Genderless School in Sweden Bans the Use of ‘Him’ and ‘Her’

In a bid to break down gender stereotypes and offer boys and girls the same advantage in life, one bold project in Sweden is going for a totally gender-neutral environment for pre-school children. To do that, the Egalia pre-school has even banned the use of simple words like “him” and “her.”

Egalia is a one-of-a-kind (so far) project that aims to offer a gender-neutral environment for children aged 1 to 6, so that they can choose who or what they want to be later in life.

There are no boys or girls there, there are just “friends.” Teachers don’t use words like “him” or “her,” but a recently coined term that is as neutral as it gets, “hen” in Swedish.

Colors, toys and even the books available are all chosen in such a way as to not influence gender stereotypes but to help the children expand their horizon, 39Online reports.

The teachers working at Egalia claim that this is the best way to bring up children with an open mind, while also allowing them the liberty to choose their own gender without running the risk of being judges for it.

Critics, on the other hand, point out that the environment at the pre-school is too forced and controlled, which means it does nothing in terms of preparing the children for the reality waiting for them outside.

When the clash will inevitably occur, it will leave the children completely confused.

“Society expects girls to be girlie, nice and pretty and boys to be manly, rough and outgoing. Egalia gives them a fantastic opportunity to be whoever they want to be,” one teacher says, as cited by the aforementioned e-zine.

“Every detail, from the color and placement of toys, to the choice of books, has been carefully planned to make sure the children don’t fall into gender stereotype,” the publication writes.

All classic children’s stories have been replaced by stories on same-gender couples, adopted children and single parents.

“Lego bricks and other building blocks are intentionally placed next to the kitchen to make sure the children draw no mental barriers between cooking and construction,” 39Online writes of the methods used to break down gender barriers for a completely gender-neutral environment.