’Boys will be Boys—won't they?’: the attitudes of playgroup workers to gender and play experiences

Abstract

Abstract This article discusses the attitudes of people concerned with the under fives, to the subject of gender and play experiences. Playgroup workers, parents and social work staff were questioned on their beliefs about children's choices in play. Amongst the playgroup workers and social work staff there appeared to be a belief that children should be free to choose their play activities and that these choices were often influenced by gender, as biological factors make boys and girls want to play in different ways. Parents, they believed, would object to any coercion or positive discrimination in favour of girls to allow them equal access to play material. Parents, on the other hand, were anxious for playgroups to remove gender stereotyping and assumed that positive action was being taken. There appears to be a serious lack of communication between these groups.