Social Issues and Gender Discrimination in Early Childhood Education

This report delves into the critical social issues affecting early childhood education and care, with a specific focus on the Australian context. It examines the impact of economic, social, and environmental factors on young children, highlighting the vulnerability of this age group. The report analyzes the effects of gender inequality and discrimination, exploring how these factors influence children's development, health, and access to opportunities. It discusses the prevalence of child abuse and neglect, and the consequences of gender stereotypes. The report investigates the role of government policies, family dynamics, and societal attitudes in shaping children's experiences. It also addresses strategies for promoting gender equality, inclusion, and creating supportive learning environments. The report uses various sources, including government reports, research articles, and news articles, to provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges and potential solutions related to social issues in early childhood education.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
AND CARE

Contents
Answer-1...............................................................................................................................................3
Answer-2...............................................................................................................................................4
Answer-3...............................................................................................................................................6
References.............................................................................................................................................8

Answer-1
Young children are affected by the economic, social, and environmental factors in either
positive or negative way. As children are so vulnerable to the situations, they can be easily
affected by the many actions of their parents and adults. Usually, there are four main factors,
which affect the development of the child such as family life, health, child behaviour,
learning environment and the socio-economic environment (Australian government, 2019).
According to plan international, the report analyses the effect of gender inequality, early
childhood development, and discrimination (The conversation, 2016). Further, it undertakes
to analyse the effect of healthy growth and early year development of girls and boys as the
rationale of investing in the gender transformation roles. In lieu of that, it is seen that
authorities have invested in gender transforming through early childhood programmes, so that
it can break the cycle of promotion of rights of boys and girls, gender discrimination and the
advanced gender equality. Early childhood is the crucial stage of development of a human.
This is the time, when social, emotional, and cognitive skills are learned that affect the
educational achievement, wellbeing and the health. Among many communities, gender
inequality is one of the important root that causes children` poor development in early years.
Gender discrimination is the denial for the rights to health and integrity especially when girl
child suffer from low status and poor physical health and also limited access to education and
decision making which in turn affects the growth, development, and children survival. Due to
son preference, young girls often receive less nutritious food and opportunity to explore
games and their access to learning as compared to young boys. According to the research,
many countries right from the very beginning believes that boys should be prepared for their
future role as the provider and protectors. These aspects of the society and learning the rules
in regards to behaviours and the roles that has been limited for the children. Another article is
from SBS News, equality is a long way to determine for the Australian girls shown by the

survey that most feel that that are unfairly treated as compared to boys. International
Australia plan has surveyed that more than 1700 girls are aged 10 to 17 who faces the
problem of inequality and has discovered 98% believed that they are unequally treated in
sports, media and at the schools. In order to overcome these issues, the chief executive
addressed to ban sexiest advertisements, closing the gender pay gap and removing the
gendered school uniforms. More than half of the girls says that they do more housework than
boys while both goes to the same school (Australian government, 2019). Sports and the
media are where most of the inequality is felt the most. Less than 10 percent of 25 to 17 years
girls where boys in sports are treated same as in media and sports. It is observed that four out
of five girls are more focused towards studies as compared to boys. Nearly half of the teenage
girls proved that perception for the girls and the boys have changed as they have started the
high school. Further plan reported that all the schools tackled to handle the issue of gender
uniforms for the students (Australian government, 2019).
Answer-2
Lack of proper amenities to the girl child for the Childhood studies has been prevailing at
high degree in Australia. Moreover, the women or girl child exploitation is not limited to
human rights and education but extended to various social issues such as homelessness,
unemployment, negligence, and the ageing population. Growing concern for the women
inferiority has lowered the women freedom to explore the education system. Several
government regulations has led to the formation of child protection policy. The consequences
lower opportunities in sports and media has weakened the morale of the child that becomes
more vulnerable to the abusing of the child. In order to comfort the children especially the
girl child in the society, the government regulations are related to protection policy.
Government has been trying to translate the systematic strategies and other many programs,
which considers the eradication of the issue with the help of appropriate programs. It is seen

that, due to lack of empowerment of girls, it leads to sexual actions, physical and other
emotional tortures that will affect the children in the negative way (Wei, Wei, & Western,
2017). Situation in the protective issues to the child as these issues are related to negligence
parents and the family. A main problem related to child abuse is that has to confront issues
related to protective policies that can be restrained in terms of education strategy and early
intervention. As per the Australian institute of health and welfare, it has been seen that there
is an upsurge in the strength of girl’s and children abuse and neglect of nearly 8% in 2014-
2015. Out of many cases, 45% of the cases are of emotional exploitations, 25% of the
reported cases were due to girls’ negligence to school, 18% abuse was related to physical
manipulations, and sexual exploitations are about 12%. While measuring the reports, it has
been noticed that girls suffered 51% of the reported claims (Australian Institute of Family
Studies, 2017). Apart from this, Australian girls are more probable to be prey of sexual
abuses especially among Torres islander and aboriginals natives. Apart from this, it has been
appealed that out of six females, one is physical and sexual manipulation for the girls who are
under 15 (Parliament of Australia, 2017). Some of the factors affecting are girl`s exploitation
are sex of the child, age, and development age of the kid. Moreover, disability among the
girls is one of the major stimuli that encourages the society to take undue benefit of girls that
further leads to incidence of family complications (Parliament of Australia, 2017). Other
institutional motives can be participation in other settings that are related to construction
projects, physical traits of the kid, social separation, thoughtful level in relations to sexuality,
and safety issues (Jeanes, Connor, & Alfrey, 2015). Children understanding of the gender is
under the influence and reinforcement at the younger age with the help of interactions and
experience with the culture, media, lifestyle, education, childcare, and the wider community
(Wang, Liu, & Hwang, 2017). Engagement, career as per the inclusive practises and
informing the families is vital and these practises can be promoted and reinforced at homes.

