Social Mainstreaming for Gender Equality Organization (SMGEO) is a Non Government Organization (National Level). It has been established on 10th August, 2015 by United Republic of Tanzania under the Ministry of Community Development,Gender and Children(MCDGC) .This is a National level Organization that have allowed to works its projects in Tanzania Mainland.
SMGEO INAKUJA NA KAMPENI MPYA , IITWAYO "SEMA MTANZANIA,KUWASAIDIA WATANZANIA" ambayo inakupa nafasi yako wewe Mtanzania kutumia haki yako ya kikatiba kutoa maoni bila kuvunja sheria kwa kusaidia serikali yako na wananchi wenzako.
Tumia fursa hii adimu kusema maoni yako kwa chochote ili Tanzania na wananchi wake wasonge mbele kimaendeleo.
Chakufanya Download hiyo picha halafu andia caption au ujumbe wako kwa serikali au watanzania mwisho hitimisha kwa maneno SEMA MTANZANIA, KUWASAIDIA WATANZANIA
SEMA KWA WATANZANIA, WASAIDIE WATANZANIA.
TANZANIA NI YETU , MAONI NI MSINGI WETU
Mkurugenzi Mtendaji
Social Mainstreaming for Gender Equality Organization
P.O.BOX 6444
MOROGORO TANZANIA
+255 753599 827
smgeo2015@gmail.com
It may surprise many that, in global terms, girls make up just 52% of out of primary school age children. At the secondary level there are actuallyfewergirls out of school than boys. When averaging out the gender parity index across all countries, you will find that gender parity has actually been achieved globally in both primary and secondary education.
Given the loud cries for girls to be prioritized in education policies these facts don’t add up. Why?
For a start, many countries with large populations – in particular, India, Brazil and China – have achieved gender parity in primary education and constitute a large slice of the global pie. Global figures cover up the entrenched disparities faced by girls in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and in parts of South and West Asia and the Arab States, where populations are relatively smaller. At the secondary level, many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have disparities at the expense of boys, not girls. This, together with more conventional disadvantages faced by girls in other regions, creates a seemingly balanced global portrait.
It is a rare occasion where a global figure puts a positive gloss on a story, as is the case with gender. But the fact remains that global gender figures obscure large gender gaps in many different countries. For example, they don’t show that there are five times more countries with extreme gender disparities at the expense of girls than of boys in primary school. Nor do they show that almost half of out-of-school girls of primary school age will never set foot in a classroom, equivalent to 15 million girls, compared with just over a third of the boys. The proportions in sub-Saharan Africa are even worse.
It is precisely because of how extreme gender gaps are at the expense of girls, and how entrenched their disadvantage is that any projections for primary or secondary completion rates are so revealing. The GMR 2013/4 showed, for instance, that the poorest girls in sub-Saharan Africa would achieve lower secondary completion more than 20 years later than the poorest boys.
There is, therefore, solid reasoning behind advocates calling for girls to be prioritized. It requires an understanding of the impact that different contexts can have on gender gaps, and explains why it is that the poorest girls are the furthest behind of all. It is wrapped up in the knowledge that, in addition, girls’ education has even stronger positive effects on development outcomes.
To help visualize the complexities of this story, the EFA GMR has developed an online interactive tool to show the extent to which specific contexts influence the size of the #gender gap in different countries and regions.
It shows, for instance, that in sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest girls are almost nine times more likely never to have set foot in a classroom than the richest boys.
Click to view in dataviz
Rural young women in sub-Saharan Africa have on average spent at least five years fewer in education than men living in urban areas.
Click to view in dataviz
In the Arab States, the poorest females are almost two and a half times less likely to complete lower secondary education than the richest men.
Click to view in dataviz
In Latin America and the Caribbean, however, the graphic shows clearly that boys are at a disadvantage: 55% of boys compared to 63% of girls in rural areas complete lower secondary education.
Click to view in dataviz
The figures used in this tool are taken from the EFA GMR’s Worldwide Inequalities Database on Education (WIDE). It is a crucial instrument for understanding the real impact of disadvantages such as gender, wealth, language and location on unequal education outcomes in countries around the world. It shows that what may seem one story on the surface is another story in reality. It illustrates how an equity perspective can help us to better analyse progress towards the new post-2015 education agenda.
Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.
From the right The SMGEO executive secretary Mr Bonifasi Mhanga and Managing Director of SMGEO Mr Eric Samuel continues with their daily activities at Dar es Salaam., Tanzania.
