From the chapter ‘Play‘
Esther Marshall, Girls’ rights campaigner and former Global Lead for Gender Diversity and Inclusion at Unilever
On a recent Saturday morning, I was woken at 6am by my three-year-old yelling from his room, ‘Mamma, is it Tom’s party yet?’ I rolled over, half asleep, to check my diary, thinking to myself, ‘No darling that’s next week’, but how wrong I was. Sitting bolt upright to take a second look I saw that Tom’s party was, in fact, that day. Fast forward a few hours and I had fed, watered and dressed my child in record time and bundled him into the car to go to our local supermarket to try and get a present in time. As I walked in, I saw the sign ‘Toys’, then as I got closer, I saw the ‘Boys’ toys’, and ‘Girls’ toys’ signs. I felt an anger inside me start to boil. As I turned to my right, I saw a sea of blue angry-looking vehicles, and as I looked to my left, I saw nothing but pink and purple sparkles. Surely there has to be another way? Some form of in-between, where children, regardless of gender, have more than just these two choices to be put into one box so early on in their life?
What is gender stereotyping and its effects?
Gender stereotyping refers to the practice of ascribing to an individual female or male specific attributes, characteristics or roles by reason only of her or his membership in the social group of women or men.[i]
The Commission on Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood[ii] has warned that harmful gender stereotypes are significantly limiting children’s potential. Its report sets out how gender expectations significantly limit children, causing problems that include, but are not limited to, lower self-esteem in girls and poorer reading skills in boys. The report finds that stereotypes are at the root of girls’ problems with body image and eating disorders, higher male suicide rates and violence against women and girls, and therefore contribute towards the mental health crisis among children and young people.[iii] It also shows that:
- three-quarters of parents (74 per cent) say boys and girls are treated differently, and six in ten (60 per cent) say this has negative impacts;
- 70 per cent of mothers and 60 per cent of fathers agree that this unequal treatment affects how able boys are to talk about their emotions;
- 66 per cent of parents want to see companies voluntarily advertise toys to boys and girls in the same way.
The Fawcett Society’s research continues beyond the effect of gender stereotyping on childhood to its lifelong impact, which has wide-ranging and significant negative consequences for both women and men, with more than half (51 per cent) of people affected saying it constrained their career choices, and 44 per cent saying it harmed their personal relationships.[iv]
What stereotyping looks like
From the moment a child is born, harmful gendered stereotypes surround them and their families. There are many parts of the baby/children industry that are fuelling this, and this needs to change. Let’s explore how the current system exacerbates the harmful gender stereotypes.
Clothes
The font used for young boys’ clothes is often in big bold capitals and exclamation marks. Prints often use imagery such as teeth-baring ferocious animals portraying predators. Conversely, young girls’ clothes predominantly display cute little animals such as bunnies or butterflies, and never in realistic proportions, portraying prey with their eyes closed, passive and demure. Focused on looks and beauty. The animals’ eyes on boys’ clothes are invariably open, sometimes red and angry. With these being the only choices for parents, they are solely introducing a child to toys marketed towards one gender, and referring to their sons as inquisitive while deeming their daughters as sensitive, before these traits are even developed. Small children are therefore learning at a young age that certain toys and behaviours are for certain genders, and they may never get exposure to those designated for the opposite gender.[v]
Toys
Let Toys Be Toys, a campaign group asking the toy and publishing industries to stop limited children’s interests by promoting some toys and books as only suitable for girls and others only for boys, started a campaign in 2012. Initial research showed that 50 per cent of shops had explicit signage saying ‘Boys’ and ‘Girls’. Seventy-five per cent of websites had filters that tailored searches towards boys and girls. By 2016, although the boy/girl signs for toys had largely gone (down to only 20 per cent of its previous level), the colours toy manufacturers make still very much adhere to the stereotypes, that is, the pinks and the blues.[vi] This significant shift was not down to changes in legislation, but due to the pressure of the Let Toys be Toys campaign, which had gained huge momentum. A United Nations Human Rights report from 2014 explains how toys that are geared towards boys often promote problem-solving and cognitive skills, while the toys that are marketed for young girls often teach girls the skills that they should learn if they were to be doing work around the house.[vii]
Books
Children’s literature plays an integral role in a child’s perception of the world, and shapes many of their opinions and behaviours. The issue of true representation in children’s literature is consistent with a history of gender disparity in all aspects of society. Looking at almost 6,000 children’s books published between 1900 and 2000, a study from Janice MaCabe, Professor of Sociology at Florida State University, found that males are central characters in 57 per cent of children’s books published each year, with just 31 per cent having female central characters. Male animals are central characters in 23 per cent of books per year, the study found, while female animals star in only 7.5 per cent.[viii]
Television
With 90 per cent of four-year-olds now using electronic devices to watch television programmes and 65 per cent of under-fives using streaming services, there has been a seismic shift in viewing habits by young children. Content is now much more readily available, it is being watched more often and stereotypes are being embedded faster into it than occurred 50 years ago.[ix] Examples of this stereotyping in such content includes, for example, Peppa Pig’s antiquated portrayal of family life, or Paw Patrol’s depiction of girls as soft, silly and in need of being rescued. It is therefore vital that content is made that no longer reinforces such harmful gender stereotypes. Instead, content would be more accessible to a larger part of society if there was representation of female characters in all different roles. Representing a society in which these gender stereotypes are no longer perpetuating anything harmful to children encourages the narrative that ‘whoever you are you can achieve whatever you want’, regardless of your gender.
