Christmas is approaching and, for toy stores, it’s the most important
time of year. Approximately half of yearly toy sales happen between the
months of October and December alone. It’s a time when successfully
marketing the toys which will become the next craze is crucial.
Many of us will remember trips to Toys ‘R’ Us as small children. The
gender-segregated aisles have hardly changed since my first visit about
15 years ago: the girls’ section is almost entirely pink and crammed
with make-up kits, dressing up clothes, princesses, fairies, ‘baby’
dolls, ‘teen’ fashion dolls, play-kitchens and play-ironing boards with
pictures of girls on the boxes. The section aimed at boys couldn’t be
more different: most products are red, black and dark blue. Common
sights include cars, wrestling figures, toolkits with only pictures of
boys on the boxes, weapons, fireman/Power Rangers/pirate/cowboy costumes
and even ‘Fantastic 4′ character outfits with padded biceps and 6-pack.
The ‘Baby X’
studies of the 1970s and 1980s were crucial in exploring the way in
which children are gendered from the moment they are born. The research
included an experiment in which the same baby (wearing a yellow jumper)
was introduced at different times as male and female to adults with
three toys: a football, a Raggedy Ann doll, and a teething ring. None of
the men presented a ‘female’ baby with the football and 89% of them
presented ‘her’ with the doll. 80% of the women presented a ‘boy’ baby
with the football, and three-quarters of them presented a ‘girl’ with
the doll. According to Principal Investigator Phyllis A. Katz, “it’s
hard to disentangle the part [of the child's behaviour] that’s really
there from the adult’s socialisation of the kids”. In another
experiment, two female and two male babies appeared in both
‘gender-appropriate’ and gender-neutral clothes and they were given
‘gender-appropriate names’. Mothers then played with the babies, whom
they had never seen before. When they believed that they were playing
with a boy, they responded significantly more often to the baby’s
movements. The researchers concluded that it’s not surprising that boys
tend toward higher rates of activity and physical ability, because of
stimulation during infancy. Further research has shown that parents
will, without realising, verbalise to female infants more and play with
them in a less boisterous way.
The extensive research on the ways in which children are brought up
to embrace stereotypical gender roles clearly shows that girls’
preference for pink princesses and boys’ penchant for action figures and
guns is not strictly biological, to say the least. But why does it
matter? As someone who regularly played with dolls, pink Lego and
princess outfits as a child (to my parents’ dismay) and who still loves
pink, I am living proof that playing with a toy kitchen doesn’t
necessarily mean that a little girl will grow up to be unambitious or
limited in her outlook on gender roles. But there will always be those
who buck the trends: research has shown that people tend to adhere to
the expectations which are presented to them and that there is immense
pressure on children to behave in stereotyped ways. These behaviour
patterns are generally equated with social acceptance. The human brain
responds more readily to things which it can recognise easily, so
advertisers exaggerate perceived differences between genders to quickly
communicate with their desired audience. In an experiment where children
viewed 10 toy adverts, the children could identify the target audience
every single time. This makes the products easier to sell, which in turn
generates profits for companies. Not only can this kind of marketing
impact children’s perceptions and aspirations, it can also alienate
those who want to cross traditional gender divides and who don’t conform
to stereotypes.
Leading stores have recently made attempts to end the ‘gender
apartheid’ amongst children’s toys, including Harrods, whose makeover
was revealed in July. The new six-zone Toy Kingdom is multi sensory and
groups toys by theme rather than sex. While more effort could be made –
female workers wear pink T-shirts, while men are in blue, a decision
apparently made entirely because they were nice colours – it’s certainly
a step in the right direction. Following a high-profile campaign
last year, Hamleys stopped labelling floors in blue and pink for boys
and girls. Debenhams, like Toys ‘R’ Us, has stuck firmly to separate
sections for different genders, each containing toys which reinforce
stereotypes about the roles of men and women.
Historically it has been much more socially acceptable for girls to
cross the gender divide than it has been for boys: a trouser-wearing
girl wanting to buy a gun or a set of toy soldiers wouldn’t be treated
the same as a boy in a dress looking to play with a toy kitchen or a set
of Barbies. Femininity is subconsciously seen as shameful and
emasculating; but, in the words of Iggy Pop, “I’m not ashamed to dress
‘like a woman’ because I don’t think it’s shameful to be a woman”.
There isn’t anything inherently bad about buying a dolls’ house for
your little girl or a set of toy cars for a boy. But equally there isn’t
anything wrong with buying them gender-neutral toys, or encouraging
them to play with toys which wouldn’t usually be associated with their
gender. Why buy your daughter a Lego Friends Stephanie’s Bakery Set when
your son gets a Lego space shuttle? And why limit the toy kitchen to
girls? It can be difficult to fight against the consumerist tide of
gender stereotyping in toys, but proactivity pays off. Here’s to
a Christmas filled with presents which boys and girls can enjoy
together.
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