Inequality between women and men has been clearly identified as one of the causes blocking development over the last two decades.
It is often difficult to establish evidence based causal links between impacts of gender inequality on a country’s development because of the lack of available sex-disaggregated data.
And because of limited data, we also can’t capture the complexity of gender inequality in different contexts (such as looking at the gender specific effects of public investment cuts for example).
One way to measure gender inequality is to look at the differences for women and men in areas such as education, health, decision making and access to economic opportunities.
Analysis based on quantitative data reveals that considerable progress has been made in terms of women’s access to education and healthcare in different regions.
However, this level of analysis doesn’t show how gender inequality influences policies. This is why we decided to dig deeper.
For instance, increasingly, many governments in this region decided to invest in education, in part to encourage participation in the labour market – which would then boost economic development.
However, most investments supported by education policies are gender blind: data from all countries in the region reveal that investments in education produce distinct outcomes for women and men:
Women outnumber men in universities
Working women have higher university degrees than men
But investments in education are not directly leading to women participating in the labour market. On average, in the region, women represent 44 percent of the workforce.
So, why is it that the gains in women’s education don’t increase the number of women in the workforce? And how can we change it?
The reason why investments and education policies are producing different outcomes for women and men is because they happen in societies where gender inequality is deeply entrenched.
Gender inequality is often driven by existing gender stereotypes that determine how we perceive the roles of women and men in society.
Investment in education can actually reinforce existing patterns of gender inequality.
In university, women are typically over-represented in subjects such as health, social science and education, and consequently, these choices influence their job choices, and in the long run, their competitiveness in the labour market.
Women also tend to be over represented in public employment (health, education), and consequently, they are less likely than men to be re-employed in similar jobs in the private sector, putting them at a disadvantage if they lose their job – not to mention increasing state investment in social benefits.
In a time of the financial constraints, this situation represents a waste of resources and consequently, impedes development progress.
Even though the loss cannot be estimated in actual cash terms and detailed impact cannot be established for each country because of limited data available in the region, we wanted to give it a try.
Our organization has started to establish campaign and project on gender issues and development in Tanzania Mainland.
But still, for centuries there have been women who were determined and did prove all the doubters wrong.
Here are some of the biggest achievements in science done by women.
1) Discovered two elements and died from the cause – Marie Curie
Marie Curie (Picture: Underwood Archives/Getty Images)
She quite literally lived and died for her work. Marie Curie discovered two radioactive elements – polonium and radium – and won two Nobel prizes before succumbing to radioactivity exposure in 1934.
To this day her notebooks are too radioactive to handle without specialist equipment. The Marie Curie charity that provides care and support to people with terminal illnesses and their families is named after her.
2) First female qualified doctor – Elizabeth Anderson
Cartoon from Punch in 1865 examining attitudes towards female doctors (Picture: Oxford Science Archive/Print Collector/Getty Images)
Elizabeth was inspired to become a doctor after meeting the first female doctor in the U.S, Elizabeth Blackwell, giving her a resolute determination to become a doctor herself, despite all obstacles.
When no medical school would allow her to study alongside male doctors, she attempted a number of strategies to become qualified. As a nursing student at Middlesex Hospital she would sneak into medical lectures, and even got herself banned from classes with male colleagues after complaints.
Even after she got a medical degree in Paris, she wasn’t allowed on the British Medical Register until an act legalising women entering the profession was passed.
A lesson in never giving up.
3) Worked on the first atom bomb – Chien-Shiung Wu
Physicist Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu standing amidst tubes of a particle accelerator at Columbia University. (Picture: Robert W. Kelley/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Often referred to as the First Lady of Physics, Chien-Shiung has become known for her work on the Manhattan project that led to the first and so far only use of nuclear weapons in warfare.
She caught the attention of the U.S. government for her work in nuclear fission and was invited to work on the project at Columbia University. She helped to develop a process that enabled large extractions of uranium to be used as the bomb’s fuel.
After WWII, she remained at Colombia until her retirement.
4) Developed the drug that first gave hope to people with HIV and AIDS – Gertrude B Elion
Gertrude Elion gave many hope (Picture: Wikipedia)The treatment of HIV has come a long way since the 1980s epidemic, and that’s partly down to this woman.
After her retirement in 1983, she oversaw the adaption of azidothymide, which would become the first drug to be used to treat AIDS.
In particular, it reduced the replication of the virus in a person’s system and prevented transmission between mother and child during birth.
