Familiar play: age-coded heteronormativity in Swedish early childhood education

Abstract

Focusing on children's play, the present article explores how 3-to 6year-old children (re)produce, (re)negotiate and challenge heteronormativity in a Swedish Early Childhood Education setting. The article is based on ethnographic data, focusing on (re)production of heteronormativity in a particular kind of idealized, often feminine-coded and peer-group play with a low degree of teacher participation, labelled 'Mum, Dad, Child play' by the children. Our results show that children's play is structured by certain themes, such as family and home, and certain gendered and/or age-coded positions, such as mother, father, child or baby. Age difference (child/adult) proves to be the cornerstone of the heteronormative family metaphor of the play, where the child/ baby position is central. To describe the intersections of age, gender and sexuality in our analysis, we suggest the use of the concept of age-coded heteronormativity.

Revisión sistemática sobre la socialización de género en la etapa de educación infantil

“…In this sense, in the role-playing games, girls preferred to play the role of mother, baby or sister in the little playhouse; girls who played the role of mother or older sister were in charge of the upbringing and care of the home, thus performing actions such as hugging the "children", feeding them, cleaning the house, etc. In contrast, boys preferred to play the role of the father, who was always away from home at work during play (Sotevik et al, 2019). When girls participated in boys' games, they did so as helpers to the boys, limiting themselves to the role imposed on them.…”

Early childhood education research in Europe: contexts, policies, and ideas

“…But, in this paper Hjelmér shows that even when educators try to work against gendered stereotyping, these are often pursued by young children themselves, who assume typical gendered roles during free play situations. Children's own choices may be gendered and (often) class coded (see also Sotevik, Hammarén, & Hellman, 2019;Zachopoulou, Trevlas, & Tsikriki, 2004) but this produces a difficult paradox for teachers who want to encourage children's initiative and value children's voice. The results of the study show how young children normalise what is familiar in their particular family, social and cultural contexts (with interesting differences between children from rural, and urban-cosmopolitan backgrounds), and reproduce this familiarity through play.…”

"Är han en jätte, nej han är liten, en bebis" : Ålderskategorisering i förskolan

“…På så sätt har kategorin barn mer makt än vuxenkategorin i familjelek. Barnrollerna är till skillnad från vuxenrollerna omöjliga att undvara för familjelekens handling(Sotevik, Hammarén & Hellman 2019).57 Poängen är att förhållandet mellan ålder, status och makt i barns lek i förskolan är komplext och att ålder fungerar både som tematik i lek och som en social organiseringsprincip.Ålder som exkluderings-och inkluderingsresursFörskolans åldersordning kan på olika sätt relateras till barns lek, vilket de refererade studierna ovan synliggör. Åldersordning manifesteras särskilt tydligt genom inneslutnings-och uteslutningspraktiker då äldre barn tillämpar ålder som resurs för att utesluta andra barn (Danby & Baker 1998; Löfdahl 2003, 2006, Bliding 2004; Tellgren 2004; Löfdahl & Hägglund 2006 a, 2006 b, Sheldon 2006).…”