Most children’s commercial advertising is targeted towards specific genders and enforces fixed gender roles. When children’s advertisements enforce the stereotypical separation of the male and female genders, it affects a child’s ability to express themselves, and can stunt a child’s ability to make his or her own decisions and build relationships with the opposite gender.[x]
Evidence from research findings
Play is how children learn. Mattel, the owners of the Barbie doll, have conducted research that concludes that when children play with dolls, it activates certain brain regions that allow children to develop what they call ‘social processing skills’: like empathy. As well as developing these essential skills, the study also found that when children play with dolls, they use an increased amount of language relating to others’ thoughts and emotions. Similarly, Lego has announced that it will work to remove gender stereotypes from its toys after a global survey the company commissioned found attitudes to play and future careers remain unequal and restrictive.[xi]
Researchers also found that while girls were becoming more confident to engage in a wide range of activities, the same was not true of boys. The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media carried out research that showed that 71 per cent of boys feared they would be made fun of if they played with what they described as ‘girls’ toys’ – a fear also shared by their parents. Madeline Di Nonno, Chief Executive of the Institute, said ‘Parents are more worried that their sons will be teased than their daughters for playing with toys associated with the other gender. However, if certain toys aren’t played with or even taken away due to any form of gender stereotypes the learning of these essential skills diminishes.’
Recommendations
We all come from different backgrounds, races, religions, ethnicities, classes and family constructs with different traditions and genetics that make everybody individual. Labelling children as either ‘boys’ or ‘girls’ right across their childhood perpetuates a harmful need to conform.
If we focus attention and apply pressure in a few specific areas, we could cause a seismic shift for the better for the next generation. Here is a clear plan on how we can change things for better.
Advertising, retailers and manufacturers need to change
Government must bring in legislation for advertisers, retailers, manufacturers, publishers and production companies that includes the following:
- Ban signage that points to specific boys’ and girls’ toys and clothes, both online and in store.
- Set clear gender representation targets for all children’s adverts; children need to see themselves represented.
- Published industry audits and self-reporting should be designed to reduce the binary blue/pink and predator/prey pictures and fonts on clothes and toys and in adverts and increase a more gender-neutral offering.
Production companies and publishers need to change
- Eradicate harmful stereotypes from online content and books.
- Set clear targets for more female characters in leading roles.
The next generation brings me such hope. The default corporate influence of lazy stereotyping is starting to recede – for example, that Saturday, I had a little victory and found a green toy for my son’s friend’s present! Currently the shift is small, but the hope is that with the changes I propose, children will no longer have to grow up with gender-stereotyped constraints over them from the youngest of ages. Instead, they can have a better chance to be their full authentic selves and achieve their full potential, and therefore increase their chances of living a happy and true life.
Notes
[i] OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) (2014) ‘Gender stereotypes and stereotyping and women’s rights’, September, www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Women/WRGS/OnePagers/Gender_stereotyping.pdf
[ii] Fawcett Society (no date) The Commission on Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood, www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/the-commission-on-gender-stereotypes-in-early-childhood
[iii] Fawcett Society (2020) ‘Gender stereotypes are limiting children’s potential and causing lifelong harm’, News and press release, 15 December, www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/news/gender-stereotypes-significantly-limiting-childrens-potential-causing-lifelong-harm-commission-finds
[iv] Fawcett Society (2020) ‘Gender stereotypes are limiting children’s potential and causing lifelong harm’, News and press release, 15 December, www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/news/gender-stereotypes-significantly-limiting-childrens-potential-causing-lifelong-harm-commission-finds
[v] Frisoli, A. (2019) ‘How commercial advertising enforces gender stereotypes among children and the ways this affects them psychologically’, Sacred Heart University Scholar, 3(1), https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/shuscholar/vol3/iss1/4
[vi] Let Toys Be Toys (2016) ‘Girls and Boys toy labels on the way out – survey results’, 16 December, www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/girls-and-boys-toy-labels-on-the-way-out-survey-results
[vii] OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) (2014) ‘Gender stereotypes and stereotyping and women’s rights’, September, www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Women/WRGS/OnePagers/Gender_stereotyping.pdf
[viii] McCabe, J., Fairchild, E., Grauerholz, L., Pescosolido, B.A. and Tope, D. (2011) ‘Gender in twentieth-century children’s books: Patterns of disparity in titles and central characters’, Gender & Society, 25(2), https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0891243211398358
[ix] Ofcom (2022) Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2022, www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/234609/childrens-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2022.pdf
[x] PapersOwl (2020) ‘Gender stereotypes and bias in child rearing’, https://papersowl.com/examples/gender-stereotypes-and-bias-in-child-rearing; Hashmi, S., Vanderwert, R.E., Price, H.A. and Gerson, S.A. (2020) ‘Exploring the benefits of doll play through neuroscience’, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2020.560176/full
[xi] The Lego Group (2021) ‘Girls are ready to overcome gender norms but society continues to enforce biases that hamper their creative potential’, 11 October, www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2021/september/lego-ready-for-girls-campaign