Can we avoid gendered binders?

Children's education has always been a subject of debate. If everyone has their own vision, in recent years we have been wondering about the inequality between boys and girls in learning. While the pedagogy and acquisition of societal codes take place in part in the family circle, much of the education also takes place in schools. Faced with this observation, the world of education as well as parents are questioning themselves. In a society still very gendered, where school supplies and clothing are highly categorized as "boys and girls", mentalities are beginning to evolve towards a less clear-cut vision in which children can really have a choice without it being considered deviant or different.

In this article, we ask ourselves about thea selection of the binder. Indeed, in specialized stores, this accessory by its design and colors, is very often intended either for a boy or a girl. Is it still possible to choose a non-gendered binder for your child? We conducted the survey to find out.

What is gender identity?

Before getting to the heart of the matter, it is important to understand this complex subject of gender identity. If we talk about it more and more, this notion may nevertheless remain unknown or misunderstood by some. So here's what you need to know.

First of all, the notion of genders is to differentiate between the feminine and the masculine. This results in all kinds of social norms. Unconsciously or not, when we talk about the woman or the man, we attribute in our minds well-defined roles, an adequate behavior in relation to his sex or attributes that must be had to be not marginalized. In short, this notion of woman or man somehow encloses us in codes defined by society and deprives us of a certain freedom. It is for this reason that gender identity is disputed by some. Moreover, with these accessories, toys and school supplies very gendered, the child has from the beginning a very stereotypical view of the world and therefore tends to reproduce a patriarchal model that does not necessarily have the vocation to continue in modern society.

When we talk about genders, we also talk about people who define themselves as non-binary. This means that they do not really see themselves as a woman or as a man, or that they fully assume their feminine and masculine side and therefore refuse to be categorized fully as a woman or a man.

This debate, which has been contested by one part of society, is nevertheless intended to increase freedoms and to open up certain codes that are well-established in the collective vision, and this begins with the education of the youngest.

The choice of binder: towards a non-gender selection

Just as is the case with toys or clothing, the choice of school supplies is usually dictated by gender identity. We therefore questioned whether or not it was possible to find unsized binders among all the highly categorized "girls or boys" accessories.

Schoolbags and backpacks pink for girls and blue for boys. This is the overall choice for us when we have to purchase school supplies for our young child. If that is the general situation today, it was not always the case. Indeed, in the 50s and into the 60s, whether for girls or boys, fashion was in the leather bag and the models did not make any difference in sex. It wasn't until the late 1960s that brands started to target little girls or boys specifically by creating very gendered accessories and supplies. The fashion phenomenon has since increased over the years. Nevertheless, there is now an awareness of some brands that are just beginning to create less gendered products that can correspond to both a girl and a boy. While demand for gendered products is still strong and currently dominates the market, this trend could change in the coming years. Some brands offer mixed bags as is the case for example Charro Montana backpacks, DDP, Kickers, IKKS or Kaporal bags.

Apart from the cost, quality and safety of your child's binder that you can control, the important thing is to let them choose so that they can freely select their school bag.