"Society expects girls to be girlie, nice and pretty and boys to be manly, rough and outgoing," says Jenny Johnsson, a 31-year-old teacher. "Egalia gives them a fantastic opportunity to be whoever they want to be."
The taxpayer-funded preschool which opened last year in the liberal Sodermalm district of Stockholm for kids aged 1 to 6 is among the most radical examples of Sweden's efforts to engineer equality between the sexes from childhood onward.
Breaking down gender roles is a core mission in the national curriculum for preschools, underpinned by the theory that even in highly egalitarian-minded Sweden, society gives boys an unfair edge.
I'm curious to hear what people think of this. Is the obliteration of gender a positive or a negative in your mind?
I think that the elimination of gender roles is part of the de-population problem in Europe, including Sweden, whose women are only giving birth at a rate of 1.8 births/woman. 2.1 are needed to sustain their population.
As Sweden continues to push to eliminate social gender differences, they are going to see a decline in births/woman, because women won’t see themselves in this uniquely feminine role.
Mike,
I too wonder what impact we are having on roles that are unique for each gender. Of course, there are some who would think your impact is a good thing and that we need to slow down the population “crisis.”