5) Discovered comets and was the UK’s first female recognised scientist – Caroline Hershe
Engraving showing the astronomer Caroline Herschel (Picture: SSPL/Getty Images)
The German British astronomer’s most significant contributions to science were a number of comets, including the periodic comet 35P/Herschel–Rigollet, though she is remembered also for being the first woman to be recognised and paid for her achievements, being awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Oh, and she lived until she was 97. What a badass.
6) First person to be accepted in chimpanzee society – Jane Goodall
She knew how to make friends among the primates (Picture: LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)
Her groundbreaking research and unusual methods have brought her criticism and praise alike.
During her 55-year-study of chimpanzees and their behaviour in social and family situations, contemporaries expressed concern over her method of naming the animals she was examining instead of numbering them.
She observed human behaviours among chimpanzees, including hugs, kisses and pats on the back.
7) Paved the way for IVF treatment – Anne McClaren
Millions of families have this woman to thank for their ability to have children (Source: Wikipedia)
Parents everywhere who needed medical help to conceive their much-wanted children have this woman to thank.
Her work as a leading figure in developmental biology, such as mouse embryonic transfer, helped to develop the techniques used in human IVF.
A firm believer in family time, as a professor she always ticked off married students working late in the laboratory, insisting they should be at home during the evenings.
Every woman has her own definition of success. But there are certain traits that most successful women share.
I spend a good part of my work day reading and writing about women who have achieved great things — and I make it a point to surround myself with women who are well on their way to doing so.
Here are 12 things I’ve learned that successful women do differently:
1. They are deeply passionate about what they do. “Without passion, all the skill in the world won’t lift you above craft,” wrote dancer Twyla Tharp in her book, The Creative Habit. If you don’t love what you do, you’re probably not going to be motivated to go above and beyond, to innovate and to stand out in the workplace. But if you’re passionate about your career, it will make putting time and effort into it pleasurable, not a chore.
2. They don’t expect perfection — of themselves or those around them. Research has shown that wasting time and energy trying to be “perfect” only leads to unhappiness. Successful women know that that they can’t do everything well all the time. Beating yourself up for your perceived flaws will only dampen your abilities at work, not to mention your mental health. “We each, if we’re lucky, will have our chance to leave a mark on the world, but we are trying too hard to be perfect,”wrote Barnard president Debora Spar in an op-ed for Glamour magazine. “So don’t emulate Wonder Woman; think about what’s wonderful to you instead. Then boldly, audaciously, joyfully, leave the rest behind.”
3. Often, they become the boss. Many successful women have figured out that if you’re the boss, you can set your own rules. As editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Joanna Coles said at the Third Metric Conference in June: “The higher you go in a corporation, the easier it is ... The truth is you get more control.” And when you’re in control, you have the ability to create a more sane, happy and balanced workplace for yourself and your employees.
4. They marry well — or not at all. Successful women know the value of a true partnership. As Sheryl Sandberg observed in Lean In: “I don’t know of a single woman in a leadership position whose life partner is not fully — and I mean fully — supportive of her career.” And many successful women forgo marriage all together. Despite not being wed, women like Oprah Winfrey, Condoleezza Rice and Diane Keaton seem to be doing just fine.
5. They believe that they will be successful. Not to go all “If you build it, he will come,” on you, but believing in your own success — no matter how crazy your idea might seem — is integral to achieving it. Kay Koplovitz, founder of the USA Network, echoed this sentiment in a July interview. “You have to be comfortable that you can think your way through and actually execute your way through to the desired outcome,” she said. “I expected to be successful.” Bottom line? Confidence — and faith in yourself — is key.
6. They’re not afraid to take risks. Sheryl Sandberg says that all women should ask themselves the question: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Affecting change — in your career and beyond — requires the ability to stop playing it safe every once in awhile. Successful women don’t make reckless decisions, but they do know how to take a calculated risk. Sandberg took her own advice, and wrote the bestseller, Lean In.
7. They know that failure goes hand-in-hand with success. “Failure is not the opposite of success but a stepping stone to success,” was the advice given to Arianna Huffington by her mother, Elli Stassinopoulos. Successful women know that you can’t excel all the time, and that an inevitable part of taking leaps in your career is falling down sometimes. For example, 12 publishers rejected J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book. But that didn’t stop her from continuing to send it out.
8. They take care of themselves physically. “My morning run is when my head is most clear and when I synthesize all of the things that are going on in my head,” Jessica Herrin, founder of Stella and Dot, told The Huffington Post. Many successful women have spoken about the value of regular exercise — not because they are trying to be thin, but because they know that exercise relieves stress, releases endorphins and increases energy. “If I didn’t run, swim, or lift weights, I almost certainly would have killed someone by this point in my life,” wrote Debora Spar.
