User:KristinHixson/sandbox

Sexism in Toys
To fully understand the influential capabilities that toys have on our children today, we must first look at gender socialization and what goes into it. Human beings are not born with any pre-existing gender schemas. Gender schemas are learned through processes such as socialization. With this idea, we can see why the first interactions with family can be so important. Beginning at birth with hospitalization, blue or pink caps can be placed on the children or a bow on girls and no bow on boys. This begins the every growing idea that is gender. Sociologist, LaFreniere states, "By the time children are 3 to 4 years old, they have already formed an image of themselves as boy or girl.” Children form these thoughts through parents, teachers, peers, and the games and toys that they play with at a young age. Sociologist Doob states that by the age of 5, girls show a preference for dolls, doll accessories, drawing, painting, and soft toys while boys will tend to prefer blocks, small vehicles, tools and rough-house play. Sexism in toys is very prominent in US culture. Simply walking through a toy aisle will show you the major differences in boys and girls toys. Girls toy aisles are filled with pink ponies, fairies, barbies, make up kits and kitchen set ups while boys toy aisles are more blue in tone with hot wheels, tool sets, dinosaurs and trains. The waves of generalized gender tones in children’s toys can have serious ramifications, teaching children that there is only one way to be. We have seen a movement from sexism in sports equipment, to less sexism in those types of items. Another issue that we have to look at is that it is widely more accepted for girls to play with boys toys than vice versa: for boys to play with girls toys.