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Gender stereotyping of children's toys: a comparison of parents and nonparents

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, Jan, 1999 by C. Estelle Campenni

Previous investigations which have directly assessed the degree to which adults gender type children's toys indicated that adults use traditional gender stereotyped standards when classifying children's toys (Masters & Wilkinson, 1976; Miller, 1987; Fisher-Thompson, 1990). These findings have important implications for the types of implicit and explicit messages adults send to children and the gender role development that emerges in children based on these messages (Mischel, 1970, 1973). Perhaps the most visible role models and dynamic social influence in children's lives are their parents. To date, the degree to which parents stereotype children's toys has not been extensively explored. The present research compared parents' and nonparents' assessments of the gender appropriateness of toys. Specifically, the study examined the degree to which toys are gender stereotyped and whether the toys identified as gender appropriate differ for parents and nonparents. Gender stereotyping was also examined based on the age of the child.

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A predominant view of gender identity development states that traditional gender roles are learned through social and environmental cues in the environment (Mischel, 1966). These cues begin at birth and are perhaps most strongly influenced throughout childhood by parental influences. As Basow (1992) notes, "parents serve as the initial and major socializing agents in society" in ways that are both overt and subtle (p. 129). For example, parents describe their newborns differentially with girls being described with respect to their appearance while boys are portrayed with respect to their physical abilities. This trend is most pronounced among fathers (Rubin, Provenzano, & Luria, 1974; Sweeney & Bradbard, 1988). Further, an unobtrusive indicator of parental gender stereotyping of children shows the prevalence of dolls and domestic items in girls' rooms and various traditionally masculine items in boys' rooms (Rheingold & Cook, 1975; Pomerleau, Bolduc, Malcuit, & Cossette, 1990). These findings suggest that parents react to daughters and sons differently and this differential treatment begins as soon as a gender label is provided at birth.

One of the most salient areas in which the effects of gender labeling is evident in children is the prevalence of gender-appropriate toys for children (Basow, 1992). Parental toy choices and child-parent interactions with toys send a clear message to children regarding gender-typed behaviors (Caldera, Huston, O'Brien, 1989). Langolis and Downs (1980) have shown that parents play with their child's gender-same toys longer, react more positively to gender-same toys, and are more critical of cross-sexed toys. These researchers have also shown that fathers use toys, perhaps unintentionally, to socialize their children differently based on sex and there is evidence that this gender-based socialization process begins as early as the first year of the child's life (Snow, Jacklin, & Maccobby, 1983). Interestingly, it appears that there may be more stereotyping regarding toys offered to boys. Parents tended to choose masculine and neutral toys more often than feminine toys for their sons but chose neutral toys more than feminine or masculine toys for their daughters (Eisenberg, Wolchik, Hernandez, & Pasternack, 1985).

Children reliably prefer toys deemed appropriate to their gender (Connor & Serbin, 1977; Etaugh & Liss, 1992; Liss, 1988). Boys have been shown to prefer more vehicles, weapons, and spatial-temporal items while girls request more dolls, domestic items, and musical instruments in their Christmas requests (Bradbard, 1985; Bradbard & Parkman, 1983; Robinson & Morris, 1986). Parental influence is suggested by findings that gender appropriate toy choices often match parents' toy choices and preferences (Peretti & Sidney, 1984). Further, not only do children prefer gender-same toys but they avoid cross-sexed toys, a trend most prominent among boys (Eisenberg, Murray, & Hite, 1982; Vieira & Miller, 1978). In support of the differences in play with cross-sex toys, Etaugh and Liss (1992) have found that girls prefer masculine toys more than boys prefer feminine ones.

Stereotyped toy preferences have been noted in children younger than two (e.g. Caldera, Huston, & O'Brien, 1989; O'Brien & Huston, 1985a). However, these studies focused primarily on unobtrusive observations of parent-child interactions in which traditional views regarding gender appropriateness of toys on the part of the parents have been inferred. In a more direct assessment of adults' selections of toys for children, Fisher-Thompson (1993) found that toys purchased for children under the age of three were less likely to be gender stereotyped as compared to the purchases for older children. Direct comparisons between the selections of parents and nonparents were not possible but would be interesting to determine the relative use of gender stereotyping for this young group by parents.

Gender stereotyping of children's toys may influence the development of gender schematic role identity in children and may play a part in the differences noted in the cognitive and social skills of girls and boys. Miller (1987) has noted that toys viewed as more appropriate for girls were also rated as attractive, creative, nurturing, and manipulable while masculine toys were identified as more competitive, aggressive, constructive, conducive to handling, encouraging sociability, and reality based. Interestingly, these differences in functionality of gender stereotyped toys correspond to differences noted in the stereotyped feminine and masculine behavioral and personality patterns with stereotypical feminine characteristics described as emotional, gentle, understanding, and creative while masculine traits include aggressive, active, dominant, and competitive (Spence & Helmreich, 1978). In support of the influence of these functional differences on children's cognitive development, research has found that play with masculine toys may be linked with higher visual-spatial ability while play with feminine toys may be related to higher vocabulary ability (Serbin & Connor, 1979; Tracy, 1987).

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Gender stereotyping of children's toys: a comparison of parents and nonparents

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, Jan, 1999 by C. Estelle Campenni

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