CSW63 side event, Nurturing future human capital through equality between girls and boys, is proving that gender equality is not just a fairy tale. A joint project between Georgia, Sweden, and UN Women is out to change the world; one story and one child at a time. Once There Was a Girl is a collection of fairy tales written by Georgian authors. The stories highlight famous Georgian heroines throughout Georgian history. The book has been sent to libraries, passed out to school teachers all over the country of Georgia and is available online for free.
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The goal of this project is to change gender stereotypes through early childhood education. Fairy tales have always played an important role in the nurturing and moral education of children. The speakers of at this event shared that 31 percent of literary characters are female and of those females, most were either princesses in distress or evil old women. From these stories young girls are being exposed to stereotypical gender norms. The Georgian UN Women felt there was more to be told and narrative to change.
The fairy tales in this book present a new look at what women have done and can do. Tales of helicopter pilots and mountaineers provide both girls and boys a new narrative about what girls can be and do.
This book and event has opened the door for youth to be part of the conversation of gender equality. The UN invited students, both girls and boys, to read their favorite excerpts from the book. Sharing in such a large event as the CSW and being a true part of the conversation can teach them that they too can make a different is gender equality, and that it isn't just a fairy tale.
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