Public discourse has become more polarized, especially when it comes to moral issues. Moral issues related to gender and sexuality—particularly concerning children—are politically fraught. To assess the extent to which ideologies about gender and parenting are polarized, we interviewed eighty-five gender activists from diverse political orientations. Surprisingly, we found some convergence in how activists on the political left and right discussed gender and parenting. Specifically, those on the right endorsed some traditionally progressive ideas, including that girls should be able to play with “boy toys” and to aspire to traditionally male pursuits. Meanwhile, in affirming children’s right to express their gender identity, those on the left treated gender identity as innate, an idea traditionally associated with conservatives, while saying little about sexism. These similarities, notwithstanding, we also found important differences between how these two groups discussed gender socialization. We discuss the implications of these different approaches and how caregivers and other adults can reconcile a commitment to affirming children’s gender identity while also addressing gender inequalities.

中文翻译：

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跟随孩子的领导并帮助孩子走向成功：政治右翼和左翼育儿意识形态的趋同与分歧

公共话语变得更加两极分化，尤其是在道德问题上。与性别和性相关的道德问题——尤其是与儿童相关的——在政治上充满争议。为了评估有关性别和育儿的意识形态两极分化的程度，我们采访了 85 名来自不同政治倾向的性别活动人士。令人惊讶的是，我们发现政治左翼和右翼活动人士在讨论性别和育儿问题上有一些共同点。具体来说，右翼人士支持一些传统上进步的想法，包括女孩应该能够玩“男孩玩具”并追求传统上男性的追求。与此同时，在肯定儿童表达性别认同的权利时，左翼人士将性别认同视为与生俱来的，这一观念传统上与保守派联系在一起，而很少谈论性别歧视。尽管有这些相似之处，我们也发现这两个群体讨论性别社会化的方式存在重要差异。我们讨论这些不同方法的影响，以及照顾者和其他成年人如何协调承诺，在肯定儿童性别认同的同时解决性别不平等问题。