Child's Play

This semester marks the beginning of my thesis research, and as I start to sift through the thousands of articles written on the subject of gender representations in advertising and other media, I find that much of it concludes with a negative outlook on the current state of affairs for both sexes. But every once in a while—today being one of those special days—I will come across a piece that’s a bit more optimistic.

The title of an article featured today on AdAge.com asks the question, “Why Do Boys and Girls Have Similar Interests, But Very Different Toys?” In this article, writer Maureen Morrison provides and analyzes data from a recent global study conducted by the agency Marketing Store Worldwide called "The New Definition of Childhood,” in which more than 4,000 children across the world between the ages of six and 12 with access to the Internet were surveyed on the topic of toys.

The study found that the popularity and ownership of traditional gender-specific toys, such as dolls and construction sets, still skewed about how one would guess—with a much higher preference among girls and a much higher preference among boys, respectively. And these results were fairly consistent across the 12 countries involved in the research study.

However, the survey findings also revealed that all around the world, boys and girls are progressively participating in the same activities and sharing in many of the same interests. Electronics and gaming were found to be highly popular among children of either gender, so the unearthing of this information begs Morrison’s question, “why are there still such huge gaps in toys globally? (Morrison, 2012).”

While the article continues to quote marketers who cite poor product development in the toy industry to be at fault for this phenomenon, I felt it failed to also address the lack of evolution in toy advertising over the last few decades. Sure, providing girls with the option to get it in pink sounds like a surefire strategy, but if there is anything I have already learned in my thesis research, it’s that advertising does have a significant effect on the assignment of gender roles—especially at a young age.

So what’s my solution you ask? I do feel that product development is necessary in order to make certain toys appeal to both genders, but advertisements should strive to show both boys and girls at play and finding enjoyment in the experience, instead of the old method of relying on feminine and masculine cues—like a gratuitous presence of pink or a “tough” appearance—to assure each group that their interaction with the toy is socially acceptable.

I say let kids be kids and find their own way in life with what they like. Besides, they have the rest of their lives to feel the pressure of being “men” and “women.” And I say this because sadly, toys are just one in a sea of products that continue to be advertised to genders in an adverse manner.