We asked little kids what they think about sexism

In the crappy year that was 2016, we’ve had to employ the word sexism far too many times to point out the corruptness of the patriarchal world we live in. The middle-class guy who raped an unconscious girl got a six months jail sentence, the man that said “grab them by the pussy” is now president of the United States, and let’s not forget about the idiot who thought women used tampons to control their bladders. Oh what a year it’s been.

But it’s 2017 now. We’re all older and wiser, and we’re looking to the next generation to save us from any potential future bullshit. We thought we might turn to some younger members of our society to shine a light on what their views on sexism are. So far, it’s looking pretty hopeful.

William, five

Have you ever heard of ‘sexism’ before? 

No.

Do you think boys and girls should be treated equally? 

I think boys and girls can have the same jobs, and cook the same, and also they can dress the same. I think a boy can play with girl toys, because he should be allowed to play with a Barbie if he wants to. I also think that a boy is allowed to like pink and a girl is allowed to like blue.

Is that because you think that boys and girls are equal?

“Yes. I don’t think a girl can walk alone at night because it’s dangerous. And girls are a lot more scared of things than boys. Girls are afraid of snakes and dinosaurs. But boys and girls are afraid of spiders.”

Grace, six

Have you heard of sexism before?

No.

Do you think boys and girls should be treated differently?

Some boys like some colours that girls like but not all of them. Girls and boys can play with the same toys sometimes, but only if the boy likes playing with the girl toys,  sometimes they don’t want to, but if they want to then no one should make fun of them. I like playing with some boy toys, like Lego boys, I know some Legos that have a few girls in it like Lego House and Lego Friends, but the other Legos only have boys.

Do you think boys and girls can have the same jobs?

Not exactly. Some might like to do it, but the others that don’t want to, then they don’t have to do it.

Do you think mums and dads should stay at home the same?

Only if they have a lot of work to do at home. If they have a job and a lot of work to do at their job then they can’t do the work at home.

And what do you think of Donald Trump?

Silence.

Do you know what America is?

Yes. Because I watch people on YouTube that are from America.

Do you know they elected a new president recently?

No.

Ally, 10

Do you know what sexism is? 

Sexism is when one sex thinks it’s better than the other.

Do you think that one sex does that more to the other or do you think it’s the same?

I think it’s the same.

So you think boys and girls are both equally sexist towards one another?

Yes.

Where have you heard the word sexism before?

On the television.

Do you think that they should teach you more about sexism in school?

No. Because most people already know what it is.

Did you know that women often get paid less than men to do the same job?

No I didn’t know that. That’s not right. I think it’s OK if they do a different job, but not if they do the same job.

Alex, 10

Do you know what sexism is?

So it’s like when a boy says something that is offensive to a whole gender. So for example when a boy says that girls cry a lot, that’s kind of offensive to all of the girls, because boys and girls can cry the same. Because they have the same equal rights.

Do you know that still today if a woman does the same job as a man, most often than not she will get paid less than the man?

No. I think that’s incredibly sexist because that’s saying that men deserve more money than women, and everyone is equal in the rights, and they should get paid the same, unless they work harder.

Some men would argue that women get paid less for doing the same job, because if a woman gets pregnant then she needs to stop working for a little while and she needs to take care of the baby when it is born.

I think that’s not really fair, because sometimes they still come to work when they’re pregnant and they still get paid less. I also think it’s wrong because I think the man should also take care of the baby when the baby is born.

Alena, 12

Do you know what sexism is?

It’s when one gender is rude to another gender or discriminating.

Where have you heard that word before?

In school.

Do you think one gender is more sexist than the other or do you think it’s the same?

I think it’s the same on both sides. It used to be different in the past, when women were not allowed to vote, but now it’s the same.

Do you think it’s fair that women have to pay a lot for sanitary products?

I don’t understand why they would do that because it’s not like girls have a choice. It’s not like we choose to have periods. And if you have periods then you need tampons and sanitary products, so I don’t understand why the people in the government would make us pay more for it.