Usborne policy on gender
Our books are for all children
Usborne policy on gender
We believe in creating brilliant books for children. Our aim is to open up new worlds, and to help children grow into caring, kind, courageous and curious grown-ups. We believe that every child is different – we wouldn’t want it any other way – and that those differences are based on personality, not gender.
In 2014 we were the first children’s publisher to confirm that we would not be publishing books that said in the title that they were ‘for boys’ or ‘for girls’. We believe that books are for all children.
We are also extremely mindful of gender stereotyping in other, more implicit ways. Our children's history books aim to show men and women in a wide range of historical settings. When we make children's books about jobs we show people of both genders in all sorts of roles. We avoid using pink and blue in a stereotypical way, although we will never stop using pink and blue. We like pink, and blue. We believe fairies are boys and girls, and books about fairies can be enjoyed by boys and girls. Likewise unicorns: unicorns are for everyone.
Usborne is currently taking part in The Fawcett Society’s Commission on Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood. This commission is exploring how gender stereotypes interact with other norms including race and class; its aim is to gather evidence and promote practical solutions to change childhood and change lives.
Books are an essential part of children’s lives, and are vitally important in terms of shaping the way that children see the world. At Usborne we want to make sure that children see the world as a place where they can succeed and be happy, irrespective of their gender.