Toys and gender stereotypes
Dolls and princess paraphernalia for girls; fireman's outfits or remote-control cars for boys... Santa’s list often lives up to stereotypical images of masculine and feminine roles. But who is responsible for these gender bias toy choices? Children, parents or society in general?
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Through early learning in the social environment of day nurseries and and crèches, children play with a variety of toys intended traditionally for girls (dolls, tea parties, etc.) and for boys (train circuits, garages, construction games, etc.).
The child’s preferences do not yet depend on his or her gender. Few parents however, let their children freely assert their preferences, perhaps fearing that their daughter become a “tomboy’ or their son become too girly!
Role models and gender-based play
As they grow up, children assert their gender differences: young childhood conditioning gives way to the desire to identify with the same gender model parent. Toys are a way for children to “make believe” and pretend to be adults.
Children therefore reproduce through enactment what they believe to be a father or mother’s role. In this way, little girls cook, put nappies on their dolls, brush their hair and play at nurses... Boys drive their little cars, build circuits or models and play at doctors or soldiers.
Gender and the toy business
Children are also greatly influenced by television, film and images: no matter how their mothers dress, little girls seem to dream of pink and dress their dolls in sparkly dresses. Boys often only have eyes for adventure and strategy games and happily play with their GI Joe or Action Man.
And toy manufacturers continue to maintain this separation. For example, Pokémon, a planetary success for the game-boy console is clearly meant for boys. The rules of the game describe the confrontation between two boys, the player and his virtual rival.
As for girls, they can collect and exchange Pokémon cards or buy their favourite Pikachu products: bags, jewellery, key rings, etc.
At a time when equality between men and women still struggles to find a happy medium, it is quite remarkable that gender differences are so marked in the world of toys.
Even the biggest toy stores have two, very well differentiated sections. Could this be conscious or unconscious resistance to gender behaviour reform? What is likely however, is that in the course of social evolution, gender differences between toys should become more and more blurred, in direct correlation with the evolving gender roles.
Toys and gender: the role of parents
Parents need to be vigilant as the toys they choose for their children can carry an “ideology”. As today’s women participate professionally in society, why confine a young girl to the role of housewife or little doll through her toys? Why insist on making a boy an engineer by offering him construction games if he prefers cooking and playing at doll's tea party?
Without necessarily giving dolls to their sons, parents can orient them towards other objects other than weapons and vehicles. In the same way, without denying a girl the chance to learn the art of being “pretty”, parents can steer her towards other centres of interest too.
The idea is not to systematically force dolls onto boys or fire engines onto girls, but to give them the freedom and choice in play, to express and develop their own personality and preferences.
Copyright © 2009 Doctissimo
Posted 15.06.2011
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