Gender Stereotyping In The Toy Industry

When it comes to the social construction of gender, the way toy stores advertise their product play a huge role in the contribution. Sitting on the floor looking at the Walmart toy selection, I noticed a few things that I never really paid close attention to before. First, when did the colors pink and blue become a tool used as a gender binary? Second, why does it seem to be a pattern of the professions that the toy emulate in regards to each gender? Third, what does this all mean?

Sociologist Dalton Conley wrote his book, You May Ask Yourself, addressing how “gender is a social construction” that is so normal for society to think how a man or woman should act towards the public. Society often categorizes roles that females and males are suppose to play in, but not only are they categorized they are also being taught what their gender role is suppose to do. The beginning of gender socialization can start with a child who is not born yet by simply having the parents purchase items that are all pink if its expected to be a girl, but if its expected to be a boy then everything they purchase will be blue. Conley states that gender roles are “sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany ones’ status as male or female” (Conley [2008] 2013:134). So even when a child is growing into their infant years, toys are made specifically for their gender. By examining how social construction places gender in categories it becomes apparent that males and females get differentiated a lot which emphasizes inequality between them.

According to cook and Cusack (2010), Gender stereotypes are concerned with social and cultural construction of man and women, due to their physical, biological, sexual and social functions, structured set of beliefs about the personal attributes of man and women. Childhood is a fundamental and significant period in forming an impression of an individual boy or girl, and man or women finally. Subsequent researchers Ania and Cameron(2011) hold an accordant opinion with Cook and Cusack(2010) that gender stereotyping is problematic only when it operates to ignore personal characteristics, abilities, needs, wishes, and circumstances (Cook & Cusack, 2010). In fact, during children’s learning process of gender stereotypes, most of them are under gigantic pressure of the society they belong to and formed a problematic view through normally ignored. One obvious phenomenon is about the toys. Toys are designed and retailed separately for boys and girls with different colours, styles and functions by toy manufacturers. When acquiring a toy, gender will normally be the first issue to consider instead of children’s inherent preferences. It will highly possible to limit children’s personal experiences and future development for both gender groups (Martin, Eisenbud & Rose, 1995). This article will analyse the role of toy manufacturers in gender development in order to decide whether they are responsible to

It is emphasized in toy commercials what gender that the target audience is by the use of selection of words and details. Through the selection of details and words, certain connotations may be deducted from the choice of words. The Grossery Gang commercial features small collectible toys made by Moose are advertised toward boys. This toy commercial shows boys that are playing with toys that are made to look like gross groceries, hence the name, and enjoying the looks of a rotting hamburger or fuzzy vegetable. The commercial is geared towards boys that like objects that are gross or somewhat disgusting. The pattern of language includes the use of words with connotations of gross objects such as “squishy”

In the blog post Gender Bias in the Toy Aisles, the author discusses the issue of big-box stores’ gender gap in the toys they market to children, and the difficulty she encounters when trying to find toys for her sons that do not enforce gender bias. Her main point emphasizes the gender gap by pointing to the stylistic choices made by toy companies – girls’ toys are laden with pink and incite feelings of innocence, while boys’ toys are highly ruggedized, typically bearing camouflage or other male stereotypes such as flames. Finally, the author expresses her wish for the toy companies to stop enforcing gender biases to better equip children for their future. The author’s statement on the bias of toys is clearly well-supported.

In the article, “The Gender Marketing of Toys: An Analysis of Color and Type of Toy on the Disney Website” authors Carol Auster and Claire Mansbach examined gender marketing of Disney products on the Internet. The way toys are marketed to the public shapes the perception of whether it is appropriate for a particular child to play with a certain toy. The authors found it important to study Disney toys marketed on the Internet because children spend much of their time surrounded by toys, e-commerce has growth significantly in the past decade, and Disney is dominant in the toy industry. This study is of particular importance because past studies did not explore how Disney marketers use the Internet to create gender divides based on toy characteristics and how it shapes gender expectations (Mansbach, 375).

A large audience of two hundred million children and adults watch Disney movies and videos every year (Gilliam, Wooden 7). When one thinks about Disney animated feature films he or she probably immediately have the image of beautiful princesses in mind, while when thinking about Pixar one may think of a narrative, which centers on a male character. According to The Pixar Story, The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios have been collaborating together in many films since 2006; as one can see in many films the two companies draw distinctive gender dynamics, Disney adapts to old narratives while Pixar creates new ones. In Tangled (2010), a Disney movie, the masculine character Flynn Rider is a secondary character, an arrogant and crude thief. In The Incredibles, a movie born from the collaboration between Disney and Pixar, Bob Parr is depicted as the strongest, independent and the protagonist of the narrative.

