At what point in childhood should kids be educated about gender discrimination?  When should they be taught that men and women are equal? Children must be taught at a young age that gender shouldn’t matter, that they can be free to like any color, and play with whatever toy makes them happy.

Children are less affected by cultural norms because they are young and less aware than mature adults. It is because of this that children play with toys regardless of gender stereotyping. Both girls and boys play with Barbie dolls, and both boys and girls play with toy cars.

Children do not see the world in the same way that adults do so when a little boy picks up a Barbie doll as his toy of choice, he may not see anything wrong with it, but his father is more inclined to question it. As children grow older, they lose that naiveté and come to believe the gender roles that society has established. Such gender roles may stop a girl from playing a certain sport, or prevent this little boy from playing with a typically female toy.

Gender discrimination certainly exists and women are the group that often gets discriminated against. A study from Columbia University shows that hiring managers choose men twice as often for careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. This is surprising because you don’t see or hear a women’s name as often as men in the science or in technology fields.

From a young age, boys and girls should learn that both genders are equal and that there shouldn’t be any discrimination. Boys should be able to play with a doll and girls should be able to play with a toy car – that’s the lesson that should be preached.