Imagine this, you’re a young child in your favorite toy store. You see a toy on the shelf that you think you will enjoy, but it says “for girls” or “for boys”. “That toy is not for you, let’s go to the section for your gender,” your parent says. Is this okay? Can this affect a child in the future? I strongly believe that gender-specific toys should be banned from being advertised and sold.
I strongly believe that toys should stop being labeled as “for boys” or “for girls” because it can influence children to believe they can’t do something that only the opposite children can do, children should have a wide range of play to develop different skills, and this can impact kids to think that they can only like things labeled for their gender. Gender-specific toys should be banned from being advertised and sold. The first reason why gender-specific toys should be banned is that it can influence children to believe that they cannot do something and that the opposite gender are the only ones able to do that. For instance, you see a “pretend doctor kit for boys”.
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If stores market toys for a specific gender they will prevent children from having this. 6th grader at Plainview Old Bethpage middle school Carly Barca says that “when kids see a toy they want but it’s labeled for just a girl or for just a boy it can make them feel down because if they want a toy and it’s labeled for a specific gender it can make them think that they cannot do what they want and they have to follow the “tradition” of what is considered for boys or for girls”. When toys are marketed for a specific gender they suggest what children should like to do and who they should aspire to be before they’ve had an opportunity to figure that out on their own. Children’s view of the world can be shaped based on what they do and what they play
Girls and boys toys have created a huge impact in america with the colors, and types of things they use to aim a specific item towards a single gender. In stores such as target the aisles are separated by so called boy colors and girl colors. Also toys are named different things just for an appeal to genders such as dolls and action figures, when they are really all the same thing. This affects our world because it shows that boys and girls have to get or buy certain things aimed
In the essay “Even Nine-Month-Olds Choose Gender-Specific Toys,” Jennifer Goodwin acknowledges the possibility of gender being innate, as a research showed that “even 1-day-old boys spent longer looking at moving, mechanical options than 1-day-girls, who spent more time looking at faces” (89). However, she claims that even actions this early in life may already be influenced by the parents’ different treatments, which start almost instantly after their child is born. Goodwin states that, even when their children are still infants, parents tend to show more affection towards girl than boys, who are dealt with in a more active and playful manner, which could explain the findings of the research mentioned. This difference in treatments is later
This is because gender is so deeply ingrained in society that additional measures are necessary to control all variables that could influence X’s gender identity. The scientists carefully created an Official Instruction Manual for Baby X’s parents, which guides them to “[b]uy plenty of everything”, both girls’ and boys’ clothes and toys (2). In this way, gender is commodified for profit, with targeted marketing aiming to convince parents to purchase different toys and clothing for their children based on gender (BBC Newsround). Gould further shows how society’s perception of gender is linked with capitalist interests with the symbol of X’s and the other children’s clothing. With X’s influence, “Susie [...] suddenly refused to wear pink dresses to school any more.
Boys are told to not be a girl, that they cannot wear pink, and cannot play with Barbie’s. If a boy acts outside of this stereotype he is considered a homosexual. Stereotypes and traditional roles need to be squashed. Restricting a child to one set of behaviors can psychologically damage them. Maria do Mar Pereira, a sociological researcher, found in a study that “constant effort to manage one’s everyday life in line with gender norms produces significant anxiety, insecurity, stress and low self-esteem for both boys and girls, and both for ‘popular’ young people and those who have lower status in school” (Forcing
There aren’t “boy” colors/toys/sports or “girl” colors/toys/ sports. Let’s go for equal opportunity and access.” (Schneider, 12) For instance, everyone has their favorites, specific choices or wants. No matter what everyone should be able to read whatever they incline to. Occasionally people give the “you can not read this because you are a girl/boy” which is not fair to people needing to read those books.
Also we have lots of pushchairs and dollies. Again we find lots of the boys like playing with the dollies and pushchairs. They play mummy and daddy games with the girls but its usually the boys you see pushing the baby along. All the resources we have in our setting is there for everyone to use. It is not just gender specific.
She backs this up with a study by Vanessa Lobue and Judy DeLoache in which children age seven months to five years were asked to choose between a pink or blue object and it wasn’t until around two and a half that girls preference for pink became obvious. Robb then includes many quotes from Megan Fulcher, associate professor of psychology at Washington and Lee University. She uses Fulcher’s idea that gender-specific toys marketing leads to hindered learn, such as in motor skills. This article fits into my research paper because it shows that stores should rid of gender-specific marketing because it harms children and it shows that business were able to do it in the
Although some people believe that nature affects the gender identity, others argue that, based on the education an individual receives, it is actually nurture. For example, John Moore, a teacher at a female-only school, says, “My findings suggest that, in some senses, the single-sex school is strongly feminist” (Moore, 2005). On the other hand, many societies teach the children gender stereotypes to try and limit them from becoming against what the society feels is appropriate. Gender roles or stereotypes are “a set of qualities, behaviors, and attitudes that are considered appropriate for males and females based on their biological sex” (Whalen & Maurer-Starks, 2008). Most of the time, these stereotypes are taught and explained to the children in the early stages of learning, since as mentioned above, gender identity is most likely detected after the child is two years old.
Retail giant Target will now allow transgender people to use the bathroom and fitting rooms in accordance with their gender identity and not their biological sex. "Inclusivity is a core belief at Target. It 's something we celebrate. We stand for equality and equity, and strive to make our guests and team members feel accepted, respected and welcomed in our stores and workplaces every day," the company said in a statement. Target has been in news for its policies on gender sensitivity.
Gender is something that is brought to the attention of people well before people are even brought into the world. Take for instance, when a woman finds out that she is pregnant and is about to have a child. The first question that that women is asked is “What are you having?” In doing this we are automatically emphasizing the importance of being able to identify whether or not to buy “boy” things or “girl” things. As a society we deem it important for each sex to practice a set of “norms” of how to behave via that sex.
This thought has never crossed my mind before because I, myself, took ‘gender’ as a natural phenomenon. Gender is a product of socialization. It is cultural roles and personality characteristics that are labeled appropriate for men and women (lecture). Gender facilitates normative accountability: “structures that are in place to “correct” people’s gender non-conforming behaviours” (Johnson). Normative accountability and gender expectations were big issues children in the film faced.
Growing up it is no secret that the majority of the toys we played with had either a positive or negative influence on how we saw the world. With many toys, such as Barbie and other dolls, they taught children that it was, in a way, okay to accept certain stereotypes. These dolls were mainly centered around girls, so I personally never experienced this kind of "pressure" on how the world wanted to see me, however it is very clear that this was the goal. Although there are plenty of examples on how other companies framed life as a certain individual as inevitable, there were also many toys that did the opposite. One toy in particular that comes into mind is a simple box of Legos.
Gender confusion can often be a result of family problems (Wente 15). When a family is going through tough times it can be a lot of stress on a child. It starts to make them question themselves. They question why they aren't good enough for their parents to get along. Some may even come to conclusion that if they were the opposite gender then their parents would love them more.
The development of kids is directly impacted by gender stereotypes in toys. Toys can help children develop certain skills and functions. Play helps kids learn how to solve problems, get along with others, and develop motor skills (“Children”). Toys can help kids develop physical skills, cognitive concepts, language skills, and social skills (“Children”). Gender stereotypes negatively impact a child’s development.
By telling kid what they should buy base off of gender role, that won’t kids let the kids the freedom to express themselves. However, parents are now allowing kids to choose whatever toys they want no matter if the toys were meant only for girls or only for