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Effects of gender stereotypes psychology
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Gender Stereotyping One thing we know all kids love to check out in the stores is the toy isles’. They can spend what seems like an eternity checking out, observing and picking out all types of toys. Girls usually flock to the Barbie dolls, princess castles, and baby dolls, while boys go straight for things such as action figures, toy guns, and trucks. But then again, would you view it absurd if a boy were to pick up a Barbie doll or a girl would rather play with a truck instead? Thinking as such is the effect gender stereotyping roles have on an individual and the outlook on children’s toys. This can be prompted by, display of toys based on gender, toys aisle location, and company stores. First and foremost, gender marketing strategies and gender system’s play a major role in how toys are presented. Toys are usually advertised based on gender. While observing toys in commercials and the stores, male and female toys are displayed based on gender roles. Toys targeting males may come off as violent and aggressive by displaying bulky built action figures or realistic guns. This is the opposite with female toys which give off more of a calming, cleaning and nurturing feeling with their dolls and household toys such as houses, cooking and cleaning toys. Additionally, common gender classifications which consist of masculine and …show more content…
The way they label the toy isles, color scheme, and advertising impact the gender labels seen from big company stores. Recently stores across the nation are taking a stand on gender labeling and focusing more on reducing the stereotyping. In a recent article I’ve read, stores such as Toys R Us and Target have decided to take a step back on the over excessive use of their, “gender-specific children’s marketing strategies” (Robb). This shows that the issue of gender stereotyping is recognized and change is being
I noticed the girls’ toys engaged fine motor skills more than the boys’ toys did. The girls have several different types and sizes of dolls to choose from – however, this also makes dolls or items used with dolls (Barbie clothes, doll clothes, doll houses, Barbie cars, and doll furniture). Over half of all the products in the girls’ section. This shows the stereotypical attitude that all girls like to nurture and will someday be expected to be mothers and the primary care giver for their children. Other toys I noticed that were very stereotypical were the child size vacuum, broom, and kitchen set.
Inside Toyland, written by Christine L. Williams, is a look into toy stores and the race, class, and gender issues. Williams worked about six weeks at two toy stores, Diamond Toys and Toy Warehouse, long enough to be able to detect patterns in store operations and the interactions between the workers and the costumers. She wanted to attempt to describe and analyze the rules that govern giant toy stores. Her main goal was to understand how shopping was socially organized and how it might be transformed to enhance the lives of workers. During the twentieth century, toy stores became bigger and helped suburbanization and deregulation. Specialty toy stores existed but sold mainly to adults, not to children. Men used to be the workers at toy stores until it changed and became feminized, racially mixed, part time, and temporary. As box stores came and conquered the land, toy stores started catering to children and offering larger selections at low prices. The box stores became powerful in the flip-flop of the power going from manufacturers to the retailers. Now, the retail giants determine what they will sell and at what price they will sell it.
Based on my observation, Walmart is one of the toy retailers labeled and categorized toys by gender. They placed “Girls” and “Boys” signs over their toy aisles. Initially, I studied the toys under
Francis’s study analyzes three to five-year-old preschool students as well as their parents about their views about toys and viewing materials based on gender. The study showed that parental beliefs shaped their child 's opinions of gender roles based on the toys they played with. The parent 's idea of what is female and what is male is transferred onto the toys their child plays with which in terms developed their child 's stereotype of what is male and female based on their toy selection and color. In the article “How do today 's children play and with which toys?”, by Klemenovic reference that a child 's view on gender stereotypes is developed by their parents who train them on how to use the toys. Klemenovic (2014) states "Adults start training in the first months of a child 's life because knowledge of objects is the outcome of other people 's behavior towards us" (Klemenovic, 2014, p. 184). Young children’s development of gender stereotypes is largely influenced by his or her parent’s actions and view on what they consider male or female. A parent’s color preference and toy selection can influence a child’s gender bias or association to a specific
Society cements certain roles for children based on gender, and these roles, recognized during infancy with the assistance of consumerism, rarely allow for openness of definition. A study conducted by Witt (1997) observed that parents often expect certain behaviors based on gender as soon as twenty-four hours after the birth of a child. The gender socialization of infants appears most noticeably by the age of eighteen months, when children display sex-stereotyped toy preferences (Caldera, Huston, & O’Brian 1989). This socialization proves extremely influential on later notions and conceptions of gender. Children understand gender in very simple ways, one way being the notion of gender permanence—if one is born a girl or a boy, they will stay that way for life (Kohlberg 1966). “According to theories of gender constancy, until they’re about 6 or 7, children don’t realize that the sex they were born with is immutable” (Orenstein 2006). The Walt Disney Corporation creates childhood for children worldwide. “Because Disney are such a large media corporation and their products are so ubiquitous and wide spread globally, Disney’s stories, the stories that Disney tell, will be the stories that will form and help form a child’s imaginary world, all over the world, and that’s an incredible amount of power, enormous amount of power” (Sun). Because of the portrayal of women in Disney films, specifically the Disney Princess films, associations of homemaker, innocence, and dependence are emphasized as feminine qualities for young children. Thus, children begin to consider such qualities normal and proceed to form conceptions of gender identity based off of the movies that portray the very specific and limiting views of women (...
