Skip over main navigation
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Shop
  • Donate
  • Become a member
Fawcett Society
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Menu
  • About
    • Who we are
    • Our history
    • Our people
    • Our funders
    • Work with us
  • Campaigns
    • Coronavirus: making women visible
    • Equal Pay
    • Equal Power
    • Local and Equal
    • Smash Stereotypes
  • Take Action
    • Become a member
    • Join a local group
    • Give the gift of feminism
    • Affiliate with Fawcett
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Fundraise
    • Other ways to give
    • Partner with Fawcett
    • Shop
    • Leave a gift in your will
  • Research & Policy
    • Current projects
    • Reports & publications
    • Briefings
    • Past projects
  • News
    • News & press releases
    • Blog
    • Events
  • Equal Pay Advice Service
  • Admin
    • Log in
    • Shop
    • Donate
    • Become a member
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • #SmashStereotypes

#SmashStereotypes

Stereotypes damage us all.

Gender stereotypes strike early. From the age of six, children associate traits like ‘intelligence’ with being a boy and ‘niceness’ with being a girl.

Gender stereotypes continue to damage children everywhere – and affect their whole life. Young men and boys who hold rigid beliefs about gender stereotypes are more likely to be perpetrators of violence against women and girls. We hear from girls who have low self-esteem and feel insecure, with one in five 14-year-old girls self-harming. This is heart-breaking and it cannot continue.

Unlimited Potential

Unlimited Potential - the final report of the Commission on Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood sets out how gender expectations significantly limit our children, causing problems such as lower self-esteem in girls and poorer reading skills in boys. The report finds that stereotypes contribute towards the mental health crisis among children and young people, are at the root of girls’ problems with body image and eating disorders, higher male suicide rates and violence against women and girls.

Stereotyped assumptions also significantly limit career choices, contributing to the gender pay gap. The report also evidences that parents want to see change and sets out a number of practical solutions.

Read the report and view the full timeline - which sets out the stages at which children and infants encounter those stereotypes. 

Download the full report
Download the full press release

Download the timeline

Will you take action to stop this harm?

We asked our members and supporters to tell us how stereotypes in childhood had affected them.

What are we doing to #SmashStereotypes?

This year Fawcett has brought together experts from across sectors including education, parenting and the commercial world to establish, how as a society, we can end gender stereotyping.

The Commission is the first of its kind in the UK, and will also explore how gender stereotypes interact with other norms including race and class. It will gather evidence and promote practical solutions to challenge show why urgent action and collaboration is needed across society.

Over this year and 2020, we are going to produce research to challenge minds. We are going to share our insights with nurseries and schools. We will bring together a distinguished panel of professionals and campaigners to get the Government to finally act on this issue to change childhoods, change lives. Read more about Commission's work and research here.

Support our campaign today. Fawcett_high_street_audit_-_volunteers.docx

Our wins

  • We’re starting a national conversation – our #SmashingStereotypes campaign has gained over 2.5 million impressions on social media
  • We've set up the first Commission of its kind, bringing together experts across industries to build a consensus on tackling gender stereotypes together
  • Our campaigns are grounded in evidence, we’ve published research on the whole picture impact of gender stereotypes and why we need to end them for good

 Will you help us change childhood and change lives?

Published: 19th August, 2019

Updated: 5th January, 2021

Author: Heenali Patel

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • "I wish my manager had the tools and confidence to protect me." Fawcett Society's call for evidence into workplace sexual harassment

    Fawcett society have released a call for evidence around workplace sexual harassment. Here's why employers are

  • 62% of disabled mothers and 53% of single parents are worried about making ends meet this Christmas

    62% of disabled mothers and 53% of single parents are worried about making ends meet this Christmas

    New data analysis shows the financial pressures facing families over the Christmas period with a majority of single parents, larger families and disabled parents concerned about being able to afford presents for their children.

  • Mothers on the lowest incomes are eight times more at risk of losing their job due to school closures in the UK

    Mothers on the lowest incomes are eight times more at risk of losing their job due to school closures in the UK

    New data analysis shows the significant financial implications of school closures.

