've still got very set mind-sets
0:05:03 > 0:05:06on what is acceptable for their gender.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14It's a new day at Lanesend.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17And week three of my time with Graham Andre's class
0:05:17 > 0:05:18of seven-year-olds.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22In just a couple of weeks,
0:05:22 > 0:05:27these children will be retested to see if any of my interventions have
0:05:27 > 0:05:30managed to reduce the differences between them as boys and girls.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34OK, yesterday afternoon, we did some puzzles.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Who would like to do another one again this morning?
0:05:36 > 0:05:38CHILDREN: Me!
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Including when it comes to their ability to manipulate shapes
0:05:43 > 0:05:45and understand patterns.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Known as spatial awareness.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Has everybody got the challenge?
0:05:53 > 0:05:55CHILDREN: Yes.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Start now. Go.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Something that boys, thanks in part to the kinds of toys they play with,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05have a natural advantage at.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I think Minecraft and Lego help me
0:06:10 > 0:06:15because you can build stuff in Minecraft and Lego
0:06:15 > 0:06:17and try and fit in a lot of blocks.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22An advantage that results in boys' dominance in jobs like
0:06:22 > 0:06:24engineering and architecture.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28In fact, in the UK,
0:06:28 > 0:06:33only 13% of people in science and maths-related careers are women.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Give yourself some room there, Grace.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42And that is a shocking waste of potential talent.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Because I'm looking at the sheet.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50So to help the girls develop their spatial abilities,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53I've given all the children Tangram puzzles.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59These are games that brain train the children
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and help them develop spatial awareness skills.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Wow...
0:07:08 > 0:07:10HE LAUGHS
0:07:10 > 0:07:12So what you've done here is you've flipped it around,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14so you've done like a mirror image.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16That's amazing, that, Finn.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Have a look carefully, whereabouts is the green triangle?
0:07:20 > 0:07:22And can you put it where it is?
0:07:22 > 0:07:23So, there is the green triangle,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25then what comes next to it?
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- Purple.- Purple.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33But for some, my plan isn't working.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38I don't get how to do them properly.
0:07:38 > 0:07:44A lot of the girls are struggling with it, and,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48like, Bradley and Finlay on my table, they were really good at it.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55I'm worried that the children should be getting better at these puzzles,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57but the girls simply aren't.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Argh! This is impossible!
0:08:02 > 0:08:06I want to find out if the difference between them is so marked
0:08:06 > 0:08:09because male and female brains are structurally different.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19As part of my experiment,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21I've been getting some insight from Dr Gina Rippon.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25The brain is very, very plastic.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29It really refers to the notion of being mouldable, changeable,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32that something isn't necessarily fixed and invariant,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34which is what was always thought about the brain.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37So that's why it was assumed that if females had a particular brain,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40that was it, you know, you went along on those particular tramlines.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43But because we know that brains are very plastic,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45different experiences will change the brain,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49so lots of examples of boys having spatial skills because of Lego,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51but girls also play in a different way.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53If they like playing with dolls, etc,
0:08:53 > 0:08:58very often they will develop little scripts that their toys have.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02So they become more verbal, more interactive.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Both of them really important skills.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06But they will be developing differently.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10So, some of the behavioural differences that we see could relate
0:09:10 > 0:09:13not to the fact that this is a brain from a girl or a brain from a boy,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17but it's a brain from somebody who did play with Lego
0:09:17 > 0:09:19and somebody else who didn't play with Lego.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Gina is clear that the experiences kids have in childhood,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28the toys they play with, and the world they inhabit
0:09:28 > 0:09:32shape the abilities they develop and physically change their brains.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39So how different does a boy and girl's childhood really look today?
0:09:39 > 0:09:40OK.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45This is the result of a quick trawl down the high street from Debenhams
0:09:45 > 0:09:49to Next, to Matalan, to Argos, M&S, John Lewis,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51right across the price range.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54There are exceptions out there, but far more than when I was growing up.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59It just seems to be an overwhelming avalanche of blue for boys
0:09:59 > 0:10:02and pink for girls.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06High street stores don't necessarily have aisles marked boys and girls,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08but it's quite clear what's meant for who.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12There are whole sections packed with pink toys aimed at girls,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15so pink domestic appliances, pink prams.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19And the tool boxes and construction kits are all blue.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22If children's brains really are moulded by what they experience,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25then this total divide between what's the boys' world
0:10:25 > 0:10:28and what is the girls' world worries me.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38But what does this pink and blue world look like to a parent?
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- Hiya, Lee. How are we doing? - Hi, Javid, how are you?
0:10:41 > 0:10:43- Fine, thank you.- Nice to see you.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52To find out, I have come to the pinkest place I can think of -
0:10:52 > 0:10:55an eight-year-old girl's birthday party.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59In the pink tent, that's where the party is.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- It is very pink, isn't it?- Yes.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Edie's party is an avalanche of pink,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09sparkles and feather boas.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11So you like being a girlie girl?
0:11:11 > 0:11:15- Yeah.- What does it mean to you to be a girlie girl?
0:11:15 > 0:11:16Just being a girl.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Edie loves being pampered, she loves having her nails done,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26it makes her feel special.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31She loves all the sparkle that goes with it, and the dressing up.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Glitter tattoos.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Because its all very pink and girlie.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39Edie is having a great time.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Aquabeads. I've already got this.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48But this focus on looks and appearance
0:11:48 > 0:11:50makes me feel uncomfortable.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Gina has told me that if little girls play with certain toys
0:11:55 > 0:11:59then it has a fundamental effect on how their brains develop.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03And dress-up dolls and craft sets
0:12:03 > 0:12:05won't help Edie become an engineer.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09What did you get her?
0:12:09 > 0:12:11We got her some pots,
0:12:11 > 0:12:12different highlighter pens,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15a multicoloured pom-pom ball for her schoolbag,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19and a big sort of eraser that's also a pencil sharpener as well.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Because girls just love arts and crafts.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22Would you get that for a boy?
0:12:23 > 0:12:25No.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29It seems to me that when we give children the kind of presents that
0:12:29 > 0:12:34we think they want, all it does is affect what they are capable of.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43So what's the deal for boys, and the toys adults choose for them?
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Hello! Hi, Nile, how are you doing?
