Gender-based marketing continues to shape the expectations and roles we play in
For as long as we can remember, girls have been playing house with perfect porcelain dolls while boys raced around with toy cars. Upholding gender norms has become, well, the norm. Society doesn’t hesitate to question anyone who defies these standards, but what’s the problem with a boy playing with dolls? They are just kids’ toys.
Gender plays a key role in the marketing of a wide variety of products. Packaging, color palettes and placement in stores have all been strategically planned to influence consumers and increase profit for major corporations.
Gender-based marketing can be found all around us, but the most obvious examples are the products placed in small, sticky hands.
Toy marketing separates children by a vast pink and blue divide. Young girls are encouraged to play with dolls, kitchen sets or anything that upholds nurturing and domestic values. Boys are placed in a similar situation with building sets, science kits or anything that promotes toughness and stereotypical masculinity.
Students at New York University conducted a study titled “The acquisition of gender labels in infancy: Implications for sex-typed play.” In a portion of this study, they observed 82 children at 17 months old, and again at 21 months. During the first period of observation, girls were .12 times more likely to play with dolls than boys. The next observation would yield extremely different results. At 21 months, the group of girls were 2.7 times more likely to play with dolls than the boys. During this second trial, girls were also 2.6 times less likely to play with trucks than their male counterparts.
At 21 months, as mental development increases, children are more aware of society and susceptible to adult influence. This can promote gender association with toys which influences their playtime decision. However, the problem does not lie within the toys themselves, but the ideas about gender associated with each object.
When a toy emphasizing gender-roles is marketed to children, that object becomes the definition of what it means to be a man or woman in that child’s eyes.
In 2019, the United States Department of Health reported that less than 30% of women work in science, technology, engineering and/or math (STEM) related fields.
There is nothing wrong with a woman wanting to pursue a job associated with nurturing attributes. Problems arise when young girls feel they are unable to pursue opportunities outside of caregiving, based on society’s gender roles. It can be difficult for a young girl to imagine herself in a STEM-related field when the only toys marketed towards her are dolls and kitchen sets.
Toys influence a child’s perception of their identity. If children are expected to follow the cookie-cutter, stereotypical definition of female or male, those who stray from the pack face severe repercussions.
In 2014, Michael Morones faced extensive bullying for his love of “My Little Pony,” a show heavily marketed toward girls. As a result, at only 11-years-old, Morones attempted suicide and was left in a vegetative state. Morones is not alone in his experience, as many young children face social backlash for being interested in something not marketed toward their gender.
Children should never be forced to choose between losing something they love or facing social persecution for playing with something outside of gender standards. Children need the option to embrace and explore any interest they may have, regardless of pink or blue packaging.
This does not mean the shelves need to be filled with colorless, uniform toys.
Toy companies and stores must sort products based on consumer interests instead of exploiting consumer traits for monetary gain. Toys should not be marketed to a specific gender, allowing us to work to create a more tolerant society.
editorial cartoon credit: Olivia Nagorka