Gender Stereotyping in the Toy Industry

Introduction Gender Stereotypes are fixed assumptions about the traits of women and men, their capabilities, and how an individual should behave based on their gender. (Gender stereotype, n.d.alleydog.com) Gender stereotyping is a pervasive issue across different countries and cultures, whether acknowledged or not. The occurrence of stereotyping is usually based on the categorization of an individual as a member of a social group, the traits that are associated with this social group, and the judgment

Gender roles are the norms for a specific gender that influences how you act according to your gender. Gender identity is how you identify yourself to the world. In these days, you are not simply a boy or a girl. There are many ways to identify yourself and they are becoming more socially acceptable and creating new norms for our society. The toy industry I believe is catching onto these new norms a little slower than we would like but is getting there with making more toys non-gender specific. According

them to conform to the assigned gender roles and stereotypes. This is mainly done in accordance to their choice of games and toys. Toys are an integral part of our childhood. In some ways, it is the one thing that people from all over the world share in common. As children, toys were a major source of our entertainment and social interaction. However, the booming population of children and the growth of toy industry has resulted in the commercialization of childhood. Toys have been an effective method

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

brands of children toys worldwide. Unfortunately, the success Lego continues to endure is accompanied by disapproval and accusations. The new Friends line of Lego has attracted criticism as some find it to be too gender specific and sexist. Despite the popularity of the Lego Friends sets, individuals found the sets to be offensive and discriminating towards females. The pink and purple colours with the fairy, princess or family figurines were said to be supposedly stereotyping girls. When compared

Subliminal and direct messages of gender-role stereotyping can be found in advertisements for children’s toys, television cartoons, foods, and many other items that are marketed towards young children. Specifically, children in the age ranges of six to ten years old. For example, McDonald’s Restaurant has a new Happy Meal commercial that runs often on television. Actually, it is a set of commercials advertising Cuties, a brand of mandarin oranges, as a healthier alternative in their McDonald’s Happy

1101 Broward University Gender stereotypes in television advertisement for toys Kids represent an important demographic for marketers as they can use their persuasive power to influence their parents. As a result, the toy industry will ultimately spend a lot of money in advertisement to attract this part of the population who understand at a very young age the type of behavior expected based on their gender. Knowing that, toy manufacturers will market gender-specific toys towards boys and girls.

The Gender Marketing of Toys: Shaping the Way Americans Shop and Play 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

Compartmentalization is a process that begins before a person even takes their first breath in this world. The color of their room is picked out based upon gender as is their clothes, toys, and name all before they are born. Girls get girl names, girl toys, and other girly things so that they know what gender they are, as if it was a hard thing to figure out. The same thing occurs with boys but young ladies are the ones being held back from aspiring to do big things or really anything other than

Attributing gender differences to nature or nurture is too simplistic. Simon Baron Cohen, professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge, says “those who argue that gender difference is attributed to nurture are oversimplifying the interaction of biology and experience” (University of Cambridge, 2012). What does nature versus nurture mean in regards to gender differences? Those who believe gender differences are biological and inherent in the makeup of a male brain versus