9. They know that their to-do lists will never be completed, and they’re okay with that. Sometimes you can be more productive by accepting that you’re simply not going to get everything done. Learning to let go of certain goals, responsibilities and tasks can be difficult, but freeing. Arianna Huffington has spoken about how finally allowing herself to cross unrealistic goals off her lifelong “to do” list — in her case, learning German and becoming an expert skiier — relieved her of a huge burden. “Getting rid of the anxiety of perpetually unmet expectations was so great,” she said.
10. They make sure to schedule alone time. Research has shown that women tend to prioritize domestic responsibilities such as housework and child care over themselves. Successful women know that they need to schedule alone time the same way they plan meetings, family dinners and networking events. “I’ve found if I don’t literally put pen to paper (or create a Google calendar appointment) and carve out an hour for myself, it never happens,” Mary Kate McGrath, editor in chief of PureWow told The Daily Muse in March. “So that’s what I do. I literally invite myself to manicures or an extra 20 minutes in bed, and I’ve been known to take myself out for a Manhattan once in a while, too. (I’m a great date.) And my new rule: I’m not allowed to cancel on myself.”
11. They know how to foster genuine relationships — and keep them strong. Having a support network is key to being successful. Keeping up your friendships and forming new ones at every place you work makes you happier and helps your career later on. In 2009, Diablo Cody told the New York Times about the importance of her relationships with fellow female filmmakers Lorene Scafaria, Dana Fox and Liz Meriwether. “They helped me be excited for things when I was kind of shellshocked,” she said. “They were the ones who had to literally take me aside at the ‘Juno’ premiere and say: ‘This is fun. You will never forget this. Please enjoy yourself.’”
12. They express gratitude to those around them. No woman’s success happens in a vacuum. Wildly successful women acknowledge those that support them every day — both in their home lives and at the office. And that graciousness not only makes them better people, but fosters loyalty from their employees. Oprah is one powerful woman who understands the value of appreciating her employees. In 2009, she took her entire staff and their families on a Mediterranean cruise.
we need to be full in love and real in action about our heart to avoid divorce and break up in relationship.
love means prove how you care unconditionally.
Dr.Reginald Mengi , Managing Director of IPP Media is a role model because he has been helping vulnerable groups such as lame, deaf, mentally disadvantaged as well as albinos.
Dr.Reginald has been helping these vulnerable groups food, money and even, the support of education to make them fulfill their dreams without checking the status they have as a community considered to be unable to grasp.
We as an Gender Organization we recognize his contribution to these vulnerable groups.
We ask others to imitate the example of Dr. Reginarld Mengi lot to help the people of special groups
Managing Director
SMGEO
BOX 6444
Morogoro, Tanzania
smgeo2015@gmail.com
The leader is a role model in matters of care of children and especially gender equity in household responsibilities.
This is our Minister for Home Affairs of the United Republic of Tanzania, who has demonstrated a model and know the community level where gender roles, carrying a child with great pleasure.
Every leader is responsible to ensure that the example of role model to take an example from this Minister to reality and acts primarily convince the issue of social importance and benefits of gender equality in our society to begin in our families.
Gender equality is everyone's responsibility, a leader and has considered various organizations to ensure the development of women and men in society without discrimination and oppression.
WATU wengi wamejaribu kuwashawishi wengine jinsi wanavyofikiri kufanya kwa kuzungumzia zaidi kuhusu mambo yao. Waache na wengine wazungumze.
Kwani wanajua zaidi kuhusu shughuli zao na matatizo kuliko unavyodhani. Kwa hiyo ni vema uendelee kuwauliza maswali ili waweze kukwambia mambo machache wanayoyajua.
Watu wengi hujikuta wakiingilia kati pale ambapo hawakubaliani na mazungumzo ya mwingine. Lakini wewe usifanye hivyo. Ni hatari. Hawatakusikiliza wakati bado wana mawazo yao mengi ya kueleza.
Hivyo ni vema kusikiliza kwa utulivu na kuweka kumbukumbu kile kinachozungumzwa. Kuwa mtulivu katika hilo. Watie moyo kuelezea mawazo yao yote.