By keeping the families informed about the careers with the centre of looking into the gender
equality and explaining, the issue at what the centre is passionate about (Yu, & Wright,
2016). The authorities can print posters as a display and the resource for the children to take
home. This poster will lay down and involve parents in the developing the equality pledged
policies. It will lead to the promotion and sharing of equality and inclusion policy and
pledged with families when they come and look around the services to enrol the child. Use
the visit as the opportunity to engage the family around the gender equality and also explain
the services to commit and to foster the diversity and inclusiveness (Delisle, Kim, Stoeckl,
Lui, & Marsh, 2018). Gender stereotypes are influenced by the children`s interest and the
development of the skill. It can limit the children`s choice and affect the roles as they take on
as adults and finally leading to the gender equality. Families can strive to minimise the
differences and stereotyping against the gender as they can offer toys and books on the basis
of interest and skills. It can provide with the appropriate equipment’s such as cooking
utensils, actions, trucks, and dolls. The families should encourage their girls to take part in
extra co-curriculum, and role-play in various situations. Availing them with the books and
other activities in order to depict that women and men can play diverse roles. While
considering to the traits of the boys, it can be seen that boys are often excused for their
aggressive behaviour as it commonly said that boys would remain boys (Australian Institute
of Family Studies, 2017).
Answer-3
While researching on the social issues of Australia regarding the women, searching different
blogs, newspaper articles was quite difficult for me as I could not find such article that is
entirely based on gender discrimination only for girls regarding the education. Whereas,
every articles was totally on gender discrimination without reflecting any sign of childhood
and related education (Jud, Fegert, & Finkelhor, 2016). While researching regarding the

issue, I found that the living conditions of the children is not at all good. There are more
issues which I found such as child abuse, sexual harassment more in regards to girls, poverty,
malnutrition, negligence, migration, government policies, children`s rights, gender, sexuality
and ethnicity too (Sarala, Junni, Cooper, & Tarba, 2016). I was a bit shocked as increasing
number of suffering women have been pacing since the last decade. The impact of gender
discrimination has weakened the women in their early childhood settings. I have identified
and chosen mainly two articles regarding the issue whereas I searched more than 10 blogs,
newspaper articles, TV production videos, pages that has a strong reflection of socio-cultural
factors and issues affected by the early childhood education system in Australia (Betancourt,
Green, Carrillo, & Firempong, 2016). The perspective of our discussion totally relied on
gender discrimination and their indigenous perspective of the education (Wright, Swain, &
McPhillips, 2017). I have used the secondary published materials that have summed up with
the government regulations and steps to come forward in order to resolve the issues if gender
discrimination and education are the major socio-cultural issues in Australia. Gender sexual
abuse is not dispersed among the whole population as women suffer from it the most whether
it is the workplace or their education centre (Moore, Scott, Ferrari, Mills, Dunne, Erskine, &
McCarthy, 2015). It occurs more often among the girls who often belongs to the disorganised
family structures, high level of abusing sexually, parental separation, unhygienic
environment, and domestic violence. It is important to understand that various overlaying
tortures such as physical, social, and emotional abuses can affect the life of the girls in the
long term and will keep stopping them to grow. It has been observed that from the
consequence of resolution adopted by Royal commission reveals that 1 out of 32 Australian
children render services that are related to children protection. Whereas, among the reported
claims, 75% of the victims are repeated clients that further reflects the perpetual failure of
parent and family care and also the failure of these resolutions made by the government.

References
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https://www.australia.gov.au/information-and-services/family-and-
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Australian Institute of Family Studies, (2017). Child abuse and neglect statistics. Retrieved
from: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/child-abuse-and-neglect-statistics
Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., Carrillo, J. E., & Owusu Ananeh-Firempong, I. I. (2016).
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Delisle, A., Kim, M. K., Stoeckl, N., Lui, F. W., & Marsh, H. (2018). The socio-cultural
benefits and costs of the traditional hunting of dugongs Dugong dugon and
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Jeanes, R., O’Connor, J., & Alfrey, L. (2015). Sport and the resettlement of young people
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Jud, A., Fegert, J. M., & Finkelhor, D. (2016). On the incidence and prevalence of child
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Moore, S. E., Scott, J. G., Ferrari, A. J., Mills, R., Dunne, M. P., Erskine, H. E., ... &
McCarthy, M. (2015). Burden attributable to child maltreatment in
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