Gender-specific toys are bad for development

Children get knowledge of generalizations in gender roles through gender socialization. Gender socialization is defined as a way of knowing one’s role in society according to the gender in which they belong. The process of socialization initiates right after birth and keeps on evolving throughout the whole life of an individual. There are many things created by human beings to make a newborn well accustomed to their gender roles. But among them, one of the most important tools is a gender-specific toy. Start from birth girls and boys are treated in a different manner such that they could get well accustomed to the difference between women and men with respect to religious, ethnic, and cultural values given by society. It is seen that the kids at an early age set up an image of boys and girls through interaction between teachers, parents, other society members, games, and toys.

As per Monica Brasted in Care Bears vs. Transformers: Gender Stereotypes in Advertisements (2010), kids begin focusing on gender suitability of toys simply after they comprehend the idea of sex steadiness. One new term that is important to consider here is gender constancy. It means that the child is well aware of the fact that the gender of the individual remains unchanged throughout life. To be clearer, gender constancy means the children are well known that even if they try to change the haircut or the way of clothing, their gender will not be affected.

One of the powerful tools to make children learn about gender-stereotyped behavior is toys.

It is the most common experience in a toy store to find a different section of boys and girls. The boys’ section has navy and blue as the most important color while the girls’ section has purple, pink, and white as the predominant color. We have very few numbers of toys in the market that can be said to be neutral i.e. played by both girls and boys. Toys that are made for boys depict the quality of aggression and confidence while those that are made for girls convey the message to be quiet, help, nurture, and take care of other people. Common toys for boys are soldier’s dummy, cars, helicopters, etc. while those for girls are Barbie dolls, makeup kits, kitchen sets, etc. These toys make every girl know that their role is very much important at home where she needs to cook foods, keep everything clean, and look after the kids. Thus a picture of a homemaker and a mother is drawn in their mind from an early age. These toys also make a girl child know that to get good respect in society their appearance is very much important. Barbie doll is the best example to be considered for this fact. Generally, games and toys made for girls urge them to sit and play unobtrusively. This is so just because to make them learn that females are better at those tasks that are simple and repetitive. Young ladies are not explicitly stimulated to participate in dynamic games but instead to be progressively cautious and calm.

Toys that are made for boys are very much constructive as well as mentally stimulating.

Some toys related to boys upgrade the art of coordination and critical thinking abilities, which strengthens the generalization that boys are better at assignments that require a more elevated amount of comprehension. As a result of these toys, boys get the knowledge to play a masculine role in society, participate in several violent activities, and be assertive and active. Toys and games related to boys are adventurous, which makes them learn that their role to the outside world is very much important. There are hell and heaven like the distinction between a military figure and a doll. There are some similarities like both of them are figures that represent a human being but that is not a good subject to be discussed. We hope that you are understanding that. Whatever be the case but the conclusion is, a doll portrays the image of care while an armed military figure describes masculine power.

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In the present world, it is seen that if a kid is enjoying playing with the toys that are meant for opposite sex then other children and even the adults might be extremely brutal on it marking it as sissy or tomboy. Advertisements for toys on televisions and newspapers additionally help strengthen similar sexual orientation stereotypes. Rebecca Hains, a renowned professor of media and advertising studies at Salem State University, stated to The Current’s Anna Maria Tremonti that advertisers are portioning small kids into profoundly stereotypical classifications by sexual orientation.

Commercials show girls playing with toys like dolls or makeup kit while boys are seen playing with racing cars, military tanks, etc. Boys are always seen playing in the park while girls and seen in the bedrooms. A study by Let Toys Be Toys, a British group, stated that girls were more likely to be shown playing with kitchen items while the boys were shown with helicopters and cars.

Some research also suggests that the children give much more attention to those toys that are meant for them. An experiment was carried out in 1986 by a psychologist named Marilyn Bradbard. Children aged between 4 to 9 were selected and they were allowed to play with unfamiliar toys in gender-specific boxes for around 6 minutes. After 1 week a memory test was taken for these children and it was seen that girls had good information about toys present in the “girly” box and the same was true for the boys.

Also Read: 5 Toys You Should Not Buy for Your Kids

By providing gender-specific toys parents are limiting the freedom of their children to learn and explore different roles. As a result, children will not grow in an overall manner, and from childhood, the kid will start to think about gender inequalities based on the people of the society. Girls and boys are biologically different since birth but still, they do not show any mental difference while playing.  Thus, it is worthless to force sexual stereotypes since the beginning, which proposes that neutrality and cross-gender play in little youngsters can be empowered.

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