Toy Manufactures Has Enforced The Belief Of Children Essay

This paper will summarize the ERR articles from the bulleted topics and issues. This paper will also include summaries on toys that may encourage violence and aggression, toys that may promote pro-social behavior, gender stereotyping in toy selection, and cultural stereotyping or, lack of cultural awareness in toys.

Toys play an important role in childhood development as children learn roles and skills from playing. As a result, the toys children are subjected to have an affect on which roles, interests, and skills are learned and practiced. Through Lego’s product Duplo, I will demonstrate the influence particular gendered toys have on children and their performance of traditional gender roles. Gender, which is a learned performance, is something society has been taught from a very early age and toy advertising has played a significant role in reinforcing the performance. One tradition that is reinforced and naturalized by society is the ideology of a male dominated society, representing strong characteristics of heterosexuality and masculinity; also known as hegemonic masculinity. Therefore, using Ideological Criticism, I will analyze how through the branding and design of Lego’s Duplo toys, children have been constructed to do gender differently, ultimately perpetuating and reinforcing hegemonic masculinity.

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.

In the world of toy marketing, choices are made with direction put in place for both genders (girl and boy). For example, as I walked down each toy aisle, I felt the gender conformity among the parents as they were with their children. With multiple aisles and two dominant colors (pink and purple) designated for girls, the message (in my perspective) marketed on the toy package yelled: “Your ambition is to be stylish, while a nurturing mother who partakes in domestic works!” In addition to the toy packages being in pink, the words (on the toy) were predominately frivolous and amusing. On the contrary, the boys’ aisle contained wide varieties of colors, although the color blue caught my eye the most. The boys’ toys entailed sports, building sets, as well as action figures. Conversely, the message in my perspective, marketed on the toy package screamed: “You have the power to do whatever you want; however, it is imperative that you build yourself physically, as well as train yourself in order to properly excel.” This type of act, referred to as the social role theory—“a gender difference that mainly results from the contrasting roles of females and males” (p.165),—gives a great cause of difference in gender regarding power, nurture, and

The sexualization in children’s toys does not stop at the commercials for them that are aired on TV. Around the 1980’s, products for children suddenly saw a stark divide in gender. The gender difference in toys is characterized by often harmful gender roles. Toys for boys are usually based on being macho, tough, and violent, while girl’s toys tend to focus on appearance, being pretty and attractive to boys. These toys are often highly structured, limiting creativity and are centered around adult themes. According to Levin and Kilbourne, when we give children these toys, “We’re letting the sexualized media and popular culture, not ourselves, control the lessons children will learn” (44). When a culture that treats sexuality in such harmful ways controls children’s experiences, it creates an artificial and harmful identity in young girls that focuses on sexiness, and an identity in boys that values violence and devalues kindness and nurturing.

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).

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.

In modern day America there is an ongoing disagreement between people of all ages about the topic of gender roles in children. According to Barrie Thorne and Zella Luria, the word gender is used to refer to “cultural and social phenomena- divisions of labor, activity, and identity which are associated with but not fully determined by biological sex” (Sexuality and Gender in Children’s Daily Worlds). Whether or not young males should be able to play with stereotypical female toys such as dolls, and should girls be able to play with stereotypical male toys such as cars/trucks is a big issue that many people disagree on. Should it be acceptable in this modern time that children are almost forced to play and behavior the way that society believes is the social norm for that gender? All of these things happen everyday in the lives of children, and these things can be damaging to their personality, identity, and the way the view others.

Starting from an early age, girls and boys are advised on how to act and behave to societal standards of gender roles and behaviors. Gender socialization occurs in numerous consumer items and even behavior. One method of doing this is through children toys, and the gender socialization that occurs between girls and boys in the toys that are showcased to them. There is a remarkable difference between the two kinds of gender-biased toys, and certainly it shapes how girls and boys are in this social world.

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.

The gendering of toys is clear in a market that continues to segregate boys and girls based on a multitude of factors that include colour, intellectual ability, and so on. The effects of children restricting themselves to certain categories of toys that they can play with can have profound repercussions on their everyday life. It may lead boys and girls into developing varying sets of abilities including cognitive, emotional and social skills that allow children to become prepared for future endeavours (Auster & Mansbach, 2012). As well, it can contribute to the gendering of family structure, the division of labour within the home and the inequalities of gender within the workforce, whereby women statistically dominate work as nurses and

This essay aims to explore why there are gender differences within children’s toys. Focusing on what the differences are, in relation to function and advertising, depending on the gender that they are marketed for. Discovering how these differences have occurred historically and what the impact of having gender biased toys has on children and therefore society will also be explored. In addition to the research analysis, observations were also made of toys at local stores.

When you enter into a store, specifically, a toy store, you will find various toys for children. To assist parents in locating the correct toy for their son or daughter, marketing teams arrange toys on aisles that are gender specific. Girl toys are normally boxed in pink boxes and boy toys are boxed in blue or black boxes. This is accomplished to guide parents to the aisles to align with the gender of their child. Toys play a major part in the social, intellectual and emotional development of children. Consequently, parents use gendered specific toys help entertain their children. Additionally, they use toys to help mold a child’s sexuality. Playing with gender specific toys may seem harmless; however, I believe they subconsciously

This paper focuses on the toy brand LEGO and their toy Lego Friends. The purpose of this paper is to examine how this toy is aimed towards certain gender groups. The discourses communicated through these toys will be used to better understand the situation. This paper will also look at how they affect the child when it comes to identifying gender and Social roles. When the toy was analysed it became to an interest to see how it promote opportunities for learning what’s moral and immoral in a daily world. It was also clear how the toy promoted knowledge on Social bonds, Relationships with friends etc., but Lego friends seems to be aimed specifically at girls. This paper will also compare life opportunities available to both gender within these

Children gravitate towards same-gender type toys based on being influenced and from learning what is expected from parents and society. Gender role stereotyping is one of the most consistent domains in which adults play a major role in children’s socialization (Campenni, 1991; Idle, Wood, & Desmarais, 1993; Lytton & Romney, 1991). Past research has proven young children tend to pick