London - A TV anthropologist has banned her four-year-old daughter from having a princess party – to stop her becoming obsessed with “girly” stereotypes.
Professor Alice Roberts, 41, claims children acquire their traits from the way they are raised, and as a result tries to avoid buying Phoebe too many pink toys or clothes.
The mother of two, who is married to field archaeologist David Stevens, said: “From a very young age, parents are pushing their boys to achieve in a way they don’t always do for girls.
“I’m sure it’s an unconscious bias – even if we think we’re not treating boys and girls differently, very often actually we are.
“I don’t think anyone is saying that we should be treating boys and girls exactly the same and that we should try to eliminate all differences. What the psychologists who do this work are saying is we should be aware of it and careful about it, especially if we think it could be limiting choices.
“It’s all about making sure you’re not constraining them by treating them in a stereotyped way – you’re not bringing them up to think they have a defined set of choices in society.”
Asked what rules she imposes in her house to tackle the problem, Professor Roberts told the Radio Times: “I’m really aware of the ‘pinkification’ of toys and clothes.
“As parents we have to tread these lines very carefully. You don’t want them to feel as if they are not fitting in with their peers, because that’s very important to them.
“One way I try to manage it is by not having a princess party for my daughter and trying to do things that are not so stereotyped. But if she’s invited to a princess party, of course I’m not going to stop her going.”
After leaving a medical career in 1998, Professor Roberts taught anatomy at Bristol University. She has presented TV shows including Time Team and Coast, and two years ago she was appointed as the University of Birmingham’s first Professor of Public Engagement in Science.
She said: “The important thing is when you look at areas like physics and you realise that only one in five A-level students is a girl. We know it isn’t about aptitude.
“It’s not viewed as a feminine subject or one suitable for females. It’s a real shame because it means children’s horizons are being limited.” - Daily Mail