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https://theconversation.com/legos-return-to-gender-neutral-toys-is-good-news-for-all-kids-our-research-review-shows-why-169722>
"Lego announced this week it would work to remove gender stereotypes from its
brand, including no longer marketing toys distinctly to boys or girls and
ensuring products are gender-neutral.
This move by one of the world’s most powerful brands comes in response to
research the Danish toy manufacturer commissioned to understand how parents and
children think about creativity.
The survey of nearly 7,000 parents and children across seven countries found
strong endorsement of traditional gender roles among both boys and girls, with
78% of boys and 73% of girls agreeing “it’s okay to teach boys to be boys and
girls to be girls”.
71% of boys were worried about being judged or made fun of for playing with
toys gendered for girls and 54% of parents worry their sons will be made fun of
if they play with toys associated with girls, compared to only 26% of parents
worrying about the reverse.
Overall, the results suggest boys feel more pressure to conform to gender roles
and norms for creative activities than girls. But the perceptions and beliefs
of others may also be holding girls back. When toys are gendered, all children
pay the price.
We recently conducted a systematic review of gender stereotypes and biases in
early childhood.
Awareness of gender as a social category develops early in life, and insight
into some gender stereotypes begins early. For example, preschool aged children
can hold beliefs such as only boys can be policemen and only girls can be
teachers or nurses.
Gender and racial stereotyping and prejudice can be observed in children as
young as three to four years of age, as children take on cues from around them
to decode and understand the world."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
