


GENDER FLUID FULL
Diversify activities so that children can cultivate all the skills they need to develop their full potential.Parental support fosters high self-esteem and bolsters self-confidence. Allow children to express their creativity and explore the activities that pique their curiosity.Here are a few tips to help young people to express themselves freely:
GENDER FLUID FREE
Providing young people with an upbringing free of stereotypes promotes diversity and thereby the value of equality between women and men. This will enable them to be happy and to grow. And this in turn could lead to feelings of uncertainty, reduced self-esteem and bullying.įor these reasons, children must have access to role models in whom they can recognize themselves. For example, a young boy who would like to take dance classes could repress this passion, because it does not correspond to what society expects of him. They are often victims of discrimination, harassment and even physical violence, which is why it is critical to raise public awareness of the importance of accepting differences. Young people who do not match the stereotypes associated with their sex may feel different, sidelined and even excluded. If they are allowed to take part only in activities generally associated with their sex, they will not have an opportunity to acquire these skills.įor more information and resources on the subject, consult the Sexual diversity and gender pluralism section. In short, encouraging children to act as they wish regardless of whether their behaviours are considered “female” or “male” enables them to acquire all the skills they need for their development. These often unconscious behaviours are influenced by society’s expectations. During childhood and adolescence, young people tend to use gender stereotypes in their behaviours, attitudes and dress in order to consolidate their gender identity. Gender identity is often formed very early in life. Worrying because a boy behaves in ways said to be “girly,” or vice versa, is proof that we, too, subscribe to these stereotypes! In fact, exhibiting behaviours usually attributed to the opposite sex is quite common among children and has nothing to do with the gender they personally identify with. We should therefore not conclude that a boy who takes an interest in a “girl’s activity” perceives himself as a girl or will become gay. The deep-seated feeling that one is a girl, a boy or neither is not directly related to such things as a person’s interest in certain types of games or clothing. That being said, the more we educate all children in the same way regardless of sex, the better they will be at expressing how they really feel. In actual fact, gender identity and sexual orientation cannot be influenced by education because they are innate. Some adults mistakenly believe that girls and boys should be raised differently to ensure that they develop a gender identity that corresponds to their biological sex.