0:12:46 > 0:12:48- Good.- Upstairs?
0:12:48 > 0:12:49Yep.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53I've come to see Nile to find out.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56- You'll be surprised. - Look at this tool box,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59you've got an actual huge tool box and it's full of Lego.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02What's your favourite thing to play with?
0:13:02 > 0:13:03This.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Wow.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09That looks like that goes pretty high.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11- Yeah.- Does it? Did you build that?
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- Yeah.- I thought there would be clothes in here.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16No. There is toys and guns.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Oh, my gosh!
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Lots of gun toys, yeah.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22- You're good at shooting. - This is my favourite.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I've got two cowboy guns.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28So, basically, you like Lego, you like shooting guns,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30and you like your heroes.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33That's fair enough. I liked all of those things.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39What's the best thing about being a boy?
0:13:39 > 0:13:41They get cooler Nerf guns than girls,
0:13:41 > 0:13:42cos girls only get Nerf Rebelles
0:13:42 > 0:13:45that aren't better than the boys' Nerf guns.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48I have no idea what you're talking about,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50but the best thing about being a boy is that you get to play with guns,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52is what I'm hearing.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55No, boys get cooler Nerf guns than girls.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58OK. So who are better, then? Boys or girls?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- Boys.- Why?
0:14:01 > 0:14:02Because they get cooler stuff.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04HE LAUGHS
0:14:05 > 0:14:08It's clear Nile loves his toys.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12But where does mum, Rebecca, think that comes from?
0:14:14 > 0:14:19Pre-having him, I was a big fan of the nurture argument.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I always thought it's how you bring them up, it's what you do with them,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24it's what you expose them to.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Then I had Nile.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29And far more is ingrained,
0:14:29 > 0:14:34far more is part of Nile than I ever realised.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38I had a bit of an anti-gun rule until he started school,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41but then he made them out of Lego and sticks and everything,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43and one day he said,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47"Look, Mum, I've got a handgun, you can't take this one off me."
0:14:47 > 0:14:49And I knew about that point
0:14:49 > 0:14:53I'd probably lost the weaponry argument.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56It's totally, totally changed my view of all of it.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Well, if that is the case, then what
0:14:58 > 0:15:01we're trying to do could actually be very difficult.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02I think you're going to struggle.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Thanks, Nile.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06- Bye.- Thanks for showing me your toys, OK?
0:15:06 > 0:15:08- Bye-bye. Thanks a lot.- OK.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Children occupy a world where adults
0:15:11 > 0:15:13are giving them messages constantly
0:15:13 > 0:15:16about what it means to be a boy or a girl,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19so parents who say that it's in their child's nature
0:15:19 > 0:15:24just to act a certain way or to like certain toys, it came from them.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28And they in turn received the same messages from their parents
0:15:28 > 0:15:32and so on and so forth. The cycle just goes on.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37And I believe this influence isn't just limited to choosing toys.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41It's also found in the clothes parents buy for their children.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Best ever bro. Cool dude.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48So let's just see what the equivalent for the girls is.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50So if we go to girls... Oh, God.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54I'm finding this upsetting, looking through these clothing websites.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Nearly all of the online stores I've looked at here
0:15:56 > 0:15:59start with a girls-boys tab.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03So straight away you're separating the clothing,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06and then when you look at it, it's mainly pink and blue.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09It's not just that, it's the slogans.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12For example, this one for girls - forever beautiful.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14This one for boys - here comes trouble.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15They seem pretty harmless,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18and I think lots of people would dress their children in that,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21but I wonder if parents even think about that,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23or even are aware of the link between the slogans
0:16:23 > 0:16:25and how their children think.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29So I am going to design some T-shirts to really explore that.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40I'm going to put my T-shirts with my slogans alongside the ones from the
0:16:40 > 0:16:44shops to see if the parents at Lanesend see any harm in it at all.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Do you want to stay and hear about the T-shirts?
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- I've got another child to pick up. - OK.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53But first, I just need the parents to stop for a minute.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Would you like to stay and wait and watch a T-shirt exhibit I've got?
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- I can't, I've got to go somewhere, but thank you.- OK.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Are you sure you don't want to stop, Maisy's mum?
0:17:02 > 0:17:04- Sorry, I can't. - It's really interesting.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06- Is it?- Can you wait and see something on the T-shirts,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08I've got something to say. No?
0:17:08 > 0:17:10You're happy not to stay?
0:17:10 > 0:17:11George, nice to meet you.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Eventually, a few parents come over to take a look.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16- Hello.- Hello.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Here are the parents and the kids, how are you doing?
0:17:18 > 0:17:20So, today, I wanted to show you some T-shirts
0:17:20 > 0:17:22and get your ideas about what they say.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25So, what do you think of this? Forever beautiful.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Would you let your daughter wear this?
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Yeah? Seems pretty OK.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Well, what about
0:17:32 > 0:17:33looks are everything?
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Shake of the head. Did you know that in Mr Andre's class in the school,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40when girls were asked to describe themselves,
0:17:40 > 0:17:44they only used words like lipstick, pretty...
0:17:44 > 0:17:47One of them even used the word ugly to describe themselves.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49And then the next one that says, "Boys are better."
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- Would you dress your daughter in that?- No.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- Would you wear it?- No.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58When we asked the girls, "Who do you think are better, boys or girls?"
0:17:58 > 0:18:01all of them except one said boys are better.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Made to be underpaid.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06You all disagree? OK. But I think it's a sequence.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10I think when you start putting your daughter in this, forever beautiful,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12you are just telling her that looks are everything,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14they end up thinking boys are better,
0:18:14 > 0:18:18and that results in them being made to be underpaid.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22At first, I didn't really see the problem,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25but as it progressed through the line of T-shirts and slogans
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I could see the link between the first one and all the others.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31It kind of makes something that seems so innocent
0:18:31 > 0:18:33not really that innocent after all.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35To be honest with you, I never
0:18:35 > 0:18:39thought about it much, about these things.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41We stereotype our kids,
0:18:41 > 0:18:46and the girls only be pretty, only appearance, OK,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49not talking about what actually, potentially, the girls can be.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53And it's not just girls.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55So, what does that say?