In the article The gender Marketing of toys: An Analysis of Color and Type of Toy on the Disney Store Website, Auster and Mansbach conducted research to examine the gender marketing of toys on the internet. They looked at what characteristics of “boys and girls” toys share, such as color of toy, type of toy, and witch toys were labeled for girls and boys. The pre - research of this study suggested that children are making gender distinctions of themselves and their group based on the types of toys that are bought for them. Bright and darker colors are meant as a distinction for “boy” toys, while pastel colors are meant for “girl” toys. The previous research also suggested that toys for boys and girls express traditional gender roles and that gender neutral toys are more likely to
Gender Socialization plays a big part in a child’s life in shaping their femininty and masculinity. Every child is brought with to have played with at least one toy to have called their own. Now, the purpose of the research that has been conducted is to take a further look into how toys that is sold through stores and played by children. This will then give hindsight as to how what is considered the gender norm has a part in gender role stereotyping and the affect these toys have on children view of gender characteristics.
I will not impose “gender specific” toys on them or tell them that it is not acceptable for a boy to play with a baby doll or tell my future daughter that it is not allowed for her to pretend sword fight. My children will be able to decide what they like and what they do not like and I will not allow anyone to decide that for them. This assignment has definitely opened my eyes to the market that is out there stereotyping children without much notice. Taking time to actually look into what is being done with toys and society with children has broadened my understanding and awareness of the impending problem that children are being faced with. I hope that one day we will see an end to gender stereotyping so that my future children will not be forced to feel out of place if they do not identify with a specific feeling or emotion that a boy should have or a girl should have. It sickens me and breaks my heart that things so minuscule such as toys can have such a negative effect on lives, especially on such a young children. This ideology of gender segregation should not be supported or further produced because it is harmful to the children that are directly or indirectly being affected by
When I went into Toys“R”Us, there was an array of toys. Some were geared for infants while others were geared toward older kids. They were separated into different isles such as “Action Figures,” “Arts and Crafts,” “Games and Puzzles,” “Electronics,” “Outdoor Play” and many more. There was a clear distinction in what was for girls and what was for boys. Either different isles would separate girls and boys toys or one side of an isle would target boys and the other side would target girls. Sometimes I saw one item in blue, and adjacent to it, the same toy in pink. I did come across a “gender neutral” section, which had games, puzzles and play sets such as Monopoly and Clue. The gender-neutral section seemed to use a lot of red, green and black with no distinct male or female characteristics.
As a child, our toys were not exactly as gender neutral as earlier times, but also were not as gender stereotypic as the toys in today’s time. The fact that everyone eventually comes into contact with buying toys whether you have kids or you have a friend or family member who have kids which makes this an important topic. Eventually, everyone has to buy a child a present. Would it bother you that all toys are either pink or blue and there is no in between? Or does sticking to what your child is already familiar with and knows the more ideal option when it comes to gender stereotyping with children’s toys? Authors James Delingpole and Eleanor Muffitt both do a good job at arguing both sides to this issue. Although both authors provide valid points throughout each article, about gender stereotyping with toys, James Delingpole clearly was more effective in persuading the audience because he used all three elements; ethos, logos, and pathos to support his idea.
While we walk through Toys R Us, we noticed how separate the designs or make up of the toys that were displayed throughout the store. The two separate designs were very distinct in what type of gender they belonged to. In order to understand how toys play a role to the development gender identification, we took a close view at how company market their toys.
The socialization of children is greatly affected by the toys they are exposed to while growing up. Looking through magazines and walking down the aisles of toy stores it is clear that toy companies are supportive of cultural gender roles biases. Toys designed for girls are commonly found in pink boxes; typically these toys involve housework or taking care of children, for example, dolls and easy bake ovens. On the other hand, “boy” toys are found in blue and black boxes, and a lot of them involve construction and cars.
Gender socialization is the process of adapting and becoming a part of a specific gender through preconceived gender expectations and roles for that gender. From birth, gender norms are projected upon each sex; in the way pink is painted in baby girl rooms and blue for baby boys. One learns early on; they must abide a specific gender role to objectively tell the world which gender group they “belong” to. For this assignment, I decided to examine ToysRUs.com, a major “toy and juvenile-products retailer” to study and understand how they use gender roles to lure and brainwash consumers.
The gender stereotypes we are experiencing today are outdated and need change. Right now, gender marketing is higher than it has ever been. A comparison can be shown as Robb states “In the 1970s…few children’s’ toys were targeted specifically at boys or girls at all; nearly 70% of toys had no gender-specific labels at all” (Robb). Since the 70’s gender marketing has climbed its way up to its peak. There is a sort of disconnect between marketing and new gender advancements that have been occurring recently. The gender standards that are currently being used are outdated and do not hold true as more women are excelling in the sciences, while more men choose to become stay at home fathers. The “Let Toys be Toys” campaign website claims that “themes of glamour and beauty in toys and playthings directed at even the youngest girls tips over into a worrying emphasis on outward appearance. Stereotyped attitudes about boys are equally harmful as the constant assumption reinforced in toy advertising and packaging that boys are inevitably rough, dirty, rowdy…which feeds low expectations of boys that undermine their performance at school”(“Let Toys be Toys”). These outcomes are not acceptable, and gender-neutral toys may aid in combat against these old age ideals, and could possibly help make the
Toys for girls and boys differ greatly. An obvious characteristic would be the colours. It was noted that “girl” toys tend to be in pastel shades such as pink and purple whereas “boy” toys tend to be coloured more intensely, especially blue and black (Chiu et al., 2006). In addition, gender-typed toys differs in their shape as well whereby “boy” toys is often in an angular shape, while “girl” toys tend to be rounded (Iijima et al., 2001). As such, it has become a trend whereby children were given toys that highlighted their genders. Rheingold and Cook (1975) observed that boys had more vehicles, spatial toys, action figurines and sport equipment, whereas girls received more dolls, doll