PLAYING IN THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND GENDER CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

Abstract

Playing enables contact and living cultural experiences, and the notions of gender are crossed by such experiences. The transmission of moral values ​​and issues related to civilization and culture is constituted in the interpersonal relationship, and the educational environment is fundamental to guide the life individuals' experiences. This article aimed to reflect on the cultural experiences of gender-based on children's play in a day-care center in a lagoon community in the Brazilian Northeast. It is a qualitative, interventionist, and participatory action research, carried out with 20 children, 7 girls, and 13 boys, between 5 and 6 years old. Three playful workshops were analyzed that presented relevant elements about gender. In the workshops, it was observed that the female role was mostly associated with caring for the house and children, different expectations for boys and girls that are permeated by the family, and the cultural functioning of mother figure. The results pointed to the insertion of the subject in the culture also from education, from school experiences. It was questioned how toys and games can reinforce patterns of gender inequality and socially constructed stereotypes, as well as how the educational environment has the potential for transformations and new experiences without distinction of sex or gender.