Gender Differences In Gender Toys

1609 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender stereotypes and the image of women and girls in the toy industry

The characteristics of gender are noticeable for children as young as two, and it has become even more noticeable through the toys that they play with. Throughout history, toys have slowly transformed into gender base and stereotypical toys. While conducting research, it appeared that toys began to segregate slowly in the 40s and continued to divide the genders of boys and girls into the new millennium. Parents and their behavior as well as their actions have become a model that toy companies have been wrongfully using to make toys and advertise towards children. Boys and girls are being confined to toys based on their gender. This research paper will discuss how are girls are being compartmentalized by the housework toys, followed by boys …show more content…

A simple solution to the pink and blue segregated toy aisle has emerged with neutral gender toys. Toys were traditionally intended to help develop movement coordination, communicate how to share, stimulate imaginations, and develop their problem solving techniques; unfortunately, they have changed into gender and stereotyping toys. Limiting children play through toys could potentially have an impact on skills. It is absolutely okay for boys to play with baby dolls because it’s a skill based on caring; bathing, feeding, and dressing dolls are all the basic skills when learning about caring. It can help aid and prepare boys who have younger siblings or younger cousins. It is also important to steer away from narrow minded thinking that baby dolls are strictly for girls. “The Karl Groo instinctual theory of play was popular at the time and influenced educators policy makers (Lucie, Julie 264). Rather than being an aimless activity, play was an instinctual drive through which children practiced the skills they would need later in life.” Lucie and Julie make a great point in recognizing how toys should have skill sets that can be used in life. But until that happens, gender neutral toys have been emerging to help ease the transition of playing with strictly girls and boys toys. Plush toys are among the common gender neutral toys; plush toys have been a standard gift to give and receive. Unlike dolls and action figures, plush toys aren’t sealed in any type of packing. Instead, they are in large bins, barrels, or on shelves. This allows children to pick and choose which plush toy appeals to them the best. Gender neutral television shows have also contributed to the popularity of plush toys among children. Stevens and Harrison stated that for both boys and girls, Rugrats, was an overwhelming favorite television program. Doug, Pokémon, Arthur, Rocko’s

Show More
Related

  • Gender Roles In The Walmart Supercenter At The Walmart Store

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    I will not impose “gender specific” toys on them or tell them that it is not acceptable for a boy to play with a baby doll or tell my future daughter that it is not allowed for her to pretend sword fight. My children will be able to decide what they like and what they do not like and I will not allow anyone to decide that for them. This assignment has definitely opened my eyes to the market that is out there stereotyping children without much notice. Taking time to actually look into what is being done with toys and society with children has broadened my understanding and awareness of the impending problem that children are being faced with. I hope that one day we will see an end to gender stereotyping so that my future children will not be forced to feel out of place if they do not identify with a specific feeling or emotion that a boy should have or a girl should have. It sickens me and breaks my heart that things so minuscule such as toys can have such a negative effect on lives, especially on such a young children. This ideology of gender segregation should not be supported or further produced because it is harmful to the children that are directly or indirectly being affected by

    Read More

  • Gender Roles and Kids Toys

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    I am not saying that a Barbi doll is necessarily a bad thing, besides the fact that some of her outfits are frightening, but I would rather have the life like rocket that can fly a 100 feet up before it returns to the ground. This discussion might appear superficial at first, but there is an underlying problem to why a parent might want to encourage their young daughters to play with a science kit instead of deciding what evening gown Barbi looks best in. A lot of the toys designed for boys might also be used as a learning tool. When a boy plays with legos and starts to create buildings he is developing his creativity. This act could lead him into a career as an architect or engineer. When he is encouraged to play with rockets or a microscope he has the potential of developing an interest in science that could lead him into a career working on satellites.

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotype: Gender in The Toy Store

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order to fully comprehend the how gender stereotypes perpetuate children’s toys, one must understand gender socialization. According to Santrock, the term gender refers to the, “characteristics of people as males and females” (p.163). An individual is certainly not brought into the world with pre-existing knowledge of the world. However, what is certain is the belief that the individual has regarding him- or herself and life stems from socialization—the development of gender through social mechanisms. For instance, when a baby is brought into this world, his or her first encounter to gender socialization arises when the nurse places a blue or pink cap on the baby’s head. This act symbolizes the gender of the baby, whether it is a boy (blue cap) or a girl (pink cap). At the age of four, the child becomes acquai...

