My year one entry about the preliminary direction and isues around my research on the development of gender response and emotional awareness of young children through the medium of stories.

  

From the poster exhibition the following points were raised:

1. The rising concern for mental health and well-being, with over 10% of school children ( 0 -18 yrs) suffering from mental health problems in this country.
2. The initiatives being carried out with young fathers or male carers to encourage engagement in sharing stories with their young children and of bonding amongst themselves within a female-dominated environment.
3. When discussing different families and developing an inclusive approach, bias and misconceptions need to be addressed to prevent further discrimination and children being placed in vulnerable positions as society moves on from purely traditional family arrangements and infrastructures.
4. The political aspects of gender and how these contrast greatly in different cultures, for instance in many Eastern countries it is a far cry that girls' achievements on average are higher in language and communication than of boys. This raises the social implications of culture and the questioning of values that are being transmitted to children.
5. The concrete ceiling for women with young families and career choices; for centuries it has traditionally been expected that women give up or forgo their careers to stay-at-home and raise their children and that these attitudes can be fixed. Men are very exposed if they do partake in child care by absence from the work-face, and to develop more liberated perspectives requires re-negotiation of role and status.
6. The desirability for children to have opportunities to discuss and experiment with aspirations and roles, particularly for girls and the fiscal aspects of raising families. This challenges Foundation Stage settings as many of the Early Years staff are paid minimal salaries and credited with low status.