Gender Stereotyping in Toy Stores: A Field Observation

Introduction

Thirty years ago, when the author was a young child, people in the general public were just beginning to pay attention to gender differences and seriously questioning whether toy choice and other forms of socialization help form those differences, or whether such differences are innate. As a result, some people began to push for gender-neutral toys and toy marketing. While some parents and smaller specialty toy stores may have adopted a more gender-neutral marketing approach, the author's childhood experience reflected a fully gendered approach to playtime. Young girls were expected to play with traditional girl toys, such as baby dolls, character dolls like Barbie, and kitchen sets. Young boys, on the other hand, were offered cars and trucks, guns, and action figures. Despite this gendered marketing, the reality was that children often played with toys regardless of their targeted gender.

One of the salient points in gender-play research is that, although researchers consistently find differences in male and female play preferences, individual within-gender differences are oftentimes greater than between-gender differences. As Green, Bigler, and Catherwood (2004) observe: "Although gender differences in toy preferences consistently appear at the group level, it is likely that the distributions are overlapping and so, for example, some girls prefer 'masculine' toys more strongly than some boys do."

Some may wonder why researchers focus so closely on whether children show a gender preference in their play. The answer lies in patterns of human development and the belief that attitudes and behaviors shaped during early childhood are very difficult to change later. Therefore, if gender toy preferences are not innate — or, if innate, are malleable — that would provide an opportunity for parents to raise their children with more gender-neutral attitudes.

Given that gender stereotyping in toys may have a lifelong impact on children, one would expect modern toy stores to be gender neutral. By gender neutral, the author does not mean that the toy store would contain no toys stereotypically associated with either gender, but rather that these toys would not be marketed in a gender-specific manner. Instead, one would expect a modern toy store to reflect the idea that children are free to play with any type of toy, regardless of its gender stereotype. In order to test this hypothesis, the author decided to visit a modern toy store and examine its layout and in-store marketing to determine whether toy stores still employ gender stereotyping.

For the purposes of this study, the author drew on prior research and personal childhood experience to determine which toys are gender stereotyped. Play kitchen and food sets, baby dolls, and character dolls were identified as traditionally associated with female stereotypes. Toy trucks, toy guns, and action figures were identified as associated with male stereotypes. Some toys — such as Legos, blocks, and bicycles — were classified as gender neutral, because all children seemed to enjoy playing with them and they were not marketed specifically toward boys or girls during the author's childhood.

Works Referenced

Cherney, I., and London, K. (2006). Gender-linked differences in the toys, television shows, computer games, and outdoor activities of 5- to 13-year-old children. Sex Roles, 54(9/10), 717–726.

Green, V. A., Bigler, R., and Catherwood, D. (2004). The variability and flexibility of gender-typed toy play: A close look at children's behavioural responses to counter-stereotypic models. Sex Roles, 51(7/8), 371–386.