Britain’s gypsy kids: What it’s REALLY like growing up as a traveller where childhood is short – and young girls dream of cleaning and keeping house
While some girls want to quit school, one can't understand why
YOU might think you know a lot about gypsy life already, but a new documentary uncovers what it's really like to be a child in the community.
Gypsy Kids: Our Secret World features stories from several different children, who show that the traditional boy and girl roles are still pretty much where it's at.
Margaret is eight, and she's the granddaughter of Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star Paddy Doherty.
The little girl has done brilliantly at school, but explains there isn't any reason for her to stay on after primary.
"When I leave school I will probably be 11. I would rather stay home and clean up," she explains.
"I am looking forward to leaving school so I can do my own thing. I will help my mummy."
Margaret's big sister Roseanne is 12, and this is exactly the route she and her friends took.
"We were getting a bit old to go to school," she explained on the show.
"Why would we want to learn anything at school? We are not going to be doing anything like that."
Their little sister Rihanna, six, is thinking along the same lines.
She explained when she's bigger she's like to be a cleaner who "cleans tiles".
Women in the gypsy community often marry when they are young too, with many tying the knot at 16.
Roseanne has no problem with that life plan - in fact she can't understand why some people stay at school for so long.
"I don't think it is right for older children to go to school," she says.
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"You are supposed to be at home feeding your children or your baby brothers and sisters.
"An 18-year-old going to school is not right. If you don't have a clean home people will call you names."
Her granddad Paddy has something to say on the matter though.
He recently told The Sun Online about the prejudice he suffered at school, something Margaret has suffered too.
But he wants his community to modernise and would love the young girls in his family to keep up their education.
The star also worries that the Gypsy way of life makes children grown up too fast.
"I have a grandson and he's 13 but he's like 21. All the traveller boys are like that, like grown men," he explains.
Sylvanna is completely different to Margaret and Roseanne.
She's 13 and wants to become a model, saying on the Channel 5 show: "I am quite different to many travellers.
"They have got some of the old fashioned ways... they believe in just staying home, helping and clean and the men go out.
"I believe women are about as equal as men."
Also featured in the documentary is Oliver, who loves riding horses and is an English traveller.
Although he's only 12 he can already drive and he dreams of being a job creating horse shoes. The boy thinks he can learn on the job, which is why he's not bothered he's been expelled from school.
Gypsy Kids: Our Secret World is on Channel 5 tonight at 9pm.