You'll be delighted to know that there is a school in Spain that cares about gender equality so much that they have created a program where male students learn household chores.
I think it's a beautiful initiative.
As you may know, girls are taught to perform these household tasks from early childhood. It's expected from girls to help around and know these things. On the other hand, boys are usually not in the same boat.
This is especially true in more traditional places. I witness this myself when at family gatherings. My two-year-old daughter is supposed to help, but boys often aren't. Of course, I stop this behavior right away, but it's sad it even happens.
And naturally, everyone should know household chores. Not just boys or just girls. That's the basic level of taking care of yourself.
The problem is, as I mentioned, girls get this kind of education at home, boys don't.
Montecastelo School of Spain decided to take things seriously and they started offering home economics classes where boys can learn to cook, clean, iron, and so on. They even teach masonry, plumbing, and other basic life skills.
The best part is, people there believe in this so much that teachers and fathers, as well as some other people, are doing this voluntarily. Another amazing thing is that parents were open to this and happy to get involved.
It shows that our society realizes, even if only partially, that gender equality is necessary.
Their logic with this is simple. When these boys start families of their own, they can be involved from day one. They learn to understand that a household involves work from everyone who lives there and that it's not a girl's job by default.
It goes both ways, in my opinion.
Girls are not the only ones that should clean and cook, and boys are not the only ones that should fix the plumbing, electrical issues, etc.
This is why I believe that this sort of training is beneficial for girls as well.
And let's face it - most people aren't getting married as soon as they move out of their parents' homes. Often, they don't have a partner to rely on. So, knowing these things would help young people to take care of themselves better.
It's raw, real-life skills.
All schools would benefit from something like this, plus a class on finances.
But, for now, I'm happy that this initiative exists. Everyone should know how to do these things, regardless of their gender.