Genusskapande under fri lek i grundskolan

The study seeks an in-depth understanding of how gender is being constructed in elementary school. More specifically, the essay aims at investigating the creation of gender during free play at the breaks in primary school. On the basis of this purpose, the essay sets the following questions: How is gender created during free play? How are boundaries between male and female / boy and girl established? What scopes are there for violations and breach of the gender contract? The questions are answered based on socio-cultural perspectives and gender theory. A central aspect emphasized by Hirdman is the gender contract. This theory assumes that social contexts are gender coded and governed by invisible “gender contracts” that govern how men and women should think and behave. The study is based on observations throughout the schoolyard made for a total of five days. The focus is on children in one class, from grade 1 to 3. The results confirm that children's play is gender coded and governed by norms for how men and women should behave. Boundaries between male and female / boy and girl are established both through the choice of games, and through how the children act in the different games. An interesting detail here is the way in which teachers at school changed the conditions for children's play by scheduling football games so girls and boys can play separately on certain days of the week. As regards the issue of infringements, the survey has shown that there is both an overrun of the gender contract through "interspersed gender interactions" and an enhancement of the gender contract by children themselves marking when others exceed limits and norms