What KidZania tells us about children
The significance of this extensive dataset became apparent as time went by. It held the potential to reveal insights that traditional teach-and-test school settings don’t have, bridging the gap between out-of-school experiences and in-school learning. I wanted to uncover valuable information about children’s interests, abilities, aptitudes, and loves outside of the classroom, knowledge that could enhance their educational and schooling journeys. I also wanted to understand those insights better and answer the ‘why?’ questions. The next step was to discover from the anonymised data who these children were. Not of course their names, but, as a group, their age, their gender, their ethnicity, their socio-economic status, their urban or rural background, and the country they resided in – all these factors hold significance.
And the main findings were staggering. They were also obvious, with the benefit of hindsight.
Children can only aspire to what they know exists
Stereotypes, it appeared, were set by the age of 4, if not earlier, although statistical evidence for earlier age groups was yet to be fully established. From the age of 4! Activities within KidZania showcased distinct gender biases, with cabin crew positions overwhelmingly filled by girls and pilots dominated by boys. The automotive experiences were almost entirely the domain of boys, whereas girls took charge of the hotel reception desks and the supermarket tills. Similarly, the maternity unit attracted predominantly girls, while the role of surgeon saw a vast majority of boys.
Sticky stereotypes
Another significant finding emerged – the choices made by children exhibited minimal change between the ages of 4 and 14. The implications of this trend raised thought-provoking questions about the persistence of gender biases in STEM fields and girls’ career aspirations. While girls may outperform boys academically in the sciences, for example, their career choices all too often hark back to societal stereotypes. How can a young Black girl aspire to be a female pilot if she has never witnessed such representation?