In the article "Sweeping Away Gender-Specific Toys and Labels" writer Hiroko Tabuchi explains how many companies and manufacturers are now changing their products for all genders. This is a big step in our society because normally some toys and costumes can be seen as targeted towards one gender. For example, the Barbie dolls are a children's toy that could be seen as a toy only for girls and if our society can change on how it sees these types of toys, then in the future it will be more common for boys to be playing with these toys. Companies like Target and Toys R Us have taken some initiatives in removing gender labels for toys intended for children. Even though they removed the gender labels, toys that could be seen intended…
Summary: Movements and campaigns that promotes gender neutral toys did not start as early as the gender equality movement started. So, adults are keen to their traditional thinking to evaluate toys in a gender way.…
The article “Gender, toys and learning” was a good starting point for discussion and understanding elements of how media can truly impact the roles projected to the observer, usually children that are at a very impressionable age. Studies show that 3-year-old children could accurately separate toys with over 90% accuracy to what their parents believed was appropriate and acceptable. At age 5, children could perfectly identify gender-specific toys in accordance with their parent’s beliefs (Freeman, 2007). It’s easy to blame toys and media for categorizing the roles of different genders. Those businesses have a primary goal of making a profit. And keeping abreast of what consumers want is good for earnings. The conclusion I have reached is that gender typecasting begins at home, whether it’s through parental involvement or them being disengaged, role models make a huge difference in who we grow up to…
It is said that girls generally gravitate towards the toys labeled as girls’ toys and young boys always choose trucks over dolls. This way of organization makes it easy to find the right plaything for each child. When given the choice between a doll and a truck, female infants are most likely to choose the doll, and male infants choose the opposite (Cherney et al., 2003). Girls seem to be attracted to pastel colors and role play toys such as dolls. Boys automatically want to play with guns and toy soldiers, things that are aggressive in nature. The separation of toys has never had an effect on children or their future. They have been marketed in this way for years without trouble, so why change these…
Gender plays an important role in the way children are raised in today’s society. The common stereotype that feminine toys are for girls and masculine toys are for boys is prevalent, even with all of the political advancements our society has made to try to free the world from these stigmas. It starts as early as when a child is in the mother’s womb. Most women will celebrate the arrival of their bundle of joy with a baby shower. Pink colors will be used for baby girls and blues for baby boys. In toy stores you will find aisles filled with toys separated by gender: baby dolls for girls and action heroes for boys. During ages three to five children enter their peak playing ages where their minds are most vulnerable to absorb everything and anything at once. Due to a failing economy, many more families are depending on early childcare programs to care for their children while they are forced to have both parents enter the workforce. During this sensitive, and impressionable time in a…
Professor Blakemore of NAEYC did a survey. She asked people to check whether the toys she presented to them were very feminine, somewhat feminine, gender neutral, somewhat masculine, or very masculine. She found that toys that are very gendered are usually not conveying educational or positive messages - very feminine toys are focused on physical beauty, while very masculine toys focus on aggression and fighting. On the other hand, somewhat gendered toys help teach children skills for adulthood - somewhat feminine toys teach about cleaning, cooking and taking care of children, while somewhat masculine toys teach about building. No matter a child’s gender, they need somewhat gendered toys for both genders to teach them important skills for the…
Young boys and girls are influenced by their respectable toys in a manner of ways. While girl’s toys promote an unrealistic version of…
It would create a much better environment for the kids and make them independent and free as they are able o choose their toys based in their interest. There is no such thing as blue or pink. We should be ashamed in ourselves to allow our kids to grow in this toxic environment. Another factor that contributes to these stereotypes is that boy’s toys are usually involved with construction, science and action, while; girl’s toys are involved with beauty and cooking, which can have a great impact in their future jobs. As you may notice there is much more man in engineering than women this normally occurs because young boys are always stimulated to play with building and construction as it is a ‘boy’ toy, while girl is not stimulated and often oppressed if they are interested in this kind of toys. As a result, this can generate a huge inequality between man and women causing. Therefore, man is known to be superior to women. Unfortunately, sexism influenced the little ones since a young age as we segregate toys by gender not genre. In addition, the main reason for this stupidity and old thinking is due to the huge profit the storeowners make as the parents are forced to buy the same toys to their children’s one in each color as pink is a ‘’girl’s’’ toys and blue are a…
