Gender and Leadership Styles in Children's Play

Abstract

THIS ARTICLE COMPARES AND CONTRASTS the leadership styles evident in children's spontaneous collaborative play in two early childhood settings. The first site, in 2007, was a long day care centre and involved 22 three- and four-year-old children. The second site, in 2008, was the morning session of a kindergarten and involved 47 children.

A strong factor in beginning and maintaining a play episode was the leadership role of individual children. There were clear gender differences in leadership style. Two key roles were those of dictator and director. The dictator was invariably male and more autocratic and less able or likely to resolve inter-group conflict. The director, on the other hand, was usually female and had a more democratic approach to conflict and was more ready to compromise to keep the play episode going. Mixed-gender play was more prevalent in the long day care centre and allowed boys to experience leadership roles and styles not normally available in boys-only play.