Actor Halle Berry wants to ensure her son is gender-sensitised, and she is not afraid to confront sexism. According to a report in People magazine, while appearing for a virtual panel hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a part of the Sundance Film Festival, the 54-year-old actor shared her experience of being a mother to her seven-year-old son Maceo Martinez, whom she shares with ex-husband actor Oliver Martinez.

Berry said during the panel titled ‘Women Breaking Barriers: An Industry Shift‘: “I have a seven-year-old son, and I have realised what my job is in raising him. If we want to have a future that’s different, that is where it starts…” She was joined by other HFPA members like Elisabeth Sereda and Silvia Bizio, as well as Robin Wright, Andra Day, Sia and Zendaya.

“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,” Berry told fellow actress Wright.

The mother-of-two further said she had to give her son a fresh perspective. “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. 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. I keep challenging him all the time, like ‘Well, why is that a ‘girl color?’”

The actor is also mom to 12-year-old daughter Nahla Ariela from her previous relationship with Gabriel Aubry.

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