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Here comes trouble.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Would you put your little boy in that? Seems pretty OK.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01Boys don't cry.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Wrong.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Yeah? Would you let your boy wear that T-shirt?
0:19:06 > 0:19:07- Or buy it for him?- No.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12No? How about - tough guys don't talk?
0:19:12 > 0:19:13- No?- Wrong.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Finally - bottled up and ready to burst.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19How many of you see your little boys unable to express themselves,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21getting all frustrated and angry?
0:19:21 > 0:19:24We did a little experiment in Mr Andre's class,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28and the boys were unable to use as many words to describe
0:19:28 > 0:19:30different emotions as the girls.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33And the only emotion they could describe as well as the girls
0:19:33 > 0:19:35was anger. That's disturbing.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38For me, again, it's a sequence.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40When you put your boy in this T-shirt, which seems...
0:19:40 > 0:19:42"Here comes trouble," isn't that fun?
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Well, it ends up being "bottled up and ready to burst."
0:19:46 > 0:19:49I think it's something that we are maybe doing subconsciously,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51because it's not something I've considered before.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Because I think I grew up the same way.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56I was always taught that, yeah, boys are tough and things like that.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57Now it's been pointed out to me,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01I can definitely see the way that the message is being reinforced.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03And certainly, I'd think twice before putting my little boy
0:20:03 > 0:20:07in a T-shirt that says, "Here comes trouble," I think, definitely.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11When I finally managed to stop some parents, they were really shocked,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15actually, and I think I might have really got them to think hard
0:20:15 > 0:20:17about what clothes they put their children in.
0:20:17 > 0:20:24And I actually genuinely feel really frustrated that I couldn't have got
0:20:24 > 0:20:26many, many more parents to stop and listen.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33I think I need to step things up a little.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Everything the children are saying...
0:20:35 > 0:20:40Boys are cleverer because most mathematicians are boys.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45Blue is for boys and pink is for girls.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48All you really see girls doing
0:20:48 > 0:20:50is having fun on their phones or maybe singing
0:20:50 > 0:20:56and they don't really do anything big like, um, being astronauts.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00And all I've learnt from the testing at the beginning of term
0:21:00 > 0:21:03is telling me that the issues these children are facing
0:21:03 > 0:21:06are too big to fix, just in the classroom.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12So if the parents aren't going to engage voluntarily,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14I'm going to have to be a bit more direct.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18I'm going to get the parents involved,
0:21:18 > 0:21:19but it's not going to be easy
0:21:19 > 0:21:23because they're not thinking that they're doing anything wrong.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24So what I've done is,
0:21:24 > 0:21:28I've put together some exercises for them to do.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32For example, some gender word associations,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34so there's a long list of words here
0:21:34 > 0:21:36and I'd like the parents to sit down,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38communicate with their children
0:21:38 > 0:21:42and decide whether they think the word is
0:21:42 > 0:21:45more associated with boys, girls or both.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Other things, including household chores.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51I'd like to get them to change what they do at home,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53to try and show their children
0:21:53 > 0:21:57that both Mum and Dad can do all the chores.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59I'm also going to include some plastic sacks
0:21:59 > 0:22:02and I'd like them to put into those sacks anything in the house
0:22:02 > 0:22:04that's got messages on it that's
0:22:04 > 0:22:08reinforcing differences between the sexes.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11OK, get your things.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Off you go.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16I've got Graham to ask the parents to stay behind
0:22:16 > 0:22:18to pick up their homework.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21OK. Parents.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25You know how the kids have homework?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28That's parents' homework.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29Yay!
0:22:29 > 0:22:31It's only a few hours of the day in there,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33and there's quite a few hours at home,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36so we want to try and get
0:22:36 > 0:22:40the most out of this experiment as possible, OK?
0:22:40 > 0:22:44So, there are quite a few asks in here.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Ranging from the way you speak,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49the activities you do,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52the chores you do and who does them.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56These sacks are for you, please,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00to declutter the bedroom of anything that's excessively gendered.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05So, for the girls, all the pink, princessy things
0:23:05 > 0:23:10and for the boys, all the superhero guns.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11How many sacks have you got there?
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Four. Four big sacks.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Do you think this is going to be easy?
0:23:17 > 0:23:19- No.- No, there was a firm no from Riley's mum.- Yep.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- He's strong-willed, isn't he? - He's very strong willed.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25You can relate what you are doing in the house to
0:23:25 > 0:23:28what's been happening in the classroom and link it up.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Just say, "Right, tell me what you've been doing in the classroom."
0:23:31 > 0:23:33If it's positive, I'd like, now,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36to do that at home and this is part of that process.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Take one of these A4 pockets and pass them out.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42And here are your sacks.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I can imagine the sacks are going to be hard.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49I've just realised how girlie everything Maisy owns is.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54We have a wardrobe for dressing up princess dresses!
0:23:54 > 0:23:55So have I!
0:23:57 > 0:23:59- That's hard, isn't it?- What's that?
0:23:59 > 0:24:00- Nicknames.- Nicknames.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03To stop that, yes. Mr Andre has been doing that in the class.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07And he thought, losing that sort of...
0:24:07 > 0:24:09It's a tenderness, losing that tenderness,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11that nickname might be negative on the children
0:24:11 > 0:24:14but he hasn't seen any of that.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15So, a little bit of homework.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Sometimes I might say, you know, "You get your beauty sleep" or,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24"Get your sleep like a princess."
0:24:24 > 0:24:26So I may have to change that.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27Nicknames and that,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30probably he doesn't really pay much attention to.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32It goes in one ear and out the other when they're that age, doesn't it?
0:24:32 > 0:24:38Toys, it really is only iPad, PlayStation or football.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42Nerf guns every so often, but, then, he does play that with his sister.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Doesn't that count?
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Do they have to be taken away?
0:24:46 > 0:24:49His is boys' and hers is pink, I must admit.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53There are going to be some things in there that the kids themselves are
0:24:53 > 0:24:56going to resist and then the parents are going to find that very hard to
0:24:56 > 0:24:58execute. It's easy enough for the parents to say,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00"Yes, we are going to do this."
