It’s no secret the Duchess of Sussex is a feminist. Meghan has regularly spoken about gender equality, both when she was an actor and later when she became a royal.
In a recent panel for International Women’s Day at King’s College London, she said: "I had seen this documentary on Netflix about feminism, and one of the things they said during pregnancy was ‘I feel the embryonic kicking of feminism.’ I loved that, so boy or girl, whatever it is, we hope that that’s the case with our little bump."
Meghan has previously mentioned the Duke of Sussex is also a feminist, and now she’s had her baby boy – born at 5.26am this morning weighing 7lb 3oz- we can assume the new parents are thinking about how to raise their son with a similar viewpoint.
So what could Harry and Meghan do to raise their son as a feminist?
Encourage him to listen to women
It’s not enough for Harry and Meghan to teach their son about feminism when they think he might be old enough to properly understand. Instead, they need to start early and instil feminist values in him from day one.
This includes things like encouraging him to listen to women, and making sure he doesn’t talk over or interrupt girls at his playgroup or at school. This shows he’s willing to learn from women and not stifle their power.
Expose him to feminist media
Much of the stories children read and the movies they watch subscribe to gender stereotypes – like fairy tales where the prince sweeps the helpless princess off her feet. However, these narratives can set the standard for children very early on, and reduce boys and girls to stifling, rigid gender roles.
That’s why it’s important Meghan and Harry expose their son to a whole range of stories which feature strong, independent girls at their centre. This could be reading Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo – despite the name, this is suitable for boys too and will teach them about some seriously incredible women from history.
It’s not like the Duke and Duchess need to hunt down specifically ‘feminist’ books or movies – old favourites like Matilda by Roald Dahl or His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman have brave girls at their centre. It shows boys that girls aren’t just supposed to be one way, waiting for a man to save them, and that boys aren’t supposed to be the saviours and providers, as so often is the impression given in fairy tales.
Banish sexist phrases
A lot of throwaway phrases we use in our day-to-day lives are actually quite insidiously sexist, and only serve to reinforce society’s damaging gender roles.
Meghan and Harry should discourage their son from using phrases like ‘man up’ or ‘throw like a girl’. They might seem harmless, but they’re actually teaching children from a young age that boys shouldn’t show emotion, and girls can’t do physical things.
Considering the male mental health crisis in the UK right now – suicide is the biggest killer of young British men – it’s important to show young boys that it’s OK to express their emotions and cry if they need to. Emotion doesn’t necessarily equal weakness in boys – Harry can show this to his son by leading by example in his own life, and incidentally has spoken up a lot about mental health in public already.
Don’t subscribe to limited gender roles
Children soak up what’s around them like sponges, so it’s important Harry and Meghan lead by example. Instead of playing up to proscribed gender roles – like men taking out the bins or doing the gardening, while women clean and do laundry – the Duke and Duchess can show their son that any gender can do any task.
Teaching their son to do so-called ‘pink jobs’ like cooking, cleaning and looking after the house, will demonstrate there’s no such thing as a girl job or a boy job. And who knows – maybe their son will find a new, unexpected passion and become a budding chef.
Teach him to speak out
At the recent International Women’s Day talk, Meghan said: "If things are wrong and there is a lack of justice, and there is an inequality, then someone needs to say something."
We’re sure she will instil this attitude into her son’s consciousness. It’s about having the confidence to speak out if he sees something he doesn’t agree with which goes against the feminist values he’s been raised with. This doesn’t have to always mean grand gestures for the global good, but small things can be just as powerful – such as speaking up if other boys in the playground are saying misogynistic things.
