A Class That Turned Around Kids' Assumptions of Gender Roles!

When a real-life firefighter, surgeon, and fighter pilot drop in on a classroom, these kids have their assumptions about gender roles turned around.

This video by MullenLowe London brings us career day at a primary school in England. ​Students are asked to draw a firefighter, surgeon, and fighter pilot​, and​ are quite surprised when the women who do these real​-​life​ ​occupations join them in class.

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[yazmac]

So many comments along the lines of 'but most firefighters, pilots, surgeons are men'
THAT'S THE POINT!!
Young girls grow up thinking that these careers are not an option for them, so this video aims to change the way young girls think about themselves, reassure them they can grow up to be whatever they want.

[zammmerjammer]

I remember my mom telling me a story about how she and all her women lawyer friends would regularly get together when they were just starting out. There weren't that many of them so they all knew each other. One of them had a young school-age son. One day I think someone mentioned a male lawyer they knew and the kid was totally confused. He thought only women could be lawyers because he'd simply never seen a male lawyer. :)

[firefraction]

Wait until they ask an uber driver about the hula girl on their dashboard

[Retrver]

When one of them said she's dressed up that broke my heart

[amirsamir]

I don't see a problem here, they showed the kids that there can be girls who are surgeons, firefighters, and pilots, nothing more, they didn't lecture them about feminism and didn't blame them for drawing boys, they simply showed them that they can be something they might not think they can.

[AP-dvvk]

Very emotional to see the reality - gender inequity begins at childhood. Let’s carry on fighting and honour the women of the past who started the fight for change.

[grinreaper]

why does this have so many down votes and negative comments? I grew up with preconceived ideas that me and other women will never be firefighters, surgeons or fighter pilots, because I never saw or heard of any. I grew up with constrained ideas of what I could do, if i were a female kid in this class I might've thought differently about myself and others. I only didn't think differently because of the close minded and "anti SJW" culture people still push, in classrooms, in the comment sections of youtube videos.

[ACGreyhound]

This is awesome!! These kids are being taught that little girls can go anything, just like little boys can!

I’m a guy, and I work in corporate law and finance, but three out of my four bosses (lawyers and bankers) have been women. I think having a mix of men and women creates a stronger team and a greater range of ideas.

[emilymunn]

Honestly why are people even offended by this, it says to little girls 'look you can do it too', which is important!

[RaeisAwkward]

Gender roles are "pushed" on kids from a very early age. People don't even realise they are doing it because that's what they've been brought up with too. So teaching them that women can do these jobs that are "meant for men" - before they become older and their minds aren't as open to interpretation anymore - is important. Don't understand the message of this video? Don't fucking comment.

[alex]

Why don't we draw nurses and teachers as well? That would be interesting.

[elainemarie]

Aww, this makes me weepy.
I grew up with the Women's Liberation Movement in the 1960s & 70s, in California USA. I thought this remedied the gender inequality issues.
I was very wrong.
My mother was considered a pioneering scientist of her day, simply because she was female. She actually had to get permission from my father to "allow" her to be working (!!). Isn't that awful?
Yet, not only did she have a full-time career, but a full-time job at home, parenting six young children (she bore 6 kids in 6 years), housekeeping, and waiting on my father hand & foot.
Mom also put my father through college.
I remember learning in school that Marie Curie had discovered the element radium, but only her husband could be credited. This work of hers revolutionized the diagnostic tool of X-ray machines, and was integral to the treatment of cancers.
When I began working as a scientist myself, in 1974, I was thoroughly shocked by the mistreatment, stereotyping, and onslaught of sexual harassment, including physical assaults while on the job.
I recall undergoing psychological testing in Grade 8, because they were trying to figure out how a girl could be excelling in Math & Science. Seriously.
Saddens me, now that I'm retired, to see how children are still being brainwashed into sexism.
SMH.

[eperkeeperke]

I feel like what a lot of people are missing the context when they’re suggesting that they ask them to draw nurses or hairdressers. Yes, that would be beneficial too but there is a long history of women having to struggle to work in areas where they wanted to or even just be allowed to receive the education required for them. You can’t just forget historical context.

[KomalMadhan]

I think that it's time that people stopped assuming that these are 'male jobs' and that women can be just as good if not even better. This was a wonderful video and I'm glad that these things are being taught to children at a young age :)

[elizabethwilcox]

Amazing that in 2021, when more than half the doctors I’ve seen are women, and women populate most careers, the children haven’t yet observed that both genders perform all these roles. The young girls aren’t seeing their own possibilities yet.

[nicolewatterson]

When I was a kid, I was taught that everyone can be who they want to be. It’s just so uncommon to encounter a female Uber driver or a male ballerina which makes gender stereotypes a thing.

[meganheartbeats]

I'm a 16 year old girl who is currently training in the London fire brigade cadets and I want to become a firefighter. we still get alot of people say "fireman" and think it's weird for females to be firefighters

[Aaron_The_Wolf]

It was moving, pretty much showing you how it doesn't matter what gender your are, you can do the job if you work hard enough

[joysomepossum]

now do it with a nurse, a teacher, and a librarian.

[lordmaximus]

Kid: my firefighters called Hugh mungus
Teacher: do you think this is a joke?