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A list of feminist parenting resources for anyone

Reflections Emma Fulu Resources

Words By Emma Fulu / 27.04.2021

The other day my 9-year-old son came home from school and told me that he and his friends had started an organisation. It was called the 'Gender Women’s Rights Kid’s Organisation'! And they started it, he explained to me, because they thought that some of the content in their Italian class was sexist. I must admit that was one of my proudest parenting moments and I did a little dance on the inside.

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Books for Children

Podcasts

Websites

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Articles

Words By Emma Fulu / 27.04.2021

A light blue heart hugged by a teal ribbon with the message
Illustration of a pregnant woman sitting while talking to a man standing in front of her.

I often get asked about how to raise feminist children. You might be surprised to know that I don’t spend a lot of time preaching to my kids about the patriarchy (although I’m tempted sometimes 😊).

Instead, I tend to talk with my kids about gender issues when they come up naturally in conversation, model feminist values myself, and make sure that they are surrounded by diversity in their everyday lives.

I have found that children learn most by what they see around them and what you model, not necessarily what you tell them. So, I ask myself, what are they watching, reading and listening to? Do the main characters, authors or creators reflect the diversity of our world? For example, I don’t want my sons only watching shows about boys and my daughter only watching shows about girls. I think it is a good sign that my son listens to the podcast Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, that my daughter loves Star Wars, and they all love The Inbestigators which has a diverse cast. I also recommend going through your bookshelves. You’d be surprised how many of the protagonists in kids’ books are male. If this is the case for you, it might be time for a trip to the library.

As we know, some children are interested in imaginary games, others might be into science and building things, and others still passionate about fashion, cars or planes. Preferences should be more about personality and less about gender norms. Allowing children to see and embrace their unique identities without pressuring them into fixed gender stereotypes can bring multiple benefits. It helps them see all people as equal and starts normalising respect in every aspect of their lives. It will also give them the confidence to start challenging inequality from a young age when they see it.

But I know that teaching children about equality, inclusivity and diversity isn’t easy. We are all influenced by the gender stereotypes and harmful norms we see in politics, the media, advertising and beyond. It can be hard to escape them.

I don’t have all the answers. And I see feminist parenting as a journey that I’m going on alongside my children. But to help you on your own journey with the kids in your lives, we at the Equality Institute, have pulled together a list of resources for anyone interested in nurturing feminist children. This list is by no means exhaustive but is the result of some research and asking our community what they have found useful.

We hope you find this list valuable, and if so, please share it around!

If you would like to add resources to any of the categories, please contact us at admin@equalityinstitute.org

Books for Children

Age 0-3

Age 4-6

Age 7-9

Age 10+

For more books for children by Indigenous writers, head to our previous blog post.

'The Feminist Parent' website banner, showing a mom talking to her young daughter while both laying in bed
Photo taken from The Feminist Parent Website
Illustrations from the
Illustrations taken from Feminism is for Boys website