Sire, the Dutch independent advertising agency which tackles social issues, has launched a campaign to promote ‘boy behaviour’.

The agency claims boys ‘learn by experimenting and taking risks’, but that this type of behaviour is increasingly discouraged which leads to frustration and falling school results.

The campaign video, which shows boys messing around and playing with a disapproving mother looking on, is aimed at starting a discussion among parents and educators about giving boys the space they need to develop, the agency says.

‘Boys and girls are equal but not the same,’ Sire director Lucy van der Helm said on the Sire website. ‘With this campaign we want to make educators aware of boys’ needs.’

‘Boys learn by trying out things. We need to let them do that because this type of development will stand them in good stead once they are grown up,’ evolutionary biologist Mark van Vugt said in the Sire press release.

Schools

Schools will have to play their part as well, the agency says. A diagnosis of attention deficit disorder is four times as likely in boys than in girls and according to Sire 44% of the parents it polled said they feel typical boy behaviour is discouraged in today’s society.

At the same time, schools are rewarding girls for their social skills. Their average score in the final primary school test has been consistently higher than that of boys for the last three years and more girls than boys go on to higher levels of education.

According to behavioural expert Lauk Woltring the campaign is vital. ‘There is no such thing as ‘the typical boy’ but there is a tendency to suppress boy behaviour. They will learn less from experience and that will hamper their development,’ Woltring said.

Sire is an independent initiative set up by Dutch creative and marketing companies and has run 117 campaigns since its foundation in 1967.