In our reading this week we had a section on toys and their influence on gender stereotypes. This section in the reading was not terribly long but it got me thinking about how the toys we buy for our kids may have a serious affect on their lives as time goes on. The text discusses how girls toys tend to be more geared toward building relationships, maintaining physical looks, and practicing homemaker skills. Boys, on the other hand, have toys that emphasize building, manipulating, and creating new things.
I find myself wondering if marketing these toys towards boys and girls has some effect on later struggles in the academic world. Earlier in the semester we read about how girls tend to struggle with subjects such as math, and boys struggle in language based subjects. What I by giving children certain toys we are fostering this struggle, even if just a little? I think it would be great if we encourage children to choose toys they want regardless of it is "for girls" or "for boys." Girls need to have the opportunity to practice creating new things and exercising imaginative manipulation of objects. Just as boys should have the opportunity to practice skills that come in handy in the home (ie. cooking sets, cleaning toys). By taking away the gendered categories of toys we can foster a more well-rounded knowledge base in children regardless of the stereotype of what boys do and what girls do. How amazing would it be if taking away gender biases in toys could increase the ability of children to learn and practice new things!?
Thanks, Danielle! I think there a lot of things we experience in childhood that impact us for the rest of our lives, including our toys and games. My daughter who has the 15 week old little girl wants to try to give her choices on toys and not be so gender based. That's what I did with my own children, and I think it was pretty effective, although they both gravitated toward dolls when they were very young. But it wasn't just the toys I thought about. I also talked with them a lot about gender stereotypes. I think that impacted them, too.
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