0:25:00 > 0:25:02But let's see if they actually do it.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08If I'm going to remove all the differences
0:25:08 > 0:25:09from the children's school day,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12there's one thing I just can't ignore.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15I've got a potentially controversial idea.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17What I want to do is really challenge the idea
0:25:17 > 0:25:19in the boys' and girls' minds
0:25:19 > 0:25:23that they are different, by making them equal in the toilet.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25At home, toilets are unisex.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28In nurseries, they're unisex and, increasingly,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31in larger numbers of workplaces, they're unisex,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33so why not when you're seven?
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- Mr Andre?- Hello, Javid. - CHILDREN:- Hello, Javid.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Good morning. Good, good. I'd like to borrow the kids, if I can.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45Is that all right?
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Quickly, come with me, kids.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- Javid, what are we doing? - You'll find out.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Come with me.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Stick together.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Ronnie, Owen, keep coming.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03OK. We've been doing loads of work in class.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05We've been doing loads of work with Mr Andre, isn't that right?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Learning lots, OK?
0:26:08 > 0:26:11So, you've got to start going to the same toilet.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- No!- No!- No!
0:26:14 > 0:26:18So this ladies is now going to become unisex.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25By getting the children to share the toilet,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28I hope to encourage them to start seeing themselves as equals.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Is it pink in there, still?
0:26:32 > 0:26:34It is, Riley, yeah, it is. GROANS
0:26:34 > 0:26:36I haven't got round to painting it. We may not.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37Will you paint it blue?
0:26:37 > 0:26:41So, this is now your Class Three toilet.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42LAUGHTER AND GROANS
0:26:42 > 0:26:43- OK?- I need a wee right now.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Who wants to go right now?
0:26:45 > 0:26:46ALL: Me!
0:26:49 > 0:26:54I think it was a good idea for boys and girls to share, because,
0:26:54 > 0:27:00like, the boys know what girls' toilets are like.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Do you want to share your toilet with boys?
0:27:04 > 0:27:05- No.- Why not?
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Because I've never shared one with a boy.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15So, do you think it's quite cool you get to use the girls' toilets now?
0:27:15 > 0:27:16No, don't like it.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- You don't like it?- No.- Why not?
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Just don't like it.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24If you think about it, you think it's a bit gross, and a bit like,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26"Oh, that's weird."
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Do you think it might help boys and girls to understand each other more?
0:27:30 > 0:27:32No.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35This is clearly going to be a challenge for the children,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38but while they get used to sharing their toilet...
0:27:40 > 0:27:42..I want to catch up with the parents
0:27:42 > 0:27:46and see what progress they've made with the homework I set them.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Part of the homework was word association,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55going through lists of words often considered to have masculine or
0:27:55 > 0:27:56feminine characteristics...
0:27:59 > 0:28:02- Hello.- Hello.- How are you? - I'm fine, thank you.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05- Hi, Maisy, how is it? Are you good? - Come on in.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08..and challenging the meaning that children attach to them.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13I'm keen to see how that's been going.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17So this was the exercise where you had to do word association.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18- Yeah.- A whole list of words,
0:28:18 > 0:28:23whether they were associated with boys or girls or both.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26And she has put every single one in both, that's interesting.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28And there are words like skipping rope.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30- Yeah.- Sewing...
0:28:30 > 0:28:32But there's also war, you know?
0:28:32 > 0:28:35I didn't know if she thought they should go in both.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36- Yes.- So I said to her at one point,
0:28:36 > 0:28:38which she told me off because she said,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41"Javid said there is no right answer."
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Got a little telling off there!
0:28:43 > 0:28:47I kind of prompted her to put it in boy or girl just to see
0:28:47 > 0:28:50and she was adamant, "No, no, both."
0:28:50 > 0:28:53And she'd give me explanations and reasons why both do it.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54OK, great.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56It's encouraging that
0:28:56 > 0:28:59Maisy and her mum are starting to think differently.
0:28:59 > 0:29:00OK...
0:29:00 > 0:29:04But before I congratulate myself that the homework intervention is
0:29:04 > 0:29:10a success, there is still the small issue of bagging up the girlie toys.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12And from the look of things,
0:29:12 > 0:29:16it's something that Michelle hasn't even attempted.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20So, I mean, the idea is to be quite strict, really,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22- anything that's gendered.- OK.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25We have a whole lot of princess going on.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Wow!
0:29:27 > 0:29:30- Gosh, I'm afraid that has to go. - OK.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32This does seem a bit cruel.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35- I know.- We want Maisy to understand that, you know,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38- she can aspire to more than just being a princess.- A princess.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41This is actually quite an epic one, this.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43That was a birthday party dress.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45We did do princesses and pirates.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Did any of the girls come as pirates?
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Yes, I did have girlie pirates, well, girl pirates.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52Any boys come as princesses?
0:29:52 > 0:29:53- No.- No.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58- All right. - The Barbie dolls, we have many.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01- Yes.- Outta here! - Yeah, so we'll take them out.
0:30:02 > 0:30:03Emoji cushions.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05- They can stay.- They can stay?
0:30:05 > 0:30:06Ah, so we are finding one or two.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- Yeah.- One or two toys that aren't skewed.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13It is overly girlie.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15I don't think I realised until it was in a bag
0:30:15 > 0:30:18how girlie it was, actually.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22I don't know how Maisy's going to react.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Maybe she's going to be a bit upset, I think.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30You know what you're doing at school?
0:30:30 > 0:30:32- Yeah.- All the changes that we've made there?
0:30:32 > 0:30:35We're trying to just continue that at home,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39so that you get the fullest idea.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41- Does that make sense?- Yeah.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45- Bye-bye.- Bye.
0:30:45 > 0:30:50I know that children of Maisy's age choose many of their own toys,
0:30:50 > 0:30:54but it seems to me that isn't much of a choice if their options are
0:30:54 > 0:30:58limited by a world that only offers them pink for girls
0:30:58 > 0:31:00and blue for boys.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02I think it goes some way to explain
0:31:02 > 0:31:07why men and women follow such different paths in life.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Research by the Institute of Engineers found that
0:31:10 > 0:31:12toys with a science and engineering focus
0:31:12 > 0:31:16were three times more likely to be targeted at boys.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18It seems like tough love,
0:31:18 > 0:31:22but this parent homework is about changing the environment, and,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25in this case, removing the toys is all about
0:31:25 > 0:31:28levelling out the skill differences through play.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Now, for me, it's all about the bigger picture.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34I really hope all the parents get this idea.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42If there's one thing I've learned from visiting the children's homes,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46it's that they really love their toys and it doesn't seem fair to me
0:31:46 > 0:31:49to remove them without offering them a replacement.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52CHEERING
0:31:52 > 0:31:56But I want to prove when we see Nile with his guns
0:31:56 > 0:31:58or Maisy with her dolls,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02it's a preference that is, in many ways, learned.
