Gender Stereotypes In Children's Toys

Background to my research

My research will be looking into how the spatial layout of a toy shop is gendered and what effect this has on children. There has been increasing recognition that children’s toys are extremely gendered (Clark, 1999; Mertala et al., 2016). Often toys are marketed at “boys’ toys” and “girls’ toys” (Blakemore and Centers, 2005). These toys reflect gender roles and can have a lasting influence on children as to what toys they should be playing with. Children use toys to develop and explore their identities, including their gender identity (Klugman, 1999). Gender also plays an important role in how individuals use space (Panelli, 2004).When space is dominated by one particular gender, people can feel excluded and unwelcome

Right from birth, children are segregated based on their gender with blue for boys and pink for girls (Klugman, 1999). This gender segregation has become so normalised that if a parent was to dress a boy in pink, it would be seen as a form of protest to this gender expectation (Klugman, 1999). This segregation is continued for a long time as the children grow older and they begin to use toys to form their identity. It is argued that from a young age, children learn that gender is a lens to form identities (Sherman and Zurbriggen, 2014). They also use gender as a way to categorise other children (Mertala et al., 2016). For example, research has shown that when children are selecting a toy for another child, they will use the other child’s gender to determine what toy the other child would like (Mertala et al., 2016). Toys often revolve around the same activities for each gender such as adventures for boys and caring roles for girls (Klugman, 1999). Literature suggests that this is a reason why some job sectors are dominated by one gender (Sherman and Zurbriggen, 2014). An example is engineering which is predominately a male sector. Increasingly, toys are being developed targeted to females which involve creating and developing skills that are related to engineering careers (Hudak, 2016). These toys are being used to encourage young girls to explore a variety of career paths, from a

Panelli describes the process of gendered space as “expectations and meanings attached to different settings” which can make a space more masculine or feminine (2004:75). When space becomes gendered, it can influence how individuals use the space. Previous research has explored that different spaces that are gendered for male and female adults (Panelli, 2004). Typically, these spaces often reflect the gender norms society has (Panelli, 2004). For example, the home would be a gendered space for a female because domestic work is seen to be a job for a woman. Therefore, the city centres are historically gendered towards males because they dominated these spaces for a long period of time. The research also reflected how in rural areas, there can be certain areas that are more gendered towards females (Panelli, 2004). For example, on a farm, the space where sick and young animals are cared for is a female gendered space because of the nurturing qualities associated with women. However, there is a gap in the literature because there is no literature on how gendered space can influence children. This will guide my research because I will be assessing whether different spaces in toy shops are gendered and why they are gendered this way. I will consider if/ how the space of the toy shops is gendered. My research will then decide if this influences children and whether this is reinforcing gender roles. I also aim to discover