Breaking the Gender Gap in Kids Toys

Articles on Toys | Topics: toys, toy

by Ursell Ingram

Girls like dolls and boys like tractors, right? Or what about the statement "girls like Barbie and boys like G.I. Joe?" Is it true that the toy isle in your local mega mart or toy store should be separated along the gender difference? Yet where do you start and where do you end? Do girls not like to play with tools and blocks? Do boys not enjoy dressing up and "cooking" in play kitchens?

While the gender differences are undoubtedly useful in determining what might interest a boy or girl, they are just as useless in determining a child's preferences. While it may be true, overall, that little girls like the color pink, it is just as true that perhaps none of the little girls living in your apartment building will actually enjoy this color. Stereotyping has its dangers, not to mention its disappointments, and it only serves to stifle the emotional and creative growth of children. It is amazing to note that toys, which are usually thought of as being appropriate for boys, are also almost always louder than the toys marketed to little girls. Part of the reason for this noise gap is the fact that a lot of the toys manufactured for boys work on the principle of cause and effect with the noise being either the affirmation of a correct or an incorrect response, while toys designed for little girls are much quieter and seem to focus on role playing instead of right and wrong choices.

Some scientists have investigated this phenomenon and have concluded that the statistically higher test scores of boys versus girls in the fields of math and science are directly related to the kind of toys that are manufactured for them. Similarly, the reason why females appear to be so much better at story telling and imagination games may be linked to the kinds of role-playing toys that appear to be the staple of many a little girl's closet. Yet, is this a fair assumption or is not rather true that children will play with the toys that truly interest them? If you pursue this line of reasoning, what do you think would be accomplished by forcing a boy to play with a Barbie doll or a girl to play with a G.I. Joe doll? Would it even be possible to interest them to do so in the first place?

Bit of History

If we had a reliable way to label our toys good and bad, it would be easy to regulate technology wisely. But we can rarely see far enough ahead to know which road leads to damnation. Whoever concerns himself with big technology, either to push it forward or to stop it, is gambling in human lives.

—Freeman Dyson (b. 1923)

Of course, when discussing the gender gap it is important to note that this term actually refers to the fact that during the adolescent years an overwhelming number of young girls lose interest in pursuing mechanical pastimes or anything involving technology altogether. Scientists who have marveled about this phenomenon have thought to trace it back to the toys these adolescents played with as young and growing children, and they thought they found that the gender gap is evidenced as early as toddler hood.

Yet, is it not true that there really are some innate differences between boys and girls? And is it not also true that because of these differences a majority of girls will prefer to play with dolls while a majority of boys will prefer to race radio controlled cars across the parking lot? Furthermore, if this were indeed true, would it not make sense to celebrate these differences rather than to seek to streamline the genders? It appears that the baby is thrown out with the bathwater in an attempt to create a unisex approach to toys and games, thus leaving children to flounder somewhat when it comes to gender specific roles. Is it not rather the truth that a declining interest of female adolescents in mechanical and technical fields may be laid squarely at the feet of the parents? If parents will encourage their children to pursue technical aspirations, and if furthermore these parents will be the cheerleaders for their children, through the failures and through the victories, then it only stands to reason that more adolescent girls will pursue the fields of sciences and math. On the other hand, if parents decline to do so, it is highly likely that adolescent girls will develop inhibitions against participating in fields they do not feel talented in.

The easiest way to break the gender gap in kids' toys is quite simple: allow your child the freedom to choose the toys she or he wishes to play with! Do not stereotype your son if he wishes to play with a Barbie doll, and do not refer to your daughter as a tomboy because she likes to climb trees. Each child is unique in her or his own right. Let's celebrate the differences rather than seeking to streamline them!

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Breaking the Gender Gap in Kids Toys" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by ToysGiftsPresents.com.

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