My paper titled toys and gender, is based on the toys of today and how they relate to gender socialization. I decided to go to the local Wal-Mart in Cookeville, Tn. I chose this store because it is a worldwide known large retail store. I concluded that it would be a good store to analyze because it is thought of as a family store where many families go to shop. Therefore, I knew that there would be a wide variety of toys to analyze and collect data. I went to Wal-Mart December the 3rd. I analyzed the toy sections of Wal-Mart and how the toys are associated with gender, color sound, types of play they encourage, types of interactions they cause, and what they prepare children for. With the exception of preschool toys that were sometimes offered in gender-neutral packaging, kids’ toys were largely segregated into different aisles according to gender. And within those aisles, the markings of gender were clear. The “girls’” section resembled the aftermath of an explosion of Pepto-Bismol. In the “boys’” section, there seemed to be a profusion of aggressive, hyper-muscled, weapon-wielding action figures. And in both realms, the majority of toys seemed to be explicitly tied to movies and television…
Although changing one’s sex is a biological process and often unchangeable, changing one’s gender is a fluid social process. It is hard to distinguish so-called natural and social qualities of one’s gender or sex since culture strongly impacts what society believes to be natural (TAW Social construction of gender 26). The social construction of gender is important to note when thinking about domesticity, because girls are taught from young age to believe they are naturally better suited for family work rather than market work. For instance, toys for toddlers mimic gender norms as toys directed for girls involve care-centered play, such as pretend vacuums, kitchen sets, and baby dolls. On the other hand, toys for young boys involve science experiments and building blocks, toys that help to develop cognitive skills (39). The differences in toys relate to the different skills boys and girls learn at a young age; girls tend to learn nurturing skills while boys tend learn motor skills. As a result, the difference in toy design, as well as the fact that there are toys made for one gender over the other, are examples of how domesticity pervades US society. Girls grow up to believe that they are more suited towards…
Gender stereotypes are exaggerated generalizations that are based purely on gender. The area of study for this investigation is sociocultural influences. This is a contemporary issue as it is becoming an excessive thing in modern society due to companies increasingly gender marketing their products towards children. The toy sections at shopping centers are divided into two categories: girl’s and boy’s toys. Aisles are filled with either pink, frilly princesses or blue, aggressive action figures. Toy marketing has changed dramatically in the past 50 years. As a matter of fact, it was not until the 1990s that toys were exceedingly targeting specific genders…
The sexualisation of girlhood has been developed by society, due to this it has become heavily dependent on what is known as the ‘notion of innocence.’ When childhood or girlhood is discussed it is commonly referred back to the idea of innocence and the symbolic reference it holds over girlhood. From this we can see the problematic influence it has caused on girlhood, and the crisis that follows. The media have created a ‘moral panic’ discourse in which troublingly academics are confronted with the overwhelmingly sexuality, homogeneous notions of sex and gender. When looking into female gender childhood, imagery of childhood and innocence it becomes evident once more, but is intensified by thoughts within the setting of the sexualisation…
Boys and girls can play with different toys not necessarily pink for girls and blues for boys, boys also like to play with dolls and prams and girls like garages and cars, and everything should be equal.…
On the other hand, Peggy Orenstein in her article “Should the World of Toys Be Gender-Free?” published on the 29th of December 2011, in the newspaper The New York Times, she appears to support cross-sex toys and play activities. Orenstein believes that with cross-sex entertainment it would be easier and beneficial for the children to interact and communicate in the future, due to their shared experiences and that toys should not be separated according to sex. In response to Sommers’ main argument I feel that I agree with the points the author is making. Each individual is different by nature; genders have different needs and preferences. Not allowing children to play with toys that suit their personality but rather oblige them to play with something labeled as gender-neutral that will eventually lead into equality is absurd to me because then…
Recently, Women’s March, a worldwide protest that emphasis on advocating women’s rights and other human rights, has remarkably attracts media and public attention. In the end, these significant events have proven how gender stereotypes have become major concern that receives close attention. Classifying gender as binary has resulted in gender stereotypes and discrimination. In order to get rid of the gender stereotypes that are harmful to the society, people need to be more open-minded and be willing to perceive gender classification in a different perspective. Most of the time, children are raised in societies where there is either black or white perspectives on gender, and they are expected to adhere to the rigid gender roles that have been formed and shaped by the society. Media and industry market target specifically at boys and girls using gender advertising and gender-specific products. For instance, toys companies will take advantage of the use of pink and blue color wrapping paper to attract and manipulate children’s perception on their preference of…