Challenging Gender Stereotypes in the Early Years - a complex and crucial issue. Join us to learn why and how to change the narrative.
Moray Violence against Women & Girls Partnership is delighted to host Susie Heywood, the highly-regarded author of Challenging Gender Stereotypes in the Early Years: Changing the Narrative as part of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2025.
Background
“Challenging Gender Stereotypes in the Early Years: Changing the Narrative” is a detailed guide for early years professionals on why they should, and how they can, reduce the impact of gender stereotypes on young children in their settings.
In the book Susie, and her co-author Barbara Adzajlic, demonstrate the role of gender stereotyping in fuelling problems such as violence against women and girls, male suicide, and body image issues and the limits they place on the aspirations and choices we make throughout our lives.
Susie co-created and delivered the Gender Friendly Nursery programme on behalf of NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and has delivered training, webinars and inputs to a wide range of audiences on equitable approaches to tackling gender inequality.
An experienced public health professional, Susie currently works for Public Health Scotland supporting suicide prevention activity and is part of the delivery collaborative responsible for Scotland’s suicide prevention strategy.
In the session Susie will share learning and reflections from the work she has done to tackle gender stereotyping and influence practice in early years settings. She will argue that starting in the early years is a vital part of a public health approach to eradicating violence against women and girls, and share why she feels working collaboratively across a range of sectors is the only way we can tackle the rigid gender roles which we know fuel some of the bigest issues we face in Scotland today.
This free, online session is open to all concerned about what traditional gender stereotypes do to our children - both boys and girls - and how we can minimise the long-term harm.
For more information please contact: emma.plant@moray.gov.uk