NO MORE BOYS AND GIRLS: CAN OUR KIDS GO GENDER FREE?, BBC2, 9pm
THIS series really annoyed me last week. It argued that gender inequality might stem from the fact that we treat little boys and little girls differently. But instead of tackling problems in the adult world it scooted back to the classrooms to ask children whether men are best at being in charge, and whether they shouldn’t all share a toilet.
It seemed like a huge denial of responsibility. If a woman is denied a promotion because she’s pregnant, or if there aren’t enough male primary teachers, surely we can tackle that with campaigns, legislation and an overcoming of outdated prejudice? Messing around in primary school with this experiment seemed like nothing but a mad idea to get on telly.
But I accept there is value here in seeing how soon ideas are implanted in children’s heads, whether consciously or not, and tonight we look at the children’s home life. Do they see Mummy doing the dishes every night? And do they play with “gendered toys” in their bedroom?
STARTING UP, STARTING OVER, C5, 7pm
IT’S rare, but every now and then you can find something decent on Channel 5. I remember all the fuss and excitement when The Spice Girls launched Channel 5, but I can’t remember the last time I actually selected 5 on my remote.
This new six-part series follows families who’re dropping everything to start a new life. They’re abandoning their jobs and the rat race in order to start a new business, and it’s something most of us have dreamed of at 8.20am on those dreary mornings when the packed train rolls into the station and your inbox tells you there are 952 unread emails waiting for you.
Tonight we meet a woman who is dumping London to escape to the Lake District to open a café. In a stroke of luck she meets, and falls in love with, a local chef. Handy.
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