Gendering of Toys

Gender, a socially defined construct, has longed played a role in children’s toys. Children use play to understand the world and their place in it, so the toys they play with help them understand their roles in families, schools, and other social institutions. The assumption that girls should play with dolls to learn to take care of a home and boys should play with toy tools to learn to work outside the home are broad gender stereotypes that have been reinforced by toys. Gendering of toys also occurs when toys are made in gender-defined colors like pink and blue, making it harder for children to cross these socially created gender boundaries.

Children learn early, with lessons reinforced by adults and the media, that pink is ...

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