Toys are tools that push children to experience, explore, learn, socialize or create, enhance their imagination and teach them values. In addition, through toys, children represent and imitate the roles and characters they have access to both in the family, school, the street or in the media.
That is why the choice of a toy that does not reproduce discriminatory or archaic values, or enhance gender roles. Because both boys and girls should be able to be what they want, and put it into practice from an early age through play.
Gender stereotypes are widespread beliefs about attributes that characterize men and women, and that are acquired through learning processes involving cultural factors, such as the media, family or school.
But children should understand that many beliefs about what is "boys" and "what is girls" have no basis, and that both can play to be what they want, without feeling pigeonholed in roles marked by society.Some time ago certain toy brands and related companies began to take note of it. We have seen it in open and free toy catalogs, which are committed to equality and integration. Also in spots and dolls that have recreated famous, strong and brave women who encourage girls to be what they want to be.
Dolls that inspire
Not all girls like to play with princesses, or with dolls to care for, make up or dress. Fortunately, some companies have realized how important it is to change these stereotypes and are taking doll lines that inspire girls to be whatever they want to be.
Barbie, I want to be
Inside the Barbie dolls, we find the line "I want to be" in which girls can play with dolls what they want to be when they grow up: professions related to the field of health, science, arts or sports, without gender distinction.
Scientific Barbie and Astronaut And in the "Collection" section we also find warrior and powerful Barbies, because who says girls can't play, and be, great heroines?
In Babies and more "If I were a toy", the announcement of a chain of toy stores that breaks gender stereotypes Nacy, a day of adventures
Adventures are not just a matter of boys, no matter how much advertising or toy catalogs they want to convey.
A girl can also wear a helmet and jump into pirouettes with her skateboard, or live an adventure under a pirate ship, or carry out a dangerous snow rescue mission. And the Famosa firm, through its line of dolls "Nancy, a day of adventures", demonstrates this.
Nancy Pirate Barriguitas, to the rescue!
Extinguishing a fire, carrying out a rescue mission or protecting citizens are also not exclusive activities of men. It is increasingly common to see women firefighters or being part of the security forces and bodies, so girls should also be able to find these roles in their wrists. And with the Barriguitas brand they can play firefighters and police.
Luciana, the astronaut
The American Girl Doll company has been the last to join this trend with the launch of its astronaut doll Luciana Vega, with which she intends to empower girls and encourage them to dream big and work hard to achieve it.
Gender roles in toys
There are no activities for children and other activities for girls, although traditionally certain interests or tasks are associated with each of the sexes.
Through play, children should be able to choose what they want to be and the adventures they want to live, but sometimes they are conditioned by the gender roles that society imposes on them.
Choosing a toy should be a free task for every child, but we all know that this rarely happens. Toy catalogs, sexist advertising, the arrangement of toys in stores and even the speech of some adults, they can encourage the child to opt for a toy or another by mistakenly believing that this is what is expected of their gender.
On the other hand, and as several studies have pointed out, it seems that boys and girls show, from an early age, some preferences for certain previously qualified toys for their gender and reject opposites.
The children mimic the behaviors associated with their gender that they see around them. Therefore, and even if we say things like “Girls can do the same as boys”, If socially they see that certain professions, activities and roles are associated with a specific sex, they will end up internalizing that this must be so.
That is why it is important to change both the advertising of toys so that they are not sexist, such as the mentality of society and our speeches, which lead us, unconsciously, to perpetuate certain gender attitudes and contaminate the mind, free from prejudices, of The smallest.