    Read More

  • Gender Roles Of Gender And Gender In Walmart

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    That is, boys will customarily receive blue clothing or toys while pink clothing or toys will be for girls. “Children‘s toys and games are also differentiated on the basis of sex” (Diekman and Murnen 2004; Seccombe p.99). Through these toys or playing with these toys, boys and girls would eventually distinguish the differences between male and female; also, may strengthen, and perpetuate the traditional gender stereotypes. For instance, boys or men are expected to act and behave in ways that have been considered masculine or associated with masculinity (Seccombe p.104); “men are often assumed to be more aggressive, sexual, unemotional, rational, and task oriented than women” (Seccombe p.93); and thus, action figures, such as Superman, WWE wrestling toys, and Hulk are made for boys to play with. While girls or women’s roles are associated with femininity (Seccombe p.104); “women are assumed to be more nurturing, passive, and dependent” (Seccombe p.93); and so, cooking and baking set and baby dolls with bottle feeding and diapering set are made for girls, so, they could apply their nurturing and culinary skills when they get older and mainly do household chores. Personally, I believe these toys have both negative and positive influence on children’s socialization. For instance, playing with toy guns or military toy set with a knife may lead to early exposure to violence and aggression. However, some toys, such as Lego building set and blocks, arts and crafts have a powerful and influential influence on children’s thinking and

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotypes Among Children's Toys

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    I noticed the girls’ toys engaged fine motor skills more than the boys’ toys did. The girls have several different types and sizes of dolls to choose from – however, this also makes dolls or items used with dolls (Barbie clothes, doll clothes, doll houses, Barbie cars, and doll furniture) over half of all the products in the girls’ section. This shows the stereotypical attitude that all girls like to nurture and will someday be expected to be mothers and the primary care giver for their children. Other toys I noticed that were very stereotypical were the child size vacuum, broom, and kitchen set. Even at this young age we teach girls it is part of their role to cook and clean.

    Read More

  • Essay On Jean Piaget

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although, the pictures illustrate that girls 'enjoy dresses ' and pink toys while boys enjoy active play toys, such as balls. Most of the toys in this store would seem to prepare girls to be princess and boys to be athletes. In contrast, there is a miscellaneous section that had gender neutral toys for an age group of kids 3-7; these toys had cooking sets, medical sets, and farming sets. Subsequently, it can be said that some of these gender-neutral toys could be preparing children for roles as farmers, doctors, and chefs. This section of gender-neutral toys seemed to be just randomly placed in the middle of the store, and the only other gender-neutral section seemed to be in the 1-5 age range. I didn’t see a ‘strategy of attraction’ for these gender-neutral toys. For this miscellaneous section, it seemed to be more of the predisposition of a child, for example, a child that may like horses might gravitate towards the gender-neutral farming set. For the 1-5 age, the attraction would be the sounds, touches, and movements of the toy. In this TOYS R US, it seemed to

    Read More

  • Toys Case Study

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    The socialization of children is greatly affected by the toys they are exposed to while growing up. Looking through magazines and walking down the aisles of toy stores it is clear that toy companies are supportive of cultural gender roles biases. Toys designed for girls are commonly found in pink boxes; typically these toys involve housework or taking care of children, for example, dolls and easy bake ovens. On the other hand, “boy” toys are found in blue and black boxes, and a lot of them involve construction and cars.

    Read More

  • Kids Toys and Socialization

    1415 Words  | 3 Pages

    Toy stores are perfect places for a sociologist to use their sociological imagination. Gendering and racism is thought to be something that is socially constructed as opposed to biologically constructed. Gendering starts during infancy, and around 2 years old children start to internalize these gender differences. I argue that children’s toys help socialize children into gender specific roles. Toy stores, like Target and Toys R Us help us understand what types of toys help to gender children. I will explain how the toys in the toy aisles differ and compare. Not all toys are either male or female, some toys are gender neutral.

