Podcast

The episode of Popular Culture Breakdown discusses how the gendering of children's toys reflects and changes who we are as human beings. The guests on the show, including an expert on child development, an author, and a mother, discuss how toys are often presented as being for boys or girls through labeling, models, and colors. This promotes gender segregation and reinforces problematic stereotypes. The early years of childhood are crucial for brain development, and the toys children play with can have long-term impacts on their development and identity. The gendering of toys reinforces traditional gender stereotypes and limits children's interests and possibilities. Parents play a significant role in this phenomenon and should be aware of the impact of gendered toys. Hello, this is Jane Robbins, and welcome back to another episode of Popular Culture Breakdown. On this week's episode, we will be discussing how the gendering of children's toys both changes and reflects who we are as human beings. Today, I have with me Alexis Ballard, an expert on child early development with a focus on the formation of identity. William Stephens, author of the New York Times bestselling book Cars or Dolls, How Toys are Shaping Our Children, and Sarah Smith, Mother of Two Young Children. Now, we all know that there are typical differences between boys' and girls' toys. Just take a moment to imagine what a girl's or boy's toy looks like to you. You will likely be picturing dolls, play makeup, or a play kitchen for girls, and cars, a tool kit, or building blocks for a boy. According to research, toys are often presented as being for boys or for girls through the labeling, the sex of the model shown playing with the toy, and or the color of the product slash packaging. According to researchers Cordelia Fine and Emma Rush, boys' toys often encourage physicality, competition, dominance, and construction, while girls' toys often encourage domesticity, concerns of appearance, and nurturing. This not only promotes gender segregation, but also embodies and enforces problematic gender stereotypes. With that being said, there's an ongoing discourse on this issue, specifically about the causes and consequences of this phenomenon, and whether it is a natural or manufactured occurrence. Today, we will hear three distinct perspectives on this issue, and hopefully gain a better understanding of how the gendering of children's toys both changes and reflects who we are as human beings. I think it would be beneficial to begin with a brief introduction to the importance of the early years of childhood and formation of identity. Alexis, could you please tell us a bit more about this, and how you would say this relates to the gendering of toys? Yes, of course. It's widely known that the first few years of a child's life are incredibly important, and can form foundational skills like communication and perseverance for later in life. Although brain development starts only a few weeks after conception, and continues until early adulthood, there is much evidence to suggest that the early years are one of the most critical stages. From birth to age five, brains develop faster than at any other point in life. Tierney and Nelson, in their article, Brain Development and the Role of Experience in the Early Years, delve into the science behind this. They claim that experiences in the early years of childhood affect the development of brain architecture in a way that later experiences do not. Young children can generally spend hours playing with toys, and researchers say that this can increase opportunities for the development of creativity and imagination, as well as skill development. If this is the case, then the types of toys that we give our young children can have long-term impacts on their development, and in combination with other aspects of early learning, even their identity. Thank you, Alexis, for that insight. I think that gives us a pretty good idea of just how important the first few years of a child's life are to their development, as well as to the formation of identity. Now, William, in your new book, you talk about how the gendering of toys reinforces gender stereotypes. Can you speak a little bit about that? Hi, James. Certainly. As you said a minute ago, the way we gender toys really keeps us bound to these gender stereotypes that we seemingly want to break. As I discuss in my book, the gendering of children's toys is a significant factor in reinforcing traditional gender stereotypes. From a very young age, kids are presented with toys that are specifically marketed to them based on their gender. Dolls in play kitchens for girls, and action figures in construction sets for boys. This marketing stuff teaches children what roles, behaviors, and interests are appropriate for their gender. That's very interesting. Would you be able to give an example of this? Yes, of course. Toys like dolls encourage nurturing and domestic skills in girls, while action figures and cars push boys towards independence, power, and aggression, which own differentiation can have a lasting impact. Professor Judith Bladelaw talks about how girls are more steered away from STEM-related toys, like science kits and building blocks, which are markedly predominantly to boys. Meanwhile, boys may feel discouraged when engaging with toys that emphasize care and empathy, like dolls or pretend play sets, because they are considered too feminine. These gendered toy norms shape children's identities and their sense of what's possible for them in life. They influence career paths, relationships, and even personal self-worth. So the way toys are marketed not only limits a child's interests, but reinforces outdated stereotypes that we need to move beyond. Thank you, William. Sarah, as a parent, have you experienced this firsthand, and in what way? Absolutely. I became more aware of the gender stereotyping of toys when I had my daughter, and now when I go to the shops, it's really noticeable the distinction between the boys' and girls' toys. You can see that the toys aimed for boys are doing the building and fixing things, compared to girls, which are more doing the nurturing, beauty, and helping others. So it's still very obvious to this day that society has certain things labeled and aimed at different genders. I read an article a few years ago called Parents' Judgment about the desire and loyalty of toys for their children, which I thought was interesting, as it mentioned that in general, strongly gendered toys are less supportive of the development in children's physical, cognitive, and artistic skills, compared to more gender-neutral toys. This has had a huge influence on my parenting, in the sense that I specifically buy more gender-neutral toys because it made me realize how big of an impact children's toys can have, which means that I am much more aware of what kind of toys others are also purchasing for my children. And I think that more parents should be aware of the gendering of toys, as I believe many don't realize the huge impact this can have. Thank you, Sarah. Well, there you have it. Three distinct perspectives on the impact of the gendering of toys on young children. It seems that we've uncovered some interesting aspects of this issue, including how the gendering of toys impacts the formation of identity in young children, and the reinforcement of existing gender stereotypes. Additionally, we've explored the essential role that parents play in this phenomenon, helping to answer this week's big question, how the gendering of children's toys both changes and reflects who we are as human beings. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of Problems in Culture Breakdown, and I hope to see you again next week.