Stereotyping Our Children in the Toy Aisles... What Can We Do?

There is a lot of discussion as of late about gender and toys. I’ve read articles questioning Lego’s sexist marketing strategies. It would seem people want to see Lego do more to avoid gender-stereotypes in their Lego sets.

And then I’ve read other articles which offer a fresh perspective on the debate; questioning why we consider things that are “girly” to be bad.

As a parent of a boy and a girl, I have observed them playing with each other’s toys disregarding whether the toy was created to appeal to their gender or their sibling’s gender.

I do wish that toys marketed towards girls included more gender-neutral colors and incorporated less “traditional” female roles. I also wish that toys marketed towards boys included more nurturing concepts and less emphasis on superpowers and weapons.

But, I also think that the toy companies and toy stores are not the only ones to blame. We (both parents and society) fuel the idea of gender-specific toys. We buy the toys, we tell our children which toys are for girls and which are for boys. We also teach them that pink and purple are for girls and blue is for boys.

What would happen if we didn’t do that? Toy companies want to sell toys. If we stopped playing into the idea of gender-specific toys maybe toy companies would stop marketing them in this way.

As a child I played with Barbies, Legos, Lincoln logs and cars. Nobody told me that cars were just for boys and nobody discouraged me from playing Barbies. I see my daughter doing the same. And, I want my son to feel the same way. There is a lot of emphasis on a lack of stimulating toys for girls, but there is also a lot of shaming boys for wanting to play with toys marketed towards girls. I want my son to feel as comfortable choosing to play with baby dolls and kitchen sets as he does with superheros and transformers.

Children have incredible imaginations and may turn a robot into a princess and vice versa if we let them. Maybe we should step out of their way and let them just play. Who cares which aisle the toy came from, what color it is and let our children decide what to play with. We might be surprised by their choices.

How do you feel about gender stereotyping in toys? Do you buy your girls pink and your boys blue? Do you make a conscious effort around this topic?

Kerrie LaRosa is a parent educator serving families in the Greater Washington Area. She received a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College. Kerrie holds a clinical social work license in California and has been trained in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and the Incredible Years Parenting Program. Kerrie helps families manage children’s emotional and behavioral issues, cope with grief and loss, and adjust to major life transitions. Kerrie works with parents to understand their child’s temperament, navigate their child’s developmental stages and learn effective discipline techniques. Learn more about Kerrie at
www.larosaparentcoach.com.