Je, unafikiri utaratibu huo ni mzuri? Hebu tumuangalie mfanyabiashara. Kulikuwa na mfanyabiashara moja ambaye alikuwa akitafuta soko kwa ajili ya biashara yake, kabla ya kumwona mhusika mkuu wa ofisi aliyokuwa anakwenda, alipata tatizo la kukaukiwa na sauti yake.
Alipopata nafasi ya kuonana na Mkurugenzi huyo wa kampuni aliyokwenda, aliandika kwenye karatasi kumweleza kuwa sauti yake imekauka na kumuuliza kama wanaweza kuendelea katika hali hiyo aliyonayo na mhusika yule akamwambia kwamba wanaweza kuendelea na mazungumzo yao.
Hivyo, alitoa nyaraka mbalimbali za uthibitisho wa bidhaa zake, ambapo Mkurugenzi yule alipokuwa akizipitia alikuwa akitabasamu kwa kuonyesha kuwa anakubaliana na bidhaa hizo.
Alimpongeza mfanyabiashara huyo kwa kuwa na bidhaa nzuri na kuamua kusaini naye mkataba. Baada ya kutiliana saini, mfanyabiashara alisema tangu aanze biashara yake hiyo hajawahi kupata kazi yenye mkataba wa fedha nyingi kama ulivyo huo.
“Ninajua kuwa ningepoteza mkataba huu kama sauti yangu isingekauka, kwa sababu nilikuwa na mawazo tofauti katika mazungumzo yote tuliyoyafanya.
“Nimegundua kuwa kukauka sauti kwangu kwa bahati mbaya, kumenipatia utajiri mkubwa, hivyo wakati mwingine ni vyema kuwaacha watu wengine wazungumze,” anasema mfanyabiashara huyo.
Kuwaacha watu wengine wazungumze kunasaidia katika mazingira ya familia pia kwenye biashara. Mfano mwingine ni wa mama mmoja na mtoto wake Lilly ambao walikuwa hawana mahusiano mazuri.
Lily alikuwa ni mtoto mkimya asiyependa kuzungumza, lakini alikuwa hana uhusiano mzuri na mama yake wakati wa ukuaji wake, kwa kuwa mama yake alikuwa akimtishia na kumwadhibu pasipo sababu za msingi.
Kutokana na adhabu hizo mtoto huyo alikuwa akimwangalia tu mama yake, na mama huyo alipokuwa akimgombeza mtoto huyo alimwangalia tu na kuondoka eneo hilo.
Siku moja mama huyo aliwaambia wenzake kuwa mtoto wake amemshinda hivyo amenawa mikono juu yake. ” Mtoto huyu amenishinda amekuwa akiondoka nyumbani na kwenda kwa rafiki yake wa kike bila kuaga, lakini aliporudi nilikosa nguvu ya kumwadhibu tena, nilimwangalia kwa huzuni na kumuuliza kwa nini Lilly unafanya hivi?,” anasema mama huyo.
Kwa maelezo ya mama huyo, mtoto wake alimwangalia kwa upole na kumuuliza, “Je ni kweli unataka kujua?,” mama huyo anasema kwanza alimwangalia mtoto wake na kuanza kupatwa na wasiwasi, baada ya muda wasiwasi huo ukatoweka. Hakuwa tayari kumsikiliza, japo amekuwa mara nyingi akimwambia mtoto huyo kufanya kile na kile.
Mama huyo anasema wakati mtoto Lilly alipokuwa anamweleza mawazo na hisia zake, aliingilia kati na kutoa mamlaka nyingi kumzuia asiendelee kuzungumza.
Lakini mama anasema aliaza kutambua kuwa mtoto huyo alimhitaji, si kwamba awe kama mama ambaye anajiona ni bosi, lakini mwenye ujasiri na hayo ndiyo matokeo ya kumchanganya katika makuzi yake. Na mtoto huyo alipokuwa akijaribu kuzungumza na mama yake, mama huyo hakuwa tayari kumsikiliza.
Baada ya kukaa na kutathmini mama huyo alijiona kuwa ana makosa katika malezi ya mtoto wake, kwani mtoto huyo alihitaji kusikilizwa na kuheshimiwa mawazo yake. Tokea siku hiyo mama huyo alimwacha mtoto wake kumweleza hisia zake na aliweza kumsikiliza.
“Tangu wakati huo na kuendelea nimekuwa nikimwacha mtoto wangu azungumze kile anachotaka. Ananishirikisha mambo yake na uhusiano wetu umeanza kuwa mzuri, amerudi kuwa mtu wenye ushirikiano,” anasema mama huyo.
