Introduction

This chapter considers how, despite major advances in gender equality over the last 50 years, it continues to be important to examine the impact of gender issues in the UK and beyond, particularly if we work with young children and their families. It explores how gender issues at a macro level shape early childhood and, conversely, how what happens in the early years impacts on how society moves forward in relation to gender. It considers the problematic nature of talking about gender and considers definitions of the term ‘gender’ as a social construction, in contrast to the biological label of ‘sex’. It adopts a feminist, post-structuralist approach and introduces some key theoretical thinkers on gender who can support an understanding of the gendered discourses and behaviours observed in the early years workplace.