Gender Be Toys

​​Gender is defined as whatever behaviors and attitudes a group considers proper for its males and females. Unlike sex, gender is something that we learn from the day we are born. “Young children begin to acquire gender role stereotypes at about the same time they develop gender identity and by the age of 3 or 4 most children” (Amanda Youmans). Peers, community, media, religion and our upbringing all play a role in the understanding of our culture and what is considered acceptable for males and females. When the sex of a child is revealed, they are automatically placed into a gender specific role with certain expectations. There are things in this world such as colors, toys, media depiction and taught behaviors that play into these gender roles.

Characteristics such as these mentioned can be seen in toys determining so much about a toys identity and what they represent. Studies have shown that these qualities also have an immense effect on what audience or gender group interacts with the toys along with the overall marketing of toys. A partnered experiment run by the departments of psychology at The University of Cambridge and The University of Hong Kong observed toddlers playing with two gender-typical toys, once in gender-typical colors and once in gender typical colors (Wong and Hines). These assessments occurred twice, for four minute periods, at two different age groups that included twenty to forty months of age and twenty-six to forty-seven months of age (Wong and Hines). After, results between sex and toy choice along with sex and color were collected. It was found that “Boys played more with the train than girls did and girls played more with the doll and with pink toys than boys did” (Wong and Hines). At both time collections, boys and girls combined played more with the gender-atypical toy when its color was typical for their sex than when it was not (Wong and Hines). After reviewing the results, it is suggested that once children develop gender-typical color preferences, they begin to influence their toy preferences, especially those for gender-atypical toys and

Children learn as early as age two what it means to be a “boy” or a “girl” (Aina & Cameron). This is described as gender identity, a person’s sense of self as male or female. Gender stereotyping emerges hand in hand with the development of gender identity in Early Childhood (Halim). Gender roles are society’s expectations of the proper behavior, attitudes and activities of males and females. When babies are born they are either put in pink or blue, as they grow up they still maintain the same “gender” colors. As young children start to socialize, they are playing with either “girl” toys or “boy” toys. When they get older they

     Few toys were aimed equally at both genders. Even board games, while intended for both sexes, usually seemed aimed more towards one gender or another. Both sections had a lot of gender- stereotypical toys. General ideas on girls’ and boys’ behaviors and interests were very prevalent in the toys intended for each gender. After really looking at the toys in both sections it is easy to understand why stereotypical ideas about both genders are so strong since these ideas are introduced at such a young

In our society, there are norms of what is considered to be feminine and what is to be considered masculine, but how are these norms constructed? Through the use of toys, books, and clothing, children are socialized into their “appropriate” gender. These objects provide influence over behavior and appearance, showing boys and girls what is appropriate for each gender. After some investigation it was found that the toys, books, and clothing that children use not only foster the norms of gender behavior and appearance, but also construct gender roles in their young minds.

This article details the different ways that gender is socialized through children’s toys and how drastically this mechanism has changed throughout time. This doesn’t stop at toys but goes as far as sexualized Halloween and dress up costumes. Girl’s costumes more often portray sexualized appearances while boy’s costumes often resemble “masculine” characters. These toys and costumes can influence what direction a child’s life will take with regards to college major, occupation and societal roles. It doesn’t stop there; children are even being drawn away from talents and interests and towards stereotyped gender related activities. These different mechanism of gender socialization didn’t exist until recently, though. In the 1970’s, only 2% of

Banerjee and Lintern (2000) examined the salience of children’s preference for toys in private and public settings. Their findings indicate that younger children hold more rigid ideas of what kinds of toys their gender should be playing with, and that children would

Gender should not be intertwined with the term sex, which refers to the physical differences in individuals. Instead, gender is the idea of being male or female, and it is well understood by the time children reach the preschool years. Differences in gender become more pronounced as children age, and societal expectations are reinforced by parents and peers. Behavioral differences may be evident since parents may treat their child differently according to gender. A big example of this is how parents may react to a child’s first

Everyone can remember their favorite toys as a child. From Cabbage Patch Kids to Hot Wheels to Legos, one can reminisce fondly about sitting on the floor and playing with one of these. However, depending on sex, a specific child may have found themselves playing with specific toys. For girls, things like baby dolls, Barbies, or dress-up kits are quite popular. Boys can be found playing with action figures and Nerf guns. This is where a problem is to be seen. Toys for children have actually had a quite short history of being gender-typed. Yes, it wasn’t alway like this. In fact, most children’s toys were marketed to both sexes and only recently has gender-typing toys become a fad. To see why this is a problem, one should explore the history of gender-typing in the toy industry, understand why it is a negative thing for today’s youth, and try to synthesize a possible solution to this problem in society.