Hivyo, ni jambo zuri kwa wazazi kuwa karibu na watoto wao, kujua nini wanapenda, upungufu wao na jinsi gani anaweza kumrekebisha kwa hekima pasipo kutumia jazba wala kujionyesha kuwa yeye ni bosi hivyo mtoto anapaswa kumsikiliza kwa kila jambo.
Malezi bora ni pale wazazi na watoto wanapoelezana jambo kwa uwazi, hekima na kusikilizana hata kufikia mwisho wa jambo lenyewe. Ni vema kutoa nafasi kwa wengine nao waweze kutoa mawazo yao.
How do our kids learn about how men and women behave? In part, by watching us, but they pick up ideas from outside the home too, attitudes and stereotypes that we might not agree with.
Like last night my son told my wife about a sorting game that he enjoys playing at school, in which fruits and vegetables get separated into different baskets, and boys’ clothes and girls’ clothes stacked in different drawers. What’s the difference between “boys’ clothes” and “girls’ clothes,” my wife asked him. He said the boys wear pants that are blue and shirts that are green, while girls wear pink dresses. She explained that she didn’t have any pink dresses, while he owns a pair of pink crocs, and she also wears blue jeans. “Oh yeah,” he admitted. “But I like playing the game anyway.”
That’s fine, I think, because sometimes at home he pretends to be a princess with a crown, in a dress. He sees his mom working in the garden in scuffed-up jeans and tee-shirts, getting her hands dirty without complaint, while I don an apron to wash dishes or make dinner. My wife and I don’t hold to stereotypical gender roles — she’s the breadwinner, working full-time, while I’ve been the stay-at-home dad for the past 5 years — and so even though restrictive ideas about gender sometimes slip in, they’ve yet to take hold in my son’s head, and hopefully they won’t. Actively resisting such stereotypes is a part of our family’s culture.
The CBC reports that a recent study by the University of British Columbia shows that the family’s culture is key to a child’s development of gender identity. For mothers, the correlation is direct: How a mother talks about gender equality is basically how her children will speak about gender equality. For fathers, that wasn’t the case, at least not when there’s a daughter in the picture. When it comes to dads and little girls, actions speak louder than words.
The study, which looked at 326 children aged seven to 13, found that if a man was seen performing a greater share of the cooking, cleaning, and childcare — chores traditionally performed by women — then his daughter was less likely to say she wanted to pursue a stereotypical female career such as teaching or staying-at-home with her kids. Instead, his daughter would aspire to professional, white-collar jobs such as being a doctor or a lawyer. Keep in mind that this doesn’t indicate what the girls will actually grow up to do; that’s not what it’s about. Rather, it shows that the dad’s behavior around the home affects the girl’s ambition.
Interestingly, there was no perceived effect on boys, who aspired to gender-stereotypical careers no matter what role their father played in the house. I’d be curious to know what little boys who have stay-at-home dads would say. My son models himself on me all the time, so if I’m vacuuming he wants to vacuum, or if I like kicking around a soccer ball (which I do) then he will too. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he says a writer and a dad, like me.
As I’ve written before, toys can impact how kids perceive gender as well. If your children have no female action figures to play with, then they’re going to develop ideas that all heroes are boys. There’s good news from LEGO on this front. LEGO announced that their next Ideas set will feature women in science — an astronomer, a paleontologist, and a chemist. This set won a voting competition over ones based on the TV shows Sherlock and Adventure Time, and the video game The Legend of Zelda. The set will be called LEGO Research Institute, and is based on the belief that, as the designer of the set Alatariel Elensar wrote in her proposal, “Girls can become anything they want.”
Indeed they can, but sadly, our children need reminding. So keep talk actively about gender in your house! Discuss how men and women can be anything they want to be, especially if you find your children coming home with ideas that say otherwise. Encourage them to play with all kinds of toys, and make sure that they have both men and women figures to pretend with. And, most importantly, I think, show them that men and women both have roles to play both in the house, and in the workplace. Split the housework as much as possible. It’s my hope that someday news of women action figures won’t be news at all, it’ll just be the norm.
![Gertrude Belle Elion (January 23, 1918 - February 21, 1999)[1] was an American biochemist and pharmacologist, who shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with George H. Hitchings and Sir James Black. Working alone as well as with Hitchings and Black, Elion developed a multitude of new drugs, using innovative research methods that would later lead to the development of the AIDS drug AZT Source: Wikipedia LINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_B._Elion](https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/ad_184427207.jpg?w=620&h=746&crop=1)