0:32:02 > 0:32:07I want to see what will happen if I give them toys where I've removed
0:32:07 > 0:32:09all packaging that would normally tell a child
0:32:09 > 0:32:11if a toy was for a boy or a girl.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15Inside the paper bags are some toys.
0:32:15 > 0:32:16Look at my bag!
0:32:20 > 0:32:23I've given the children either a marble run,
0:32:23 > 0:32:26a teddy bear sewing kit,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28an arts and crafts set
0:32:28 > 0:32:30or a robot model.
0:32:30 > 0:32:31Ooh, it's a model.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37What..do you do...
0:32:37 > 0:32:39with four gloves?
0:32:43 > 0:32:45That goes there.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Which one do you like better, the bear or the bunny?
0:32:47 > 0:32:49The one boyish.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58The next morning, I'm keen to see how the children got on.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03So I've asked them to design a poster for their toy.
0:33:04 > 0:33:10I think it's, like, aimed at boys, because it's kind of green.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15Boys buy that stuff, because of what the outside package looks like.
0:33:15 > 0:33:16- Yeah.- Most of the time,
0:33:16 > 0:33:20because they make it look more girlie or more boyish, don't they?
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Yeah. I actually agree with that, completely.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27Completely, wow, I've never heard you say that before!
0:33:28 > 0:33:31These new toys have become a talking point for the class.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34- Riley, what do you think about it? - I think it's for boys and girls.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37If there were lots and lots of things in a shop,
0:33:37 > 0:33:39would you buy something like this, normally?
0:33:39 > 0:33:44That's hard, because I'd get Lego,
0:33:44 > 0:33:48I would get a football thing, I'd get...
0:33:50 > 0:33:52I like a Build-A-Bear teddy.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55So you wouldn't normally go for something like this,
0:33:55 > 0:33:57but because it was given to you, have you enjoyed it though?
0:33:57 > 0:34:00- Yeah.- Yeah, so do you think you'd do something like this again?
0:34:00 > 0:34:02- Yeah.- Do you think? Thank you.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06When I first opened it, I was like, "Mum, they gave me a boy thing."
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Then when I actually started doing it,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12I got really into it and I begged Mum to go to town
0:34:12 > 0:34:14and buy me some more stuff like this.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16- Really? That's really nice. - So they did.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20I think they're for boys and girls, even though the packaging,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23they usually make it look really girlie or really boyish.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31I'm particularly pleased with Riley, who loved his sewing kit.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33- My mum couldn't make it. - Couldn't she?
0:34:33 > 0:34:36- No.- So you had to do it? - I had to.- Did you?
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Hopefully, this will see him on the path to a whole new range
0:34:39 > 0:34:42of creative and nurturing skills,
0:34:42 > 0:34:45which should be reflected in his scores for empathy
0:34:45 > 0:34:48and emotional vocab when we retest the class.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52I think yours goes backwards.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56- That's...- No, cos that's why the eyes go there, the eyes are there so
0:34:56 > 0:34:59it goes forwards, so it can see.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00It seems clear to me
0:35:00 > 0:35:04that if you take pink and blue out of the equation
0:35:04 > 0:35:07and encourage children to play with a wider range of toys,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10they'll like them. It has an effect.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15For the boys, like Riley, to develop creativity and nurturing skills.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17While most of the girls have
0:35:17 > 0:35:20taken to the construction toys like ducks to water.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31It's been a while since I introduced the unisex toilets to the children.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35My hope was that by using the same toilet,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39the children would see themselves as equals.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41But are they happy about the change?
0:35:43 > 0:35:47It was better before with just the girls, because it was really quiet.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50I don't like it cos when I went to the toilet,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53I saw the boys all coming out and they didn't wash their hands
0:35:53 > 0:35:56and that was pretty gross, and they didn't flush.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58The boys' toilets are the four toilets,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01so you don't have to wait as long.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04The boys are really annoying in there.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Since the toilets has been boys' and girls'
0:36:07 > 0:36:11I've been trying to hold it all day, and it's been really hard.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15I want it to go back to boys' and girls' separate toilets.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21It looks like I've succeeded in making the children equal -
0:36:21 > 0:36:23equally unhappy with my same-sex toilet.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33When I first met Graham's class,
0:36:33 > 0:36:37it was striking how strong their opinions were when it came
0:36:37 > 0:36:39to the roles of men and women in society.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46Girls look after the child and boys do lots of cool stuff.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50If the woman has a child,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54the men have to go to work and earn some money.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59These are very set ideas about who does what
0:36:59 > 0:37:01when it comes to life at home.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04Mums wash up...
0:37:06 > 0:37:08..and do the dinners.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14But they also reflect what the children think
0:37:14 > 0:37:15men and women can achieve.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17If they go unchallenged,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20then equality in adult life is never going to happen.
0:37:21 > 0:37:26Men usually just lie on the sofa and snore.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39So, as part of the homework I set the parents,
0:37:39 > 0:37:41I wanted to challenge these ideas,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45especially when it came to getting dads up off the sofa.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50What is surprising is that the children are telling me one thing
0:37:50 > 0:37:53about how the chores are shared at home,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56but the dads are telling me something very different.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01I don't think there's a difference between me and my wife.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03I cook, she cooks.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05I do gardening, she does gardening,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07everything is equal in our family,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09and it should be, you know, like that.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13- A bit more, do you think? - Yeah, put some more on.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15And the facts are on the children's side.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:38:17 > 0:38:20A study by the Office of National Statistics found that,
0:38:20 > 0:38:25across the country, women do 60% more unpaid work -
0:38:25 > 0:38:28cooking, childcare, housework - than men.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31- What do you think of that then, Gracie?- Good.
0:38:31 > 0:38:32- Good?- Good.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Can I have a taste test first?