When you walk into the toy section of any store, you do not need a sign to indicate which section is the girls’ side and which section is the boys’ side. Aside from all the pink, purple, and other pastel colors that fill the shelves on the girls’ side, the glitter sticks out a lot as well. The boys’ toys however are mostly dark colors – blue, black, red, gray, or dark green. The colors typically used on either side are very stereotypical in themselves.

From the moment they are born, children are exposed to myriad of rigid gender stereotypes. Even as newborns, children are carried out of the hospital in a pink blanket if they are female or a blue blanket if they are male. As children grow older, gender roles are reinforced by family members, the media, and other children and adults in the child’s life. As toddlers, girls often are given dolls and books about princess and boys are often given trucks and books about heroes. If a girl tracks mud across the floor she would probably get scolded by a parent, but if her brother did the same thing he would probably get a laugh or a “boys will be boys.”

Gender norms today have become a big part of our society as they are present in our every day life from advertisements, clothes, to the way we are supposed to act, and even in toys. In order to appeal to a certain customer, advertisements use many gender norms that apply to customers. One of the most impactful gender norms that I find to be is in the kid’s toys because I believe that it’s teaching these kids about how to act. Kids ranging from very early ages know what types of toys they should play with and what toys they aren’t supposed to play with. For example, little boys would play with cars and action figures while on the other hand girls would play with dolls and a tea party set. Many of the toys for girls have been shaped to show them that are supposed to be more friendly and kind. These toys have made it so that there are certain way’s little girls should act and also what things they should like.

When you enter any store that has a children’s toy aisle, you automatically figure out which side is for boys and which side is for girls. On the girls’ side, you generally see lots of pink and purple, and glitter too. Blues and greens, as well as many other dark colors, fill the boy’s side of the aisle. The division of this aisle and the colors associated with male or female toys is known as the idea of gender-stereotyped toys.

Yet, girls and boys are each born with different strengths and weaknesses. Thus, they should develop only their natural given abilities. Grinberg constructs the argument that “[g]irls are natural caregivers… makes them more attracted to dolls. Boys are more likely than girls to prefer … learning toys because they are better at math and science” (Grinberg, par. 6). Therefore, boys should develop their cognitive aptitude, while girls should foster their domestic skills. But in today’s culture both genders need to develop both domestic and cognitive skills in order to be prepared for the future. Moreover, children need play toys that develop cognitive skills, so they can better understand what they are capable of accomplishing. In recent years, these toys have become increasing gender neutral allowing all children to have this opportunity. In Kraffer’s article “Sexism Begins in the Toy Aisle”, Kraffer observes that toys that are educational and develop thinking abilities are marketed in recent years to both genders in response to demand for gender neutral toys (par. 6 and 8). Since children are developing intellectual skills in their childhood, all children experience the benefits of playing with gender neutral toys. Marketers have taken notice of the demand of gender neutral toys and have since responded to those demands that will improve the lives of all children. Furthermore, in order to develop skills for the future, both girls and boys should play with all toys to develop all skills. Both girls and boys should know the proficiency of cooking, cleaning, and building which is discovered through playing toys. The same study on the Disney store website found that toys that were for marketed for both girls and boys were more likely to resemble typical “boy toys” in color and type (Auster and Mansbach, 385). Thus, this study revealed that

Directly after a parent identifies the sex of their child, they immediately purchase infant-associated items according to their color. For example, an expecting family may buy their baby girl a pink blanket. Another expecting family may buy their baby boy a blue blanket. While this appears natural and unquestionable, predicaments like these build the basis of our sexist society. When that baby boy or girl matures, they will come to the realization that pink is a feminine color and blue is a masculine color.

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

Gender socialization often begins early once parents are shown the sex of their child; from then on, baby showers are planned according to gender “appropriate” colors, which are often pink for girls and blue for boys. Even differences in how children are spoke to can be picked up easily in Western cultures. Girls are called pretty and sweet, whereas boys are handsome and strong. Ultimately, the way children learn to identify with their gender culture is in part due to not only family and friends, media, schools, and religion, but also from the toys that may inexplicitly advertise gender expectations. Gender-typed toys may be bought for children as a way for parents to encourage and reinforce gender-appropriate behaviors. However, recent debates have engulfed toy manufacturers and major retailers, which has brought about changes in toy design and marketing in an effort to make reflect more realistic and gender neutral options.