Week 9 - Boys, Girls, and Toys – Oh My!

I can remember times as a child when I was walking through toy aisles in stores like Toys’R’Us and Target. On occasion I’d turn into an aisle with lots of dolls and think to myself, “Oh, I don’t belong here.” I didn’t want to be in that aisle because I felt it was the girls’ aisle. I’d leave and turn into the boys’ aisle, the one filled with Nerf guns and Legos.

Back when I was young, toy stores would separate their products into toys that were meant for boys and toys that were meant for girls. I don’t know what the toy situation might be like in the modern day, but as many toys are still gendered, I’d imagine it’s not too much better. Girls’ toys consist of dolls, dress up clothes, toy houses, toy animals, and kitchenware. On the other side, boys’ toys consist of Legos, Erector sets, video games, Nerf guns, action figures, toy race cars, train sets, and sports equipment. Legos and Erector sets encourage boys to be inventive and build from their own ideas. Such toys likely help push boys towards the math and science fields, which are generally considered more “masculine.” Sports equipment and toy race cars teach young boys about society’s concept of a “good man,” and the kinds of things he should like. Alternatively, dolls and dress up clothes teach young girls about society’s concept of a “good woman,” and that she should enjoy fashion and shopping. Toy houses and kitchenware set up girls for the position of a stay-at-home wife. The girls’ toys also lack the inventive aspect, which likely helps push them away from math and science fields.

It seems to me that the way toys are designed for girls or for boys fits right into the normal gender roles defined by society. Boys’ toys teach boys to be strong, inventive, and keep learning. Girls’ toys teach girls about house chores, preparing them for a life as a housewife. I think the main problem is that toys are even designed with a particular gender in mind. Since the genders have been arbitrarily defined by society, the resulting toys also follow the set genders. Any toy should really be for any child, irrespective of genders. Achieving this may require breaking through the traditional gender roles, which, unfortunately, has shown itself to be very difficult.

What toys should be: http://s154.photobucket.com/user/knighttoolworks/media/o-BOYS-GIRLS-TOYS-900_zpsb78b134f.jpg.html

Separate sections for boys and girls: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/fe/fc/7e/fefc7e2f4c58f228703aa76af89e60a3.jpg

The girls’ aisle: http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4024/4359702274_8ebc8aea7a.jpg

The boys’ aisle: http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7709/854/1600/boys%20aisle.1.jpg