Gender Equality Described to Children by a Card Game

29 January 2018 Can’t boys jump a rope? Can’t girls play football? Can’t women propose marriage? Should only mothers prepare the table? Can’t boys wear colourful clothes? Should only men stay for night shifts? Why are the executives usually male? These questions are from a card game called “Why Not?” The game is designed for […]

29 January 2018

Can’t boys jump a rope? Can’t girls play football? Can’t women propose marriage? Should only mothers prepare the table? Can’t boys wear colourful clothes? Should only men stay for night shifts? Why are the executives usually male? These questions are from a card game called “Why Not?” The game is designed for +10 years old children and the main objective of it is to raise questions in their mind before the gender-based stereotypes settle in, and to show the alternatives for these stereotypes.

“Why not?” is a team game. In order to win, children have to find who faces injustice in the black and white cards depicting a discrimination, and where and what kind of injustice this is. Then, they turn the other side of the card and see colourful scenarios where nobody faces any kind of injustice. By this means, children observe different types of discrimination, see how an equalitarian world might be and get a chance to talk about gender equality.

The game is a part of “The Purple Certificate Program” developed by Sabancı University Gender and Women Studies, Center of Excellence (SU Gender). Gaming workshops are held in cooperation with Bilgi University Child Studies Unit with an aim of creating awareness among primary and secondary school students.

Within the frame of the program, freshmen of Sabancı University get training on subjects such as gender equality, discrimination and how to talk about gender with children for 3 weeks, a total of 9 hours. Following the training, freshmen play the game with students.

Gaming workshops will be held in Adana, Erzurum and İzmir in the upcoming months.