Gender roles are a crucial aspect of society. Gender roles are attitudes and activities that are linked to sex by a society (Macionis 2016: 277). Children are constantly being directed towards the accepted gender roles of

Children since birth, were assigned their gender, thus the assigned gender has determined what they liked or disliked; boys like cars, guns, and video games. While girls liked Barbie, cooking, or makeup. Without a doubt, it follows the children all the way to their adulthood. According to a source cited in Marriages & families: changes, choices, and constraints, it stated that providing children with a variety of toys; both boys and girls would, “Develop a wider repertoire of skills” (Benokraitis, 2015, p. 126). From this information alone, it has opened my mind to accept that toys should be gender neutral. After all, it is just toys. Boy deserve to develop their expressive, and nurturing sides. Girls also deserve to develop their assertive, and resilient traits. It is obvious that many young boys

Toys are one of the greatest creations of all time, they come in all sorts of colors, shapes, and forms. Many people might not know, but toys, play a major role in children’s lives as they grow up. Through out years’ parents have been focusing on how girl toys impact them as they grow up, but haven’t noticed that boy toys affect their gender construction just the same. Legos for example created in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen, most popular for boys, have always been portrayed as neutrally gendered toys. Legos has been creating gendered themed sets for boys and girls, but their main consumers have been boys. Parents have been buying plastic pieces and sets for boys, themed to build an aggressive war zone, skyscraper, cars, and airplanes. Encouraging the boys to play with Legos toys, Lego has created thousands of sets for boys to build from. People or parents do not see, but Lego help shape boys talents, skills, and value, which construct gender and creates gender gaps in society.

Girls and boys both grow up being socialized on what is normal and unusual for their gender. At a young age they are given the idea of what is expected of them based on whether they are male or female. Toys are a prominent factor in this socialization, because they are typically presented for one gender and are unacceptable for the other. To assess how toys play a role in gender socialization, I made a trip to Toys R’ Us in College Station and surprisingly found that the gender beliefs have changed quite a bit since I was a child in the late 90s to early 2000s.

In today’s society, parents throughout the United States differ on their views towards children’s toys. Some children face different options and consequences when wanting a toy from the opposite gender section. Occasionally, you will see in the headlines of a newspaper saying how progressive a mother is because she allows her son to wear a princess costume. Mainly, the toys that are aimed towards boys are associated with sports and aggression. Yet for girls, the toys that are aimed towards them are associated with homemaking and glamor. These qualities are so recognized and known that I have decided to do an essay on them to see what is alike and what is different in the areas of the toys. I decided to follow two families for this analysis. These two families both come from a Mexican culture. In household X, the family is both Mexican and American. In household Y, the family comes from a strict Mexican culture. In response to my analysis, based on what I have seen in both of the households I visited, I feel as though the children should choose what matters to them in relevance to the fun. Allowing the children to have a variety of toys opens up different skills. Different toys bring different challenges. Parents should not restrict their children to strong gender toys, as though it could not help them develop physically, academically, artistically, cognitively, and musically.

Children are intended to have more fun and choice in their lives, as upon reaching adulthood, rigorous work structure begins to form. I’m not saying that children should choose every life choice they have, but to be allowed freedom of choice and expression. Toys are among one of the most popular gender stereotypes in children. There should not be “boys toys” or “girls toys”. Children should be able to play with whatever they want without having to be frowned upon for choosing a toy that may seem too ‘feminine’ for a boy, or too ‘masculine’ for a girl’. They should be allowed to play with whatever they want (within reasonable price range) that will make them happy. Often, children will persuade their parents into getting whatever toy they want, even if the parent remains unhappy. However, if the enforcement of gender stereotypes begins at a very young age, the kids themselves will follow and attempt to enforce them.