  • Call for Evidence: Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

    Call for Evidence: Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

    We want to hear from women who have who have experienced workplace sexual harassment about how their employer responded and what they thought about the response.

Most read

  • Who we are

    Who we are

    The Fawcett Society is the UK’s leading membership charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights. If you believe in a society where no one is prevented from reaching their full potential because of their gender, join us today.

  • Work with us

    Work with us

    We are a dynamic, friendly team in a supportive and caring working environment. We particularly welcome applications from BAME, LGBT, disabled and older applicants.https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/manager/news.aspx

  • Join our movement for women's rights

    Join our movement for women's rights

    We campaign for gender equality. At home, at work, and in public life. Join us — become a Fawcett member today!

  • Close the gender pay gap

    Close the gender pay gap

    Did you know it will take 100 years to close the gender pay gap at current rates? We cannot afford to keep going backwards.

  • Equal Pay

    Equal Pay

    The Equal Pay Act in the UK is not fit for purpose. We're calling to end pay secrecy with a legal 'Right to Know'. The time for change is now.

  • Sex Discrimination Law Review

    Sex Discrimination Law Review

    How do we make equality law in the UK fit for the 21st century? Create a fairer and more equal society by supporting our Law Review.

  • Our history

    Our history

    Millicent Fawcett began campaigning for women’s equality in 1866, and was instrumental in achieving first votes for women in 1918. At The Fawcett Society, we’ve continued her legacy of fighting sexism through impactful research and hard-hitting campaigns for over 150 years.

  • THE GENDER PAY GAP SERIES

    THE GENDER PAY GAP SERIES

    We are hosting a series of Gender Pay Gap reporting events to help businesses drive positive change. Watch video clips and download speaker slides from each event here.

  • Find a local group

    Find a local group

    We’re delighted to have a growing number of active and effective local women’s rights meet ups, who work in the local community to enforce change and campaign on our behalf. Their work is invaluable to Fawcett.

  • Our staff

    The Fawcett team is based in Vauxhall, south London, and is supported by a team of volunteers and temporary staff. Read more about us and how you can get in touch here.

Tag cloud

attitudes benefits CARE Equal Pay Act equal power equal representation gender pay gap money Parliament Power sex equality law sexism Women and politics women in Parliament women in workplace workplace inequality

Latest tweet

Sign up for our newsletter

Hear more about our latest activities, including fundraising, upcoming events and how to get involved with our campaigns. Read more about how we use your data here.



If you are looking for help or support on a particular issue, including pregnancy discrimination, FGM or domestic violence, please click below.

Help for individuals

Contact us

Registered address: Studio 222 , China Works, 100 Black Prince Road, London, SE1 7SJ

Sitemap
Terms & conditions
Privacy policy
Exercise your data rights


© Copyright The Fawcett Society 2020. Registered charity no.1108769. Limited company registered in England and Wales no. 04600514

We wouldn't be able to do it without you

We've come so far in a century of campaigning for gender equality, but our work isn't over yet.

Without our members we simply wouldn’t have the funds or the voice to make real change and progress on key issues such as sex discrimination, the gender pay gap and women’s representation in public and political life.

Join today

Inspire others: Volunteer with Future Fawcett

2018 marks 100 years since women first secured the right to vote, and we're marking it by launching Future Fawcett, an education outreach programme to inspire young people through our suffrage history, and teach them about women's rights today.

We need volunteers to make it happen. Are you ready to inspire the next generation of feminists?

Volunteer today
Woman holding box with cakes, reading

Fundraise with Fawcett

We don't want to see the clocks go back on women's rights. We need your help to stop that from happening.

From holding a gender pay gap bake sale to running a marathon, there are so many ways you can raise vital funds for us. Every penny will go towards making Britain a fairer society.

Fundraise today

Don't let the clock turn back on women's rights. Donate today.

We've been fighting for over 150 years to win hard-earned rights for women living in Britain. With Brexit on the horizon, it's more important than ever that we stand together to defend them. Will you stand with us, and help end gender inequality for good?

Donate now