Episode 70

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Published on:

11th Nov 2026

Beyond Gender Stereotypes in Primary Schools - Kirsty Ruthven (The Children’s Society)

How can teachers work with young boys and girls to address restrictive gender noms? How can we have age-appropriate conversations with children about gender inequality and pressures around masculinity and femininity – and the potentially difficult topics this can bring up? What should be done to engage with staff and parents about these issues? Why is a whole-community approach important, and what does this entail?

In this episode we talk to Kirsty Ruthven, Service Manager at The Children’s Society in the UK, about the challenges, impacts, and policy implications of work of this kind, drawing upon a recently published evaluation of the innovative ‘Beyond Gender Stereotypes’ (BGS) programme in English schools. BGS is a programme for children aged between 7 and 11, originally developed by Lifting Limits in partnership with international NGO Equimundo as part of the ‘Global Boyhood Initiative’. It supports the PSHE (Personal, social, health and economic education) curriculum and includes training for educators as well as a series of school lessons. The aims are to empower children of all genders to behave in gender-inclusive and equitable ways, and for teachers to challenge gender stereotypes and inequality confidently and effectively.

As well as managing BGS, Kirsty leads initiatives at The Children’s Society focused on youth voice and mental health. She is also a PhD candidate and postgraduate lecturer at the University of Roehampton. Her doctoral research explores school leaders’ life histories in relation to equitable practices in primary schools in England. She has over 20 years of experience in classroom, school governor, and local authority roles.

Episode timeline

  • Intro
  • Becoming a grandfather (03:44-04:29)
  • Why engage with children from a young age about gender norms (04:29-07:03)
  • The need to address masculine expectations within this work (07:03-08:39)
  • The Beyond Gender Stereotypes (BGS) approach (08:39-10:34)
  • Tips about how to talk to children about gender norms (10:34-13:04)
  • Discussing difficult topics with them (13:04-14:43)
  • Pressures boys face and how to engage with them (14:43-17:01)
  • Educating staff and parents as well as children (17:01-19:47)
  • Gender stereotypes embedded in schools themselves (19:47-22:17)
  • Lessons from the evaluation of BGS (22:17)
  • Thinking about children’s lives intersectionally (27:08-31:55)
  • Break
  • The UK government’s investment in preventing misogyny (32:07-35:32)
  • The policy implications of BGS (35:32-39:11)
  • Trying to empower children in a society that doesn’t listen to them (39:11-42:34)
  • How Kirsty got involved in this work (42:34-45:14)
  • Her experience of working as a teacher (45:14-48:00)
  • Making sure girls don’t fall off the agenda (48:00-52:11)
  • Conclusion (52:11-01:04:52)

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About the Podcast

Now and Men
Changing Masculinities, Challenging Norms
What role can men play in achieving gender equality?
Why is feminism good for men?
How are rigid ideas about masculinity holding back our lives—and how are people around the world challenging them?

These are the questions at the heart of Now and Men, a podcast hosted by social researchers Dr Stephen Burrell (Lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Australia) and Sandy Ruxton (Independent Researcher and Honorary Fellow at Durham University, UK).

We explore masculinity and change in the lives of men and boys today, diving into issues such as gender-based violence, fatherhood, men’s health, politics and the environment. Grounded in feminist thinking, our conversations connect big ideas to everyday experiences—showing how gender shapes all of us, and how men can be part of building a more equal world.

At a time when regressive versions of masculinity are resurging—amplified by political leaders, online influencers, even podcasters—we spotlight the people pushing back. Each episode features inspiring voices working to engage men and boys in positive, transformative ways and imagining feminist futures.

New episodes drop every month. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, and join us in exploring what healthy, caring, equitable paths forward can look like for men. Questions or comments? We’d love to hear from you at nowandmen@gmail.com.

About your hosts

Stephen Burrell

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I am a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Melbourne. I'm originally from the UK, and moved to Australia at the beginning of 2024. My research is about men, masculinities, and violence. I am particularly interested in the prevention of men's violence - especially violence against women, and violence against the environment - and promoting care as an alternative. I'm a big fan of feminism, drinking tea, connecting with nature, eating vegan snacks, and listening to heavy metal.

Sandy Ruxton

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Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology at Durham University (UK). Independent researcher, expert on men and masculinities. Previous policy work on human rights, children and families, poverty and social exclusion, and asylum and migration. Programme experience with boys and young men in schools, community, and prisons. Steering Committee member, MenEngage Europe. Volunteer for OX4 Food Crew. Chess-player, bike-rider, tree-hugger. Great grandfather edited Boy's Own Paper, but was sacked.