Halle Berry Encourages 7-Year-Old Son to Challenge Gender Stereotypes So He Doesn’t Feel ‘Superior’ to Women

Actress Halle Berry says she’s encouraging her 7-year-old son to challenge sex stereotypes so that he doesn’t feel “superior” to women.

“I have realized what my job is in raising him. If we want to have a future that’s different, that is where it starts. You made me think of how many conversations I’ve had with him, say, since he’s turned five years old, about the differences in boys and girls, and I see how he’s taught to feel like he’s superior, at five, than girls are.” the Catwoman and John Wick star said at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s panel, entitled, “Women Breaking Barriers: An Industry Shift,” the Daily Mail reported.

“I’ve had to really break that down for him and give him a new perspective, and challenge those thoughts and ask him to identify where that comes from, and if he believes that or not and challenge what he’s subconsciously getting from somewhere,” added the X-Men actress. “I can tell that because we’re having those conversations he is going to grow as a deep thinker on the subject. He’s going to be determined not to just accept it.”

 

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“I keep challenging him all the time, like ‘Well, why is that a ‘girl color?'” continued Berry of how she raises her son.

Berry also mentioned that she discusses sexism with her daughter as well, and how women of color are fighting for equality in Hollywood.

In 2017, Berry said she was “profoundly hurt” that no other woman of color has won an Academy Award for Best Actress since she took home the golden statue in 2002.

“It’s troubling to say the least,” Berry said, referring to the 2015 Oscar race, which spawned the “Oscars so white” controversy after zero non-white actors were nominated for a major award. “I sat there and I really thought, ‘Wow, that moment really meant nothing. It meant nothing. I thought it meant something but I think it meant nothing.’ I was profoundly hurt by that, and saddened by that.”

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.