Gender biased toys?

Question

Honestly would you let your son play with toy kitchens, brooms, dolls, and nurses' kits? Would you let your daughter play with toy power tools, plastic garden tools, tonka trucks, and Dr kits?

This is for a sociology project so please be honest.

Answer 1

I would. I will, when I likely have kids. I don't see why not, at all. If boys become fathers they'll need to deal with babies just like girls play with baby dolls. Girls can use tools just as well as guys if they learn how, etc. Cooking is a useful skill for anyone to have, no just women.

When I worked at a toy store it always bothered me how sexist the division of the toys could be. It isn't the 1950's anymore and women can do more than just be housewives, cooking and cleaning and making themselves pretty for their husbands, which is what many of the toys from the "girl's" section seem to be encouraging.

Plus, if you don't let the kid play with a toy they really want to they'll just be more likely to resent you later on in life for not letting them be themselves. Who would want to squash the hope and happiness out of a child?

Answer 2

Not that I have a child but I really don't care what they would play with as long as it was not offensive or vulgar and of course in good taste. There are many types of people in this world with many different interest. I find some guys like to cook as well as women who are majorly into football. Gender, race, or being g*y or straight should not identify what sort of job a person has or what hobbys and interest they pursue. In the case that any regulations existed, I feel that many people would be unhappy in this world today.

Answer 3

I wouldn't care what my childs played with like that. Like I wouldn't mind if my son played with toy kitchens and things like that !! It is just fine. There is nothing wrong with it!!

Answer 4

Well, I had asked my husband this before we had our son. He was VERY against him playing with "dolls" and kitchen stuff. BUT, he has a daughter from a previous marriage with whom he never had a problem letting her play with cars and other "boy" toys. I thought his double standards were ridiculous. Well, our son is now 3 and we have noticed that toys that were more so "gender specific" back then now have "gender" options. Some examples:

- Cars, tool box sets, doctor kits (although this one was never gender specific in my opinion), etc that come in pinks and purples with little girls on the packaging that say "Just like Daddy!!!"

- Toy kitchens in blue and red schemes as opposed to pink and yellow ones from back in the days. Dolls for boys (they may now be in the form of super heroes, but close enough).

I think another factor lies in the recent lead paint recalls with toys made in China that there is a huge boom in toys that come from Europe. They seem to be more environmentally oriented than gender specific. Just plain and cute wooden toys that can look good in a boy or girl's room or play area. I also noticed that even major manufacturers like Mattel have teamed up with non-gender specific companies. One good example is Sesame Street Workshop. Their toys focus on the characters as opposed to what child should play with them. I know of many families who bought the Giggle Toolbench for their boys AND girls, not cause of the  tool aspect, but because it was designed to inspire creativity and motor skills AND mostly cause it had freaking Elmo on it!!!

Another point to consider, many companies who aim their characters at a specific gender find themselves with a demand for an opposite gendered counterpart. One fine example is Dora the Explorer. She was created for little girls cause there weren't many female characters for the younger age group that weren't animals or puppets. She was so popular with little girls and boys alike that parenst DEMANDED a male version (although I bet it's cause they didn't want their sons wearing Dora bracelets, shirts, and purple backpacks!!!) Nickelodeon's response: Diego (Dora's cousin). He's a hit with boys AND girls.

Another boy and girl favorite: Thomas the Train and friends. The only request that this company hasn't given into is creating clothing or merchandise geared toward their female audience. My little brother refuses to let my little sisters wear his Thomas clothes cause he insists they are for boys cause they don't have pink. He'll even swipe any extras we buy for the girls and hides them in his toy trunk.

I guess my point is, unless you walk into an all car or all doll aisle in a toy store/section it won't be very open to the opposite gender. But if you try some of the other aisles, you can see where many manufacturers have tried to fill in the gaps so parents don't have the hard choice to deny their kids something new. There are many girls and boys that are attracted to opposite gender aimed toys... maybe they are curious about what they have seen the important adults in their lives do and naturally, monkey-see monkey-do.

Some parents may be very against it because of personal opinions. But I think overall, the world is very open to a child's curiosity and willingness to try new things. I once caught my son trying to nurse one of his plush dogs... My husband cringed, but then chilled out and realized he was just trying to feed and take care of his loved stuffed toy just like I did for him. And just like he took great pride in his daughter pretending to fix her toy car like she had seen him do; he feels that if she can fix her own car as a grown up she won't need to be swindled by crooked mechanics... and our son will grow up to be a nurturing and caring person. Together they can rule the world, lol.

Answer 5

My question is this: How are the toys gender-biased?

How is a toy kitchen a "girl's toy?" My boyfriend is a FAR better cook than I am, and a very close personal friend of mine is a male chef. How is a doctor's kit a "boy's toy?" That one actually outright offended me. Nearly fifty percent of the students graduating from medical schools are female. I worked with my dad in his workshop and built things out of wood when I was growing up, so I don't see how power tools are gender-biased, and I know loads of women who love to garden- more women than I do men, actually. An uncle of mine is a nurse, and my dad puts in just as much time cleaning as my mom does. I think anyone who sees these toys as being gendered has a very narrow view of men's and women's roles in life.

All of these toys, in my opinion, are very gender-neutral. I would let my son play with any toy I deemed appropriate for his age, be that a toy truck or a doll or a pink fluffy maribou boa if he wanted. Same goes with girls. Kids should be able to express themselves through play. It shouldn't be another opportunity to press them into society's molds that try to dictate who they should be.

Answer 6

well i'm still a teen, but in my opinion, if they really expressed an interest in playing with those toys, it's not like i'd wrench it out of their hands and yell at them to play with the 'right' toys.

Answer 7

Absolutely not. The NEA and others runs these social experiments everytime someone's thesis strikes their fancy.

Children should play with toys which prepare them for life according to their s*x.

BTW, toy's have gender. (masculine, feminine & neuter) and humans have a s*x. (Male or Female)

Answer 8

My kids can play with whatever kind of toys they want to.

I don't think the toys will ever change, they will always be made to be aimed at a specific gender and along with those come the stereotypes about the role the person playing with them will have.

I think more parents/gift givers need to be less afraid about being gender specific about what toys their kids play with.

How kids interact with toys tells you alot about there little personalities and the idea of toys being gender biased is only because as children we are conditioned to think this way about our toys by those who provide them.

Answer 9

my daughter loves playing with tools,and trucks etc,...my son never had an interest playing with dolls or anthing girl related.but when his sister was born and she got a little older he would play barbie and play in her kitchen with her...I have no issues with children playing with whatever they want..they are kids,let them be and just because boys play with dolls does not mean anything..