The Sexualization of Early Childhood

After reading this week’s resource The Sexualization of Childhood by Diane Levin, I feel compelled to counterbalance the highly sexualized environments children are being raised in that are based on gender stereotypes created by society that are encouraged in the media and marketing.  According to Levin, ‘’children’s idea about what it is to be a boy and girl and about the nature of sex and sexuality develop gradually and are greatly influenced by the information provided by their environment’’ (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, & National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2010, p. 96).  These stereotypes about gender provide children with a narrow definition of gender and sexuality that focus predominately on appearance.  As a result, children are learning to treat themselves and others as objects.  Instead of children focusing on trying to fit the mold for gender and sexuality that society has created, children should be exposed to engaging in positive age appropriate learning experiences that provide them with a healthy foundation for future sexual relationships. 

                In today’s society, the media markets violent toys and games that are geared to boys.  For example, while watching Ninja Turtles on television, the majority of the commercial advertisements were for guns or battle type toys that fight each other that focused on enticing boys.  But when I changed the channel to My Little Pony the commercial advertisements were mainly Barbie’s, dolls, and house cleaning toys.  I found this to interesting because there are so many gender stereotypes within the advertisements that influence boys to be aggressive in their play while influencing girls to prepare for motherhood and wifehood.  I remember growing up seeing the Lincoln Log commercials that showed both boys and girls playing with them, but when I watch television now with my daughter most commercials tend to focus on one gender at a time instead encouraging children to engage with toys that they find interesting.  This epidemic of gender focused toys is influencing fathers to think their sons cannot play with dolls even though their sons are mimicking how their fathers treat them.  I find it ironic that the media encourages girls to be good mothers through the toys they expose them to in the media, while boys are not encourage to be good fathers. 

                Gender stereotypes and sexualization affect the healthy development of children due to fact that these stereotypes affect children’s social identities as well as how they view others. Gender stereotypes and sexualization contribute to children developing gender roles that are deemed social appropriate for their gender.  As an attempt to counterbalance the gender stereotypes and sexualization children are exposed to in their environments, we as early childhood professionals can encourage children to show respect for their bodies; read books about the body to familiarize children with all aspects of it; help children develop a wide range of behaviors that get beyond stereotypes; and work at all levels to create a society that supports the healthy sexual development of children as well as limit the ability of corporations to use sex to sell to children (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, & National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2010).

Concluding this week’s learning materials, I feel more aware of the sexualization and how it influences children’s development.  I was completely aware of the increasing sexual content children are being exposed to, but I was not fully aware of how to address this epidemic in my early childhood education program outside of discussing the importance of equality.  The resources provided me with information that I can use in my early childhood education program when addressing the issue of sexualization and gender stereotyping.  For instance, I can talk with children about gender anatomy; help children distinguish between anatomy and identity; work sensitively with families; help children try out new learning centers; establish nonsexist routines and experiences; and build children’s skills for thinking critically and taking action (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, & National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2010). 

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., Edwards, J. O., & National Association for the Education of Young Children (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children