0:38:34 > 0:38:35Yeah, do you want a bit?
0:38:37 > 0:38:38Out of ten?
0:38:41 > 0:38:43- Ten.- Ten!
0:38:43 > 0:38:44Wow.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49What is shocking is that there is no reason to think that
0:38:49 > 0:38:53these dads don't help out, but even when they do,
0:38:53 > 0:38:57it has no effect on the children's assumptions about who should,
0:38:57 > 0:38:59in their minds, be doing these jobs.
0:39:03 > 0:39:04I want to see what will happen
0:39:04 > 0:39:07when the children are given the opportunity
0:39:07 > 0:39:10to take on these jobs outside the classroom.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Here we go! Who's excited?
0:39:12 > 0:39:14CHEERING
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Will they go with their assumptions,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21or will having seen their dads up their commitment to domestic chores
0:39:21 > 0:39:24at home have rubbed off?
0:39:24 > 0:39:26Who can see the sea?
0:39:26 > 0:39:28- ALL:- Me!
0:39:28 > 0:39:33So I've organised a school day-trip to the beach to find out.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Oh! That sand feels good, doesn't it?
0:39:36 > 0:39:39I've set up two tasks for the children.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Build a fire pit, and make a picnic.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46At the start of my time on the Isle of Wight,
0:39:46 > 0:39:47I've no doubt that these children
0:39:47 > 0:39:51would have thought that picnic-making was a woman's job.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53And that fire-making was a man's.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56I want to see if those views have changed.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01I'd like you guys to just start prepping the beach area.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04Some of you need to start preparing the picnic.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06And some of you need to start preparing the firewood,
0:40:06 > 0:40:08to toast marshmallows later.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Decide between yourselves who's going to do what,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14while Mr Andre and I start preparing the activities.
0:40:14 > 0:40:15OK?
0:40:18 > 0:40:19I want to do the picnic.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26They just split into two, almost equal numbers of groups,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29- I think it's 10 and 12. - It is, yes.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32I thought they'd all go for the fire pit.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34You know, it's quite an exciting thing.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37Actually, in terms of boys and girls,
0:40:37 > 0:40:40I think there are just more girls on this one, on the picnic group.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43I'm surprised about which boys are actually at the picnic group.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47You've got Bradley, Riley and Finn.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51So, actually, three of the strongest footballing-type boys.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53It's a great start.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Girls seem to have grown in confidence and assertiveness.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01- Oh, no.- We need to put up the... - Yeah.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03I think Lily's conducting an orchestra there.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Yes, Lily's just taken over, hasn't she?
0:41:05 > 0:41:08What can we use to put all the vegetables in?
0:41:08 > 0:41:10She seems to have an idea of what needs to be...
0:41:10 > 0:41:12She's very much in the centre.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Yes. And the others seem to be going with that.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16You can still dig with your hands.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Funnily enough, it's Kara
0:41:18 > 0:41:20who seems to have taken a bit of charge on this one...
0:41:20 > 0:41:22I'm going to flatten it.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25..and brought the group together to work.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29And the boys are happy doing a task that just a few weeks ago,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31they never would have tried.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33They need to be thinner, don't they?
0:41:33 > 0:41:37Cut them in quarters. Cut them in halves. Cut them in halves.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40I've got it!
0:41:40 > 0:41:42I'll teach you how to do it.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46But before long, some of the boys revert to type.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53So, Riley and Bradley seem to be doing their own task over there,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56- is that right?- Yeah!- We're trying to make World War II.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Why have you stopped doing this?
0:41:58 > 0:41:59Because it's hard.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Why is it hard?
0:42:01 > 0:42:05Because, like, if I'm not a girl, like, every time...
0:42:05 > 0:42:06Riley!
0:42:06 > 0:42:08This is my trench.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10So what made you come over here?
0:42:10 > 0:42:12We got bored doing that.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13- Doing the picnic?- Yeah.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15- Why?- It's for girls.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17Right, it would be good if you could go back to what you started
0:42:17 > 0:42:19doing, please. Is that OK?
0:42:19 > 0:42:21THEY GROAN We can't have a third activity.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24Come on. Good job.
0:42:24 > 0:42:25Come on, Bradley, come on, Riley.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27There's still some, sort of,
0:42:27 > 0:42:29stereotypical behaviour going on here.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Particularly with the few of the boys losing interest really quickly
0:42:32 > 0:42:34when preparing the picnic.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36You know, you ask Riley, "Why did you get bored of it?"
0:42:36 > 0:42:37"Oh, well, it's for girls."
0:42:37 > 0:42:39That might just be because it reflects what their
0:42:39 > 0:42:41day-to-day activity might have been at the beach.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44Mum would prepare the picnic. Dad prepare the fire.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48That's exactly what I'm trying to challenge here today.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50OK, let's all have lunch, kids.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52CHEERING
0:42:52 > 0:42:53Come and sit down.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59These sandwiches are amazing.
0:42:59 > 0:43:00I made those sandwiches.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08What's a trip to the seaside without beach games?
0:43:09 > 0:43:12And over my time with the children
0:43:12 > 0:43:16I've learned that one game has a huge amount of power over the boys.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21It's how they define themselves, and girls are very much excluded.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26When I grow up, I want to be a football player.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29Who's better at football, boys or girls?
0:43:29 > 0:43:31- Boys.- Why?
0:43:31 > 0:43:32Because...
0:43:33 > 0:43:34..they just are.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38Do you ever play with the boys at playtime?
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Not often.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42Because they are usually playing football.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44When the boys play it, it gets a bit rough.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49Football seems to be massive currency at the school,
0:43:49 > 0:43:51particularly for the boys, of course.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55How good you are at it, how much you know about it
0:43:55 > 0:43:57really seems to define you as a boy's boy.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59But I've talked to some of the girls,
0:43:59 > 0:44:02and they actually really want to play, they just don't have a chance.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05Right, kids.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08- Football!- Football!
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Look at Riley. I haven't even said what we are doing yet, Riley.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14The activity this afternoon is football.
0:44:14 > 0:44:15SOME CHEERS
0:44:15 > 0:44:19There's going to be a match at the end of the day.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21But you've got to practise first.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25I'd like you to practise together in mixed teams, all right?
