‘I don’t want to play with the Barbie boy’: Understanding Gender-Based Bullying in a Kindergarten in Indonesia

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of gender-based bullying in a kindergarten. Such places are often depicted as innocent spaces, and hence, teachers often overlook the fact that bullying could also take place. This paper is based on an ethnographic study, conducted in a kindergarten in Indonesia. Twenty-eight children and four teachers participated in this study. Drawing from feminist poststructuralist approaches, this paper illuminates the kindergarten as a site where heteronormativity is promoted. Using the experiences of young boys who do not conform to the dominant and traditional gender values in the school, the findings demonstrate how gender-based bullying takes place. The findings also reflect how increasing homophobia in Indonesia is channelled in kindergarten. The paper shows how larger socio-political discourses in Indonesia influence the school. Finally, it is suggested that teachers in early childhood education (ECE) should have a gendered lens in understanding children’s play to tackle gender-based bullying in the school context.