How Long A Male Child Will Play And Or Interact With A Toy Once They Are Told The Toy

Further, certain toys seem to suggest that boys are valued higher in society than girls (Starr, 1999). The information appears to show that there may be more stereotyping with regard to toys offered to boys. It seems that most parents choose more masculine and gender-neutral toys for the boys such as, soldier action figures, wrestling kits, and karate fighters (Starr, 1999). These types of toys encourage competitive and aggressive behaviors, however; they are also more constructive, conductive to handling, and more reality based (Starr, 1999).

In the research done on “Sex Roles, Pink or Blue: Environmental Gender Stereotypes in the First Two Years of Life,” by Andree Pomerleau, Daniel Bolduc, Gerard Malcuit, and Louise Cossette at the University of Montreal stated that the physical environment of girls and boys will have an impact on the development of specific abilities and activities in children. In the research, three age groups were investigated and given types and colors of toys and have determined that boys prefer sports and large and small vehicles while girls had more dolls and fictional characters. The research proves that boys are more active and aggressive than girls. The research shows that as early as 18 months of age, children are already predisposed by sex stereotypes by their parents.

Gender role expectations are inescapable in our society as we naturally tend to sort humans into categories, the easiest one being gender. Upon first meeting a person, most people automatically classify the other’s gender. With this classification come the inevitable gender role expectations. Even for those who consciously try their hardest not to cloud their perceptions of others based on “traditional” gender role expectations, it is almost impossible not to subconsciously succumb to these expectations that are ingrained in our minds virtually since the day we are born. These expectations often influence how one interacts with another. This is especially important when taking into consideration the effects that gender socialization of children through gendered toys, media, and parental affects child development.

The authors use toys as an example for gender specifying children as male or females. They did a study to see what kind of toys that toddlers had at home. They found that girls had more toys for parties, wedding, cooking, and motherhood. And boys had toys that helped them with automotive skills and building skills. They express how parents do this to show children what they want them to do when they get older. Parents buy children toys to set their gender types early so kids know what gender type they have at an early age.

Children love toys because they find them enjoyable and help them in building an imagination. Toys are advertised on televisions and radios in order to get parents to buy them for their kids. Playing with toys helps to build character and teaches children the basics of early life, like shape-sorting or building things with building blocks. Some toys are educational and teach kids numbers, letters, and how to read using fun ways that they find understandable and delightful. All kids have their own preference of toys, boys like cars and Nerf guns and girls like American Girl and Easy-Bake Ovens. Girls and boys are different genders and have their own preference of toys based on what society says is “for girls” or “for boys”. Since the beginning of time, societies have made women out to be frail people that do “feminine” activities, such as: making clothes, cleaning the house, and taking care of the children. Today, we see these activities as “sexist”, women can other things when given the proper motivation. It’s demeaning to think of women as people who only love shopping, overly romantic tokens-of-affection, chick flicks, and etc. Stereotypes and demeaning rumors still go around today, it’s even shown in toys that young children play with. Toys in today’s society affect gender stereotypes.

Having an experience playing with my sister, allows me to imitate and reinforce to behave in gender appropriate ways and develop a concept of gender and than engage in activities consistent with the emerging concept. In addition, when I started school age, I engage to play with just my same gender and choosing just girls to play with. According to Hughes, the sex of one’s playmates is related to the tendency to choose the gender appropriate and inappropriate toys (Hughes, 168). In same time, playing with children in different gender allows me to discover and explore the differences between boys and

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.

Gender roles in toys are overwhelmingly obvious. The breakdown has not changed in so many years that we all comply with and follow without question. Taking a trip to the local Toys R Us store showed me just how obvious the line was drawn for the sexes, showing a specific division of the two. The stores layout clearly establishes the line between girl’s toys and boys toys. There are very few isles that will intermingle within the sexes. For this project I selected the following age groups; infant, preschool and school age with a focus on girls toys.

Sweet argue that it affects a child’s creative process and mindsets towards gender. Lori Day, a psychologist, explains that girls and boys stop playing with each other during childhood, an that leaves a lasting impression that they are different when they are very similar (Hains par. 8). This debate about sex-specific toys shows the core issues about gender inequality in American society. These gender roles teach children what jobs and careers are appropriate for their gender. Boys learn that their jobs include hands-on work, while girls learn that child-care or nursing is for them. This reflects the number of women in occupations like mechanics and engineering. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up 26.7 percent of the jobs in motor vehicles industry. This also affects how many men are nurses. According to Bureau Health Professions, men make up 9.1 percent of registered nurses. Gender stereotypes that are learned when kids are younger affect their future occupation. This article disrupts gender roles by explaining how sex-specific toys affect children’s individuality and view on themselves and

We as a people should care about gender specific toys because play is an important part of a child’s life. Toys give children a sense of belonging, and help them to decide how they will behave, how they will dress, and how they will play with other kids. Each toy has a way of helping children to learn, whether it is by growing their muscle memory, teaching them special skills, or helping them to solve difficult problems. The problem isn’t the toys themselves but it is the division of the toys, between the girls section and the boys, the colors, and the misconception that boys and girls should only play with certain types of toys, and they must be distinct for both sexes. The boys and girls sections are divided by the

Specific stereotypical toys can force gender roles on children. This phenomenon has been going on for a while, for example, in Sears catalogs from the 1920’s to the 1940’s present toys such as, “The Little Women Homemaker,” and, “The Young Man of Industry.” Most big box stores today have separate ailes labeled, “Girl’s Toys,” or, “Boy’s Toys.” The aisle targeted for girls enclude vacuums, kitchens, and dolls that you can change and feed. The aisle for boys enclude, toy guns, trucks, cars, building blocks, and action figures.

I remember getting excited when I received a toy doll that came with diapers and accessories to care for when I turned 4. I was the only child at the time but somehow I knew how to care for the inanimate object, maybe from TV shows or from seeing how the women around me cared for their child. The toy section was almost like the equivalent to heaven for kids, walking down the girls’ toy section I was surrounded by toys imitating kitchen objects, there were many versions of baby dolls and the color pink flooded the isle, whether it were pink dresses or the pink vacuum cleaner. On the other side of the isle I saw soccer balls, Lego blocks and toy cars targeted for boys. Growing up, I realized the toy industry that targets the stereotypes of a gender was a sample of the gender roles that are expected to be followed in some cultures; and clearly the representation of a woman is one that does domestic work and has concern over their appearance.

As children, parents supply boys with toys such as car, action figures, and sports balls to play, while girls receive dolls, tea sets, and dress-up clothes. Boy toys are ones that promote motor skills, aggressiveness, and solitary play, whereas “girly” toys foster nurturing, interpersonal relationships, and role play.

Many studies have found that children prefer to play with toys that are typed to their own gender. Such preference happens even before children reach three years of age, which according to Kohlberg (1966), is when gender identity is formed. When presented a doll and a truck, girls between three to eight months old demonstrated more visual interest in the doll, whereas boys demonstrated more visual interest in the truck (Alexander, Wilcox, & Woods, 2009). When children reach nine months of age, they start to demonstrate a preference to play with toys specific to their own gender (Todd, Barry, & Thommessen,

In society people expect toys to describe how children should act. People expect girls to play with dolls, be interested in fashion and play indoors. Whereas for boys they are expected to play with action toys that suggests that they should be tough and aggressive. I argue that toys contributes to gender stereotyping girls and boys behavior in society. The main factors that contribute to gender stereotyping are colors, suggested behaviors and gender roles.