0:44:25 > 0:44:28So how about everyone to this side go and practise over there.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32Everyone that side go and practise over there as one team, OK?
0:44:32 > 0:44:34Come on.
0:44:34 > 0:44:35The children couldn't be clearer.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Boys are good at football, girls aren't.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42Handball.
0:44:42 > 0:44:43But everything I've seen so far
0:44:43 > 0:44:46says any difference is purely down to practice.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51And just like with Tangram puzzles, with practice,
0:44:51 > 0:44:55the plasticity of the brain will mean the girls will get better.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00Boys and girls have got the same bones in their legs.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02They've got the same pair of eyes.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04Actually, gram for gram, they are the same strength.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06So why are boys better at football?
0:45:06 > 0:45:07Because they do it more.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10And girls could be just as good at this age,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12if they had a chance to do that practice.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17The practice is going OK.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19The children are running around,
0:45:19 > 0:45:21with the odd example of boys helping girls.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Wait, do you want to do shooting?
0:45:26 > 0:45:28But now I want to test for a deeper change
0:45:28 > 0:45:30in the boys' attitudes to the girls.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34I'm going to offer a choice.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38And their answer will give me an idea just how far they've come
0:45:38 > 0:45:40over the last four weeks.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44Come over here if you want to learn goalie.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46OK. That was a really good practice session.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48Now it's time for the match.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52But I'm going to give you the option
0:45:52 > 0:45:54to revert back to boys versus girls.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56No.
0:45:56 > 0:45:57Do you want to do that?
0:45:57 > 0:45:58- Yes!- No!
0:45:58 > 0:46:01INDISTINCT SHOUTS
0:46:01 > 0:46:03Javid...
0:46:03 > 0:46:04Stop, stop!
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Riley, you have an idea?
0:46:07 > 0:46:09Yeah, stay in our mixed teams like this,
0:46:09 > 0:46:13because we've got a good formation and the boys always play football,
0:46:13 > 0:46:15and we'll beat the girls,
0:46:15 > 0:46:18because the girls don't play football that often.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20So I'm hearing that you'd like to stay in the mixed team,
0:46:20 > 0:46:23because otherwise the boys will beat the girls, and it wouldn't be fair?
0:46:23 > 0:46:24It will be like 12-nil.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27Hands up for who wants to stay in the mixed teams?
0:46:28 > 0:46:31One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
0:46:31 > 0:46:3311, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36And who wants to stay in the boys versus girls?
0:46:36 > 0:46:38Four of them. Five of them.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40OK, so we will stay mixed.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42CHEERING
0:46:43 > 0:46:46Let's do red to the right, and green to the left.
0:46:46 > 0:46:47Here we go, Greens.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50We're Man United!
0:46:50 > 0:46:53As I see it, this is a big moment for Riley,
0:46:53 > 0:46:55who's showing real empathy.
0:46:55 > 0:47:00He has worked out that a boys versus girls match simply wouldn't be fair.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04And that wouldn't be any fun for the girls, or the boys.
0:47:05 > 0:47:06WHISTLE BLOWS
0:47:12 > 0:47:16There were some shouts for going boys versus girls, definitely.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19And so it was surprising that it was Riley.
0:47:19 > 0:47:20I was disappointed in Riley
0:47:20 > 0:47:24when he said that preparing the picnic was for girls.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26But then, when it came to the football...
0:47:28 > 0:47:31..he's the one who tilted the children towards voting for
0:47:31 > 0:47:35staying in mixed teams, which was really nice.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40The end of the game, go and shake hands.
0:47:40 > 0:47:41Good game.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45I think girls don't play football as much cos they think boys are better.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48I liked it because it was mixed.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51I don't really get a chance to play football with the boys much.
0:47:56 > 0:47:57This is so gooey!
0:47:59 > 0:48:02Since I joined them at the start of term,
0:48:02 > 0:48:06I think the children's attitudes about what it means to be
0:48:06 > 0:48:08a boy or a girl have changed.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Although I still worry it could all just be skin-deep.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16But it just makes me wonder whether all of the changes I've made
0:48:16 > 0:48:19are still quite superficial in their minds.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22That, therefore, begs the question, will this show in the end?
0:48:22 > 0:48:25So when I come to retest them, are we going to see
0:48:25 > 0:48:28any positive differences from the beginning to the end?
0:48:39 > 0:48:41It's the last day of term.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46We're retesting the children in Graham's class.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51Looking for any changes in their ability to express emotion,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54assertiveness, self-confidence and empathy.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00To help us be sure that any differences
0:49:00 > 0:49:02are down to my interventions,
0:49:02 > 0:49:04we're also testing the neighbouring control class,
0:49:04 > 0:49:06who followed normal lessons.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11I'm excited to know if a whole term
0:49:11 > 0:49:13of trying to treat the boys and girls as equals
0:49:13 > 0:49:16has altered their thinking in any way.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21Has my experiment worked?
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Or has it all just been a bit of fun for the children?
0:49:30 > 0:49:32THEY CHATTER
0:49:34 > 0:49:36So, for the results...
0:49:39 > 0:49:43At the start of term, there was an 8% difference in self-esteem levels
0:49:43 > 0:49:45between girls and boys.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49Encouragingly, it's now only .2%.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53I think I can do anything now,
0:49:53 > 0:49:56because I know that I can be anything I want to be.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Some stuff I'm not allowed to do, but when I'm older,
0:49:59 > 0:50:01I definitely can do anything.
0:50:03 > 0:50:07No girls now describe themselves as ugly.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10Opting instead for words like "unique" and "happy."
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Boys' pro-social behaviour -
0:50:13 > 0:50:15that's their kindness to others -
0:50:15 > 0:50:17is up by 10%.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21And their ability to identify emotions has improved.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25I think the boys have been
0:50:25 > 0:50:28nicer to the girls, sometimes.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32I think boys have learned to be more caring.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35Girls' self-motivation
0:50:35 > 0:50:38has shown an increase of 12%.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41And the girls were an incredible 40%
0:50:41 > 0:50:44more accurate when asked to predict
0:50:44 > 0:50:45their scores before a test.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49I would describe a girl now...
0:50:50 > 0:50:53..more cleverer.
0:50:53 > 0:50:54More stronger.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56And more smarter.
