Christmas gifts that challenge gender stereotypes can support children’s development


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Each Christmas season, gift giving traditions provide annual opportunities for adult carers to consider their children’s developing interests and provide toys that aid in healthy play. But gender stereotypes about children’s toys can limit what goes on Christmas gift lists in ways that are not necessarily in the best interests of children.

To shed light on this issue, UC Santa Cruz’s news team has teamed up with Distinguished Professor of Psychology Campbell Leaper, a developmental and social psychologist with decades of experience researching gender issues. Jumper prior research has identified the causes and consequences of popular beliefs that toys are “for boys” or “for girls”. In the following interview, we asked Leaper to share his findings and some tips on giving so that all children can get the most out of their toys this Christmas season.

Professor Leaper, could you start us with a historical context? What do people need to know about how gender stereotypes became an issue in children’s toys?

Well, there is certainly a very long history of parents promoting different activities for girls and boys, but it was in the mid 20th century. So they developed a color coding system. This resulted in the concept “Pink is for girls, blue is for boys”.

This coordinated effort to color-code toys into gender categories resulted in the differences in which activities for boys and girls were encouraged being exaggerated. Around the same time, toy stores built on this by creating increasingly separate areas for girls and boys. While the color coding in the message was a bit more subtle, these physical areas in the stores very explicitly indicated what was for girls or boys. And this told children and parents what types of toys to look for.

Of course, there are some types of toys that parents would likely have stereotyped based on their child’s gender anyway; like a doll. But there are a whole host of other toys that parents might otherwise have been more open to all children, but which have been stereotyped for a specific gender because of some of these marketing practices.

And how do these gender stereotypes affect children’s development?

We know that between the ages of 2 and 3, children begin to associate pink with girls and, to a lesser extent, blue with boys. Around the same time, children begin to develop a concept of their own gender. This usually means that girls are attracted to pink things and boys want to avoid pink things. So one of the problems with toy makers putting these colors on things is that it discourages children from toys that they might otherwise find interesting because it is a signal that makes children think, “Oh, that is nothing for me.”

During these preschool years, the children’s thinking is very concrete. You do not yet have the cognitive ability to understand nuances. And it is during these years that they most actively play with toys. So it is a double blow to reinforce gender stereotypes because they are already rigid thinkers and then also get a lot of environmental advice that tells them what it means to be a girl or a boy. It is not until the age of 6 or 7 that they may realize that not all girls or boys have the same interests and that gender identity is much more complicated.

A big problem with this is how gender stereotypes about toys affect gender-inconsistent children who do not identify with their assigned gender or who feel they are a match for them. Gender-related labels or color references on toys can be harmful to these children. It makes them feel bad; as if they weren’t accepted as they are.

What could children gain from a wider range of play and play options?

It’s really important to realize that toys provide opportunities for children to practice certain behaviors and skills. Adults may think that children only have fun when they play, but there are plenty of studies showing how children develop their cognitive and social skills through play. Using a variety of toys can make a variety of skills easier to develop.

For example, when a child plays with a baby doll, they practice caring for them. Often times, when they are playing with a meal set or hosting a tea party, they will practice conversation and develop their social skills. As they play with construction toys, they develop spatial skills that indirectly seem to facilitate the development of math skills later in life. Through exercise or adventure games, children develop confidence in how they are dealing with their bodies, which can lead to a more positive body feeling. In my opinion, these are all useful skills that children of any gender can practice and develop.

What tips would you give on how adults can encourage children to try new things?

If you want to help your child become more flexible with the type of toy they use, one strategy is to provide them with different toys. This will likely be easiest during the toddler years – around the ages of 1 to 3 – before children are likely to have gender stereotyped beliefs about which toys are desirable for girls over boys. There are a whole range of toys out there, from those that are very gender stereotypical to those that would be very counter-stereotypical. If you have a preschooler or an older kid who already has gender stereotypical views, I would recommend starting somewhere in the middle to help your child expand their comfort zone.

For example, if you have a preschool boy, the very first counter-stereotype you introduce you might not give him a doll because that’s what you probably associate with girls. Instead, you could give them something like a meal play set that is still socially interactive in ways that may be new to them, but may be less threatening to their gender stereotypical beliefs. It is also helpful to expose children to anti-stereotypical images, such as through non-traditional depictions in children’s picture books and other media.

And children are very careful about who their gender role models are and what these people are doing. Therefore, it is important for children to learn from adults that it is okay to play with new types of toys. Having a mother and daughter sit down to play with a building set is a great way to dispel gender stereotypes, and it’s even better to have a friend from the daughter’s peer group who also likes to play together.

What makes the holidays a good time to try these ideas out?

Holidays are a good occasion, as traditionally children ask for toys and adults give away toys. In some cases, kids can get multiple toys at once, which actually makes it a little easier. If you were just giving a child a counter-stereotypical toy, they might be quite disappointed. But if it’s one of the few things they get, it just gives them new ways to play with it. As mentioned earlier, gentle encouragement may be needed to get a child to play with the counter-stereotypical toys.

For younger children, creating a vacation wish list is also an opportunity to talk to them about their interests. In this process, you may be able to expand your ideas about what types of toys could support these interests.

Do you have any other advice on how adults can support healthy gaming?

The best advice is to always be flexible with children. You want to accept your child while encouraging them to look for multiple opportunities throughout their life. This includes different play styles in early childhood. It’s very similar to how you might encourage an older child to pass a variety of different school subjects or try a few different extracurricular activities.

The more young people can discover new things, the more opportunities they have to find what interests them and to develop their talents. It’s not that everyone has to be the same or like the same things. We just don’t want people restricted from these options based on their gender category.

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