ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of gender in shaping the early years. Popular literature abounds with advice about single-sex versus mixed-sex schools; separation of students on the basis of sex for particular activities; sex-stereotyping of school subjects; and the feminisation of teaching in this phase of development. Using case studies, the chapter seeks to debunk popular myths by presenting research into the context of gender in the early years, and the gendered experiences of children in a variety of contexts. Gender stability, that is that gender is stable across time (once a male always a male), usually occurs between the ages of three and four while gender constancy (gender is constant across time and situations) is apparent by the age of five. The hierarchy of activities by gender illustrates the implicit system of rules and expectations for individuals’ behaviour and the investment of time that influences children’s and parents’ decision-making about activities.