0:50:58 > 0:51:03One of the biggest changes we've seen is in the boys' bad behaviour
0:51:03 > 0:51:06which has gone down a whopping 57%.
0:51:08 > 0:51:13I think it's better to express yourself than getting angry.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18I don't think I strop any more, because I just tell people.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22I've learned it's better to talk than strop.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29And finally, the Tangram puzzles that test spatial ability,
0:51:29 > 0:51:31after just two weeks of practice,
0:51:31 > 0:51:37we found that the top ten pupils are now five boys, and five girls.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43These results are really encouraging
0:51:43 > 0:51:45and show that the children have started to change in ways
0:51:45 > 0:51:48that may have a profound effect in later life.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50The difference between them is eight.
0:51:51 > 0:51:56But, for me, what is most striking is that all these changes have taken
0:51:56 > 0:51:59place in a matter of weeks.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03I'd love to see similar changes attempted in schools everywhere.
0:52:05 > 0:52:06You can see it in the class.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09You can see the confidence in these children
0:52:09 > 0:52:10that they didn't have before.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12Now they are challenging things a lot more,
0:52:12 > 0:52:14which I think is brilliant,
0:52:14 > 0:52:16because, of course, as they go through life, things they are told,
0:52:16 > 0:52:18and things they are told to do
0:52:18 > 0:52:21aren't always going to be things they agree with.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24Actually, I think the skills that they're picking up now, actually,
0:52:24 > 0:52:25we can challenge that.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28If they go through life, and they want to challenge those things,
0:52:28 > 0:52:31they probably feel they can now, whereas they couldn't before.
0:52:31 > 0:52:32Sh, Nancy!
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Stop, Lexi, please.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39Nancy, why aren't you doing something on your iPad?
0:52:41 > 0:52:43I don't know, you've turned these kids into monsters.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45The girls. They were never like it before.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47THEY LAUGH
0:52:50 > 0:52:52It's the end-of-term assembly...
0:52:55 > 0:52:58..and Graham and the class have prepared a special performance
0:52:58 > 0:53:00to show the other children, the parents,
0:53:00 > 0:53:03and the headteacher - Caroline Sice -
0:53:03 > 0:53:05just what they've learned.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08I'm a little nervous to see what they've come up with.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13This is our poem, Girls And Boys.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16We have learned boys can bake in the kitchen.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20Girls can go on a boat, fishing.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25Boys can be sensitive.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29And girls can be strong.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36We have learned being equal is not wrong.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39Toys shouldn't be just for girls and boys.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41Change your opinion on gendered toys.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45Cars can be liked by all, and liking blue and pink is cool.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50Boys can dance, and girls can fix.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58Boys can do make-up, and girls can do tricks.
0:54:04 > 0:54:09Any gender can build a fire pit and toast marshmallows while it is lit.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11Javid was the best at it.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16Boys and girls can make a team, and help us to achieve our dream.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Boys and girls, in confidence have grown.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23We work in mixed teams and not on our own.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26We've changed our thoughts about girl and boy roles.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29Men can wash dishes and women can drill holes.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35Boys and girls can both be caring.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37When we work, we are always sharing.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Believe in yourself, either girl or boy.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41Even if you want to be a pirate, ahoy.
0:54:42 > 0:54:43Ahoy!
0:54:44 > 0:54:47ALL: We gender fix, it's true.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50If you make a change in you.
0:54:50 > 0:54:51APPLAUSE
0:54:55 > 0:54:57That was good. That was what we meant.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59That was good.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05It's really good to hear that
0:55:05 > 0:55:08the children have taken so much on board.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10I'm Javid, everyone, if you haven't met me before...
0:55:10 > 0:55:15But what does the headteacher think of my gender neutral experiment?
0:55:15 > 0:55:18What do you think, Mrs Sice, about potentially continuing it,
0:55:18 > 0:55:20or expanding it?
0:55:20 > 0:55:22Well, I've been really impressed with the results.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24And seeing the change in the children.
0:55:24 > 0:55:29We thought we were doing lots on being a gender neutral school, but,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32actually, it needs much more specific strategies,
0:55:32 > 0:55:34in classrooms to make that change.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36So we will be carrying it on.
0:55:36 > 0:55:42And I've already asked Mr Andre to come and teach us how to have
0:55:42 > 0:55:44a gender neutral classroom.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48So that we really make sure that boys and girls are equal in their
0:55:48 > 0:55:52confidence, in their aspirations, in their beliefs.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54Thank you, Mrs Sice.
0:55:57 > 0:55:59I would never have expected...
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Sorry, I'm going to get emotional.
0:56:01 > 0:56:02Sorry.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07I've never seen Maisy
0:56:07 > 0:56:10stand up and speak like that in front of a crowd.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12Sorry.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14How pathetic am I?
0:56:14 > 0:56:16You'd better not be filming this!
0:56:16 > 0:56:17Give me a second.
0:56:19 > 0:56:20She is, like, you know,
0:56:20 > 0:56:22"I want to be seen. I want to be heard."
0:56:22 > 0:56:26And it's brilliant because it's what we've strived for for years.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30I think what's changed about me is my confidence.
0:56:30 > 0:56:31Because it's growing.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33Before I wouldn't do something like that in front of
0:56:33 > 0:56:35the whole school. My voice would crackle.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40He's been more loving to his sister.
0:56:40 > 0:56:45So I suppose he's been more empathetic to his sister.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48And he's not so boisterous.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52I've completely changed my opinion now.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55Because now I know boys and girls can do anything they want.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00Already, it's made us think about how we're going to bring Summer up
0:57:00 > 0:57:03so that it's more gender neutral for her.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08Boys and girls aren't different, they're equal.
0:57:11 > 0:57:16The changes I've made at Lanesend aren't rocket science.
0:57:16 > 0:57:21Just a few small interventions to make sure the children are getting
0:57:21 > 0:57:24the simple message that they are all equal.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29I think every school in the country could do exactly the same.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35Look at where they were at the beginning and look at them now.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38Imagine the possibilities for all our children's futures
0:57:38 > 0:57:42if this is rolled out in every classroom, and every school.
0:57:42 > 0:57:44That's why I am excited.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48Because it's a small change, it's relatively easy to do,
0:57:48 > 0:57:51but what we have to gain is enormous.