The Space of Girls in Kindergartens and Day care centers in the 1940s-80s

Authors

• Taina Sillanpää Ebeneser-säätiö
• Outi Ylitapio-Mäntylä Oulun yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.142548

Keywords:

memories, kindergarten, day care centre, girlhood, space

Abstract

This article discusses the space of girlhood in kindergartens and day-care centres in the 1940s-80s. Space is examined using Soja's concept of Thirdspace. In addition to the theory of space, the data is read from the theoretical perspectives of gender studies and girl studies. The research asks: How were girls situated and how did they settle in the space of kindergartens and day care centers in the 1940s and 1980s?  What kind of material space did kindergarten and day care centers provide for girls? The data is written memory data collected by the Ebeneser Foundation and the Finnish Literary Society in 2011-2012, memories of girlhood in kindergartens and day care centers in the 1940s-80s written by women. The data is contextualised in a contemporary discourse using official documents that represent values and guidelines related to the space issues of kindergarten. Photographs are used to deepen the contents of the memories. The analysis of the data applies narrative and material-based dialogical thematisation. The research indicates that the kindergarten space focused on half-day activities is perceived as a gendered activity space for girls, such as a quiet workspace at the table or in the drawing room as a place for play roles suitable for girls. When the spaces increased, the environment and roles for girls expanded. Girls themselves also broke these traditional boundaries, and outdoors it was possible to build the space of girlhood wider than indoors.