Dundee primary schools lead the way to tackle gender inequality
Some schoolchildren in Dundee are about to benefit from a new programme designed to challenge gender stereotypes starting in the home.
Distributed free of charge to schools by Scottish charity Equal at Home, this innovative learning programme comes as a package called the Share the Chores School Tool Kit. Developed with input from teachers and included in Education Scotland’s professional learning, the programme is built around a simple card game called Share the Chores which is designed to help teachers generate discussion with children from P2 to P7 around gender inequality in the home.
The effectiveness of the programme was highlighted during a pilot last year in three Dundee primary schools. After playing the game, there was a marked shift in children’s attitudes, with the response in one class to the question, ‘Is it okay for women to do more chores than men?’ moving from 73% before the lesson to 17% after. This translated into a visible recognition of the gender imbalance in their own homes when it comes to daily chores.
Dundee First
Dundee primary schools have been quick to embrace the Share the Chores School Tool Kit. Within two days of the initiative launching,10 of Dundee’s 33 primary schools had opted in. Current funding makes the offer of free School Tool Kits available to 15 schools this year, extending to the rest of Dundee’s primary schools next year, subject to funding.
The upsides of this initiative are manifold. It interrogates the correlation between the distribution of chores in the home and domestic abuse. According to Police Scotland, Dundee has the highest incidence of domestic abuse of any Scottish city. In Norway, a study has found that there is evidence there is a correlation between gender inequality in household chores, and domestic abuse.
“Our school staff were very interested in terms of the levels of domestic abuse against women in Dundee, mindsets of parents [and] learners around gender equality, and the importance of our work as educators to create conditions for challenging conversations." Michelle MacLeod, head teacher of Glebelands Primary School.
There is also evidence of a connection between doing chores when young and later professional success and happiness. And there are also lessons in this for adults as role models. An Australian study found that the most powerful predictor of children’s gender-role attitudes is the amount of time fathers spent on housework during the children’s adolescence.
Funding
The initiative has been made possible by the generosity of four donor organisations:
The Northwood Charitable Trust, two Tayside trusts which prefer anonymity and Dundee City Council Equality and Diversity Fund.
As some funding is still available for free Share the Chores School Tool Kits, in time for the start of the 2025-26 school year, headteachers from other Dundee Primary Schools are invited to contact sam@equalathome.org.uk as soon as possible.
Anyone can donate to support this initiative. For more information visit www.equalathome.org.uk.