It happens in every playground and many girls will suffer from it for the rest of their lives.

A recurring and almost banal practice in school lessons creates a real problem for many children, especially little girls.

Children don't talk much at home. their parents about what they do in class and even less in the playground. For several years, however, work by sociologists has been carried out in school lessons to try to understand what happens during play and relaxation times, in particular to identify what could generate inequalities between girls and boys.

The work carried out by Édith Maruéjouls, geographer specializing in the question of gender, recently showed how innocuous games influence the future of girls and boys. In her work “Making I(u) Equal”, she makes the following observation: from early childhood, children often group themselves according to their gender. The boys position themselves in the center of the space, keeping the physical, sporting and noisy activities for themselves, while the girls are relegated to the sides, in fragmented areas and in discretion.

Said more simply, the boys play football or games. an activity similar to the center of the courtyard, where We show ourselves a lot, we impress, we perform, we talk about ourselves. The girls, on the other hand, are in corners, playing games. the rope jumping for example. "When we say "little girls' games," the question of the equal value of what they wear compared to boys. Basically, to chat or play dad and agrave; the mother, getting on a step or in the corners, was enough. Çthis raises a question of centrality; but also of legitimacy. of their games,” explained Edith Maruéjouls recently in Ouest-France.

This separation in the courtyard creates a symbolic separation between girls and boys which is echoed later in society. : women are over-represented in care professions (nurses, caregivers, home help, early childhood, etc.), often financially devalued. On the other hand, we find a small proportion of girls in professions where where we perform, where we lead, where we lead, where we we are valued when speaking in public.

How can we change this? For Edith Maruéjouls, it is crucial to act from a very young age to teach children to learn how to change their lives. share space in an equal manner by creating common places, thus promoting inclusion and diversity.  "The question of freedom is first of all the question of equal freedom. An example, a girl who wants to play football in the playground but who can't because the boys don't want to, can we still talk about a space of freedom? ", she also wondered in Ouest-France, adding: "What excludes you is being a girl."

She highlights the role of parents and teachers in promoting diversity, in particular making children reflect on their friendships, their games or their birthday parties. The author also offers a reflection on school toilets, suggesting a mixed approach to foster an inclusive and safe environment for children. for all children.