Truly Equal: An Observation in Age and Gender Equality

A playground is the ultimate place for a child. Here they are not bound by adults and have many different options of play available to them as well as many different playmates to join with. In spontaneous play where there is no format for written or unwritten rules (like there is in dodge ball or tag) both boys and girls act the same. The only thing that definitively separates them is who they decide to spend their time with, and that is entirely gender based for girls typically stay with girls and boys with boys. I went to a McDonald’s play area to observe the children and how they decided to spend their time. 

It’s 7:15 pm at the Logan, Utah McDonald’s play area and children are screaming, running, and laughing through the small playground provided by the establishment. 

Two girls ages around seven and four are dominating the big, twisty red slide. The older girl is clearly leading the younger girl, but doesn’t seem to be inviting her to follow, the younger one simply is. They alternate their approach to the slide. They run around and up the stairs to slide down properly for one turn, then they turn right back around and start climbing up the slide from the inside making it impossible for all of the other kids to go down the slide. Whichever way the seven year old decides to go is the way the younger girl goes. Once the four year old accidentally started going the wrong way, when she looked and saw the seven year old turning around to go up the slide the wrong way she immediately turned around to crawl in behind the older girl. A small boy of about three tries to get in the slide, but moves aside for the girls who know he is at the bottom and decide to halt their climb to slide down, again assuring their control of the slide. As soon as they are out of the slide however, the boy scrambles in and sits in the front of the tube for a few moments. He has proven he can get in the slide and has control for the time being. Then he moves off and goes to a table for some food.