Boys' and Girls' Toys
Boys’ and Girls’ Toys
More than thirty years ago, toys and other items found in the bedrooms of boys and girls aged one to six were noted by Rheingold and Cook (1975).
They discovered that the quantity of books, musical instruments, stuffed animals, and furniture owned by boys and girls was equal. But overall, boys tended to have more toys overall and a wider variety of toys. Additionally, there were distinctions between the toys owned by boys and girls.
Boys possessed a greater number of vehicles, including larger items like wagons and toy automobiles and trucks. 17 cars were in the girls' rooms and 375 in the boys'. In every girl's room, there was not a single wagon, bus, boat, kiddie car, motorcycle, snowmobile, or trailer. Boys also had more toys that were "spatial-temporal," such as shape-sorting toys, clocks, magnets, and space toys; in addition, they had more toys that were related to sports (like balls, skates, and kites), toys that were animals, machines, garages or depots, toys related to the military, and art and educational materials (even though these might be considered gender-neutral).
There were more dolls, doll houses, and household goods (such as Kitchen Sets, sinks, dishes, and stoves) in the rooms of the girls. Boys hardly ever had toys at home. It varied on the type of doll, even though girls tended to own more of them. Boys and girls owned roughly equal numbers of male dolls, but girls had six times more female dolls and nine times more baby dolls than boys. However, "dolls" in the boys' rooms were typically categorized as soldiers or cowboys, perhaps akin to modern action figures.
What Toys do boys and girls want and desire?
Other researchers have reported on the toys that boys and girls purchase for themselves or request (e.g., in letters to Santa Claus) since Rheingold and Cook's study. These studies have repeatedly demonstrated that boys desire and receive more sports equipment, vehicles, military toys and guns, and more spatial and temporal objects, like clocks, whereas girls request and receive more clothing and jewelry, dolls, and domestic and musical items.
Recent Study
292 undergraduate students evaluated 126 toys in Study 1 to determine if they were appropriate for males, girls, or both. We divided the toys into five categories based on these ratings: strongly masculine, somewhat masculine, neutral, somewhat feminine, and strongly feminine. We created four toysets, each with 15 toys—three from each category—using these criteria. In Research 2, a total of 706 undergraduate students evaluated each toy from a set using 26 different scales that assessed the toy's attributes.(Judith E. Owen Blakemore1,2 and Renee E. Centers, 2005)
5 Categories of Toys
strongly masculine,
moderately masculine,
neutral,
moderately feminine, and
strongly feminine.
What is the Impact of Toys on my Child’s Behavior?
Young children's lives revolve around their toys. They encourage social play with other kids, pretend play, and the growth of cognitive abilities. Further strongly gendered are toys. Toys for boys and girls typically have varied developmental effects, so it's crucial to understand how they affect each child.
Role of Parents in Choosing Toys
It's noteworthy to note that children seem to want more toys that conform to stereotypes than do parents, who typically select toys that are artistic or educational and appropriate for either gender (Robinson & Morris, 1986; Robinson, Watson, & Morris, 1984). However, it is evident that gender-stereotypical toys are bought for kids by both parents and nonparents (Fisher-Thompson, 1993; Fisher-Thompson, Sausa, & Wright, 1995), particularly for boys. Additionally, some research indicates that salesmen influence consumers to purchase gender-specific toys for kids (Kutner & Levinson, 1978; Reynolds, 1994; Ungar 1982).
Ratings of Toys used in Study 1
Strongly Feminine
Play Makeup
Jewelry
Costume
Moderately Feminine
Mop/broom
Neutral Toys
Gardening Tools
Foam Board Puzzle
Wooden Blocks
Moderately Masculine Toys
castle Tent
Strongly Masculine Toys
Tool kit
Spiderman
Sword
Toy Soldiers
Guns and Weapons
Ratings of toy used in Study 2
Strongly Masculine Toys
Strongly masculine Aggressive or violent Encourages competition Dangerous or Risky
Moderately Masculine and Neutral
Provides an actual response to child’s input, Involves construction, Needs adult supervision, Scientific, Develops cognitive or intellectual ability, Educational, Develops physical skill
Neutral
Creative, Artistic, Musical, Develops occupational skill, Fun
Strongly feminine
Focuses on appearance and attractiveness Toy is attractive Nurturant Encourages domestic or household skills
Conclusion
Girls' toys were linked to physical attractiveness, nurturing, and household skills, according to our research. Boys' toys, on the other hand, were evaluated as thrilling, competitive, violent, and slightly dangerous. Neutral or somewhat masculine ratings were often given to the toys that were thought to be most likely to be educational and to help kids develop their motor, cognitive, artistic, and other talents.
We find that toys with strong gender stereotypes seem to be less supportive of healthy development than toys with neutral or moderate gender stereotypes that facilitates healthy development and growth for children
Toys with strong stereotypes seem unappealing in a lot of ways. That's what we discovered to be true for toys that are both very feminine and masculine. In the modern world, moderately stereotypical toys—particularly moderately masculine toys, but also somewhat feminine toys—as well as gender-neutral toys are probably better for kids' development than toys with strong gender stereotypes. Building with construction toys and learning household skills can benefit the development of both boys and girls. Playing with toys that foster intellectual, scientific, physical, creative, and musical abilities is beneficial for kids of all genders.(Judith E. Owen Blakemore1,2 and Renee E. Centers, 2005)
It appears likely that parents would be more willing to give moderately stereotyped and neutral toys for both boys and girls than they would be to give strongly cross-gender stereotyped toys for either when it comes to giving toys to improve children's development of a variety of skills.
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