    Read More

  • Gender Socialization Of Toys R Us

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    First off, I will describe the role the toys are playing when it comes to the socialization process for boys and girls. The masculine wrestling action figures and construction vehicles are showing boy 's their gender roles. In the book, “You May Ask Yourself”, defines social roles as “the concept of gender roles, set of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as male or female” (Conley, pg 130). In the store it is fairly easy for parents to find which part of the store will fit their kids gender roles. For parents with young boys, all they have to do is look for the blue in the store. When looking for the girl toys, parents just need to find the pink. Parents are actively doing gender in their child

    Read More

  • Gender Differences In Children's Play

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mathur and Parameswaran (2015) posed many of the questions that early-childhood educators have regarding the role of play in child development. The questions primarily focused on how play amongst children is affected by development, biology, nurture, gender and culture. The authors cite other research, which concludes that though play is universal and cross-cultural, theoretical and empirical evidence support the notion that there are gender differences in the play of children. Citing the social learning theory, Mathur and Parameswaran (2015) argue that children learn gender roles at a very young age due to the positive reinforcement they receive from their parents. The positive reinforcement is indicative of the parents rewarding their children’s

    Read More

  • Examining Gender Socialization through Toys

    1393 Words  | 3 Pages

    From this research of examining how gender socialization is projection through toys to children, have led to conclusion that in order to prevent children from living by these stereotypes portrayed through toys, parents should encourage gender-neutral and cross-gender play in children at an early age. Just for the mere that their brain is so receptive to knowledge into creating to become the person they are to be in life. Give children a chance to not only have fun while playing with their toys and that there aren’t any pressures on them that this what they should be and that there a mind full options that they can choose from.

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotypes Regarding Toys

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a child, our toys were not exactly as gender neutral as earlier times, but also were not as gender stereotypic as the toys in today’s time. The fact that everyone eventually comes into contact with buying toys whether you have kids or you have a friend or family member who have kids which makes this an important topic. Eventually, everyone has to buy a child a present. Would it bother you that all toys are either pink or blue and there is no in between? Or does sticking to what your child is already familiar with and knows the more ideal option when it comes to gender stereotyping with children’s toys? Authors James Delingpole and Eleanor Muffitt both do a good job at arguing both sides to this issue. Although both authors provide valid points throughout each article, about gender stereotyping with toys, James Delingpole clearly was more effective in persuading the audience because he used all three elements; ethos, logos, and pathos to support his idea.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Rey Toys

    519 Words  | 2 Pages

    Children Should Play With Toys They Like Have you ever wanted to buy a toy, but were pressured not to do so? Many girls and boys are discouraged from playing with gender-biased toys specifically because of their sex. “Why do Boys and Girls Prefer Different Toys,” by Satoshi Kanazawa, states that boys and girls are told to play with different types of toys by their parents, peers, and society in general. This fact is troubling - children should be encouraged to buy toys that they like, and not be told which kinds of toys they should play with because of their gender. One way that toy manufacturers have encouraged the purchase of toys by one gender is by limiting the number of toys produced, such as the Star Wars character Rey-themed toys.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Movie Toys

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    Within our families and friends whom we do identify with develops many different forms of culture, based on the environment we grew up with. The film “Toys” by Barry Levinson, is based on a toy factory that Leslie's father created, but when his father turns ill and turns the rights of the company go to his uncle, a war-mongering general who tries to take over the company by planning to build military weapons disguised as toys. The film shows how different ways culture are used even within an family that don’t always get along.

    Read More

  • Playing with Dolls

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this era, males and females both uphold household duties. Children watch and learn from their environment. A boy watching his father care for an infant is going to want to imitate his father. Playing with a doll is simply following what he has seen his father do. Taking away the doll is taking away that child’s future as a nurturing father (Gioia, 2010). Many men feel that their male child playing with a doll is not teaching him to be tough and will negatively impact their future, when in fact the boy will learn how to care and use their imagination by playing with dolls (Epand). Females are often praised when they are gentle and nurturing, while boys are not- causing boys to r...

    Read More

More about Gender Differences In Gender Toys

Open Document