A quick stroll through a department store’s toy section reveals a lot about how we think about gender. Boys like construction, science and fighting. Girls like nurturing, cleaning and wearing makeup. Boys like building things, girls like being pretty.
These stereotypes seem innocuous, but have serious consequences in our adult lives. Women working full-time are paid a week than men, are more likely to pursue careers in sectors that are lowly paid, and do the bulk of household chores and unpaid caring.
“Outdated stereotypes about girls and boys and men and women perpetuate gender inequality, which feeds into very serious problems such as domestic violence and the gender pay gap,” at the 2014 launch of , an initiative that aims to remove the division between ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ toys.
Children shouldn’t have to conform to restrictive gender norms, she said. “Boys might be interested in toys that are marketed as for girls and vice versa. This isn’t about some toys being off limits. It’s about children being free to play with whatever toys interest them without fear of being judged or bullied.”
Children shouldn’t have to conform to restrictive gender norms.
Not surprisingly, the topic of gendered toys generates lively debate on parents’ online forums. Some parents reject the idea of engineering their children’s play and say let kids be kids – or, in the words of former prime minister Tony Abbott, allow “”. Others recognise that gendered toys are part of the larger problem of how we view men and women in our society.
I asked a few mothers, fellow members of a mums Facebook group, what they thought about gendered toys. “It would be great if boys and girls could just play with whatever they want, but the fact is that there’s too much history of boys and girls being told to play with certain toys for that to be realistic,” says Lauren Antonini, who has two children aged five and 19 months.
“Gendered advertising, messaging and merchandising affect our children from a very young age,” says Kate Parker, whose two children are six and eight.
Katie Gompertz, mother of three, says that it’s important to weigh up what a child wants and “what, as parents, we think they may need. Kids are guided by our choices and model their behaviour on how they see us behave.”
Alex Carthey, mother of a “wheel obsessed” two-year-old boy, says she deliberately encourages her son to play with ‘girlie toys’ like dolls. “Once they’re there in front of him, he is often very keen to play with them,” she says. “I think we can all try to be a little more aware of the subconscious biases we and society are placing on our children, and make efforts to counteract them. Because otherwise we are passing on those subconscious biases to the next generation, and they are definitely harmful, not helpful.”
Here are five toys that skip the gender labelling.
Kitchen play
This year Santa is giving Gompertz’s youngest son – a three-year-old who’s happy when he’s wearing “an Elsa dress while pushing a dump truck with a Barbie in it” – a toy kitchen. This type of pretend play is essential to children’s and, arguably, human evolution. University of Queensland academic Mark Nielsen that our unique capacity for creative thinking has its origins in children’s imaginative play. Toys like will provide mini-Masterchefs hours of entertainment – as will , and .
Science experiments
According to the experts, the success of Australia’s economy in the coming century relies on the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. At least 75 per cent of the fastest growing occupations now require STEM skills and knowledge, states a by the Australian Government Chief Scientist. The bad news is that participation in science subjects in Australian schools is at the lowest level in two decades.
The good news is science is fun, especially when you’re a kid learning about the world around you. Classic science-themed toys include , bug catchers and . Modern toys include the and .
LEGO
Building blocks like LEGO and other types of (like wooden blocks, magnet tiles and Meccano) help develop children’s fine motor, spatial, and problem-solving skills. Basic LEGO blocks are the best; they foster open-ended play that encourages kids to be creative.
The Danish toymaker has come . The LEGO Friends range, aimed at girls, is less about construction and more about storytelling, with female figurines and locations like a cupcake bakery, a supermarket and a snow resort chalet – a far cry from LEGO’s s.
More promisingly, , featuring figurines of NASA scientists Sally Ride, Nancy Grace Roman, Margaret Hamilton, and Mae Jemison as well as a Hubble space telescope.
Grimm’s Rainbow Puzzle
A simple and colourful design makes German-made an incredibly versatile toy that also looks beautiful in a child’s bedroom. Toddlers can use the arches to stack, sort and build. Older children will integrate them into their play in countless ways: as a doll’s cradle, a house for toys, a train tunnel or a bridge for cars. The rainbow is available in three sizes.
Musical instruments
Like reading, music comes with a raft of benefits for children. In 2015, that a study by the University of Queensland found that “informal music-making in the home from around the ages of two and three can lead to better literacy, numeracy, social skills, and attention and emotion regulation by the age of five.” Accordions, drums, guitars and hand bells are found on most toyshops. The includes a tambourine, a bell stick, maracas, castanets, and a xylophone.
Is Australia Sexist? premieres on SBS Australia, 4 December, 8.40pm, and will be available to stream at .
