How children perceive being a woaman: indications of a representational system

Abstract

In this paper we aim to identify the social representations of being a woman constructed by children enrolled in public schools in Recife-PE. Social representations are understood as shared, dynamic, and functional ways of explaining the world. We developed qualitative research designed as a field study, with the participation of 20 children enrolled in the fourth and fifth year of elementary school. To collect data, we used the practices of drawing pictures and semi-structured interviews, analyzed with the support of the Content Analysis technique. The results revealed social representations of being a woman in a triad of elements: mother/worker/warrior. In most of the justifications for creating the drawings, children take their own mothers as a reference in their life and work contexts. Based on the results, we indicate being a woman, for children, as a symbolic field to which several elements converge, and those elements form a system of representations.The research reported here ratified the concept of representational systems as intricate representations.The findings highlight the need for greater discussions on topics that are rarely addressed in schools so that teachers can problematize them and contribute to the construction of a more inclusive society regarding different issues related to social diversity.