In the society in which we live, gender equality has become relevant and plays a fundamental role in the education of children. However, we encounter situations of inequality daily. These situations that until now were accepted and not questioned, are beginning to be seen as negative thanks to the deconstruction of the traditional concepts of masculinity and femininity. Nonetheless, even today people believe in gender stereotypes for historical, philosophical, religious, or social reasons. In children’s stories we find a long tradition that reaffirms these roles: the maiden waits for the perfect hero to rescue her, and the boys are adventurers while the girls stay at home doing the housework.

In the context of the project "Des stéréotypes à l’égalité de genre" funded by the European Union and with the participation of four schools from Finland, France, Greece and Romania, and three NGOs from France, Italy and Spain, they created a book of traditional tales told from a new perspective. The book has the aim to fight against gender inequality from an educational and social perspective. It is a collection of classic tales with a different plot, in which the main characters - regardless of their gender - live adventures, change their own situation and take on relevant roles in the story’s development. We selected different tales for the book project: Wooden Chestnut, Alexandra Active, Nestor and the Beast, and Rockerella. These stories have been written and adapted by the children of the schools involved in the project and the book is illustrated with their own drawings. The stories invite us to change our mentality and give a wonderful result of which we are deeply proud.

The book has been translated into the languages of the consortium and disseminated on the platforms and social networks of the associations. The diversity of countries, cultures and languages involved adds value to the project, while considering the issues within a diverse local context. We invite you to read the book here.

We also invite you to visit the project website where you will find news about the project and different interesting materials.

Through these stories, the objective is to mitigate gender clichés and show a society within a narrative as respectful as possible of gender equality values. The project also aims to contribute to the improvement of the educational community in our future Europe and to mark the inexorable commitment of the educational system at all levels.