Femmephobia in Kindergarten Education: Play Environments as Key Sites for the Early Devaluation of Femininity and Care

SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: https://sagepub.com

Y

15

Foreign Countries; Kindergarten; Femininity; Power Structure; Sex Role; Gender Issues; Play; Teacher Student Relationship; Teaching Methods; Classroom Environment; Disadvantaged; Caring; Learning Activities; Intentional Learning; Ethics; Student Behavior; Young Children; Gender Differences

10.1177/14639491221137902

1463-9491

In this article, the authors argue for a rethinking of kindergarten education from a critical feminist perspective. They illustrate how the devaluation and denigration of femininity and care - otherwise known as femmephobia - that permeates patriarchal societies is present in the seemingly innocent spaces of play in kindergarten. Tracing femmephobia in the spatial-material arrangements of play, teacher-student interactions during play, and children's play practices in two Canadian classrooms, the authors show how care-related activities and learning are deeply marginalized in kindergarten education. Given these findings, the authors propose a femininity-affirmative pedagogy in early learning. Specifically, they discuss the importance of intentional practice around an ethics of care. The authors argue that a refocus on an ethics of care in early childhood education is urgently needed in collective work towards social change.

As Provided

2024

EJ1428264