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Gender, Environment - Coggle Diagram
Gender
Toy ads on TV: Dr Leanne Etheridge (2015)
Boys were shown as active and aggressive, and the language used in adverts targeted at them emphasises control, power and conflict. Not one advert for baby or fashion dolls included a boy.
Girls were generally shown as passive, unless they were dancing. The language used in the ads focuses on fantasy, beauty and relationships. Out of 25 ads for toy vehicles, only one included a girl.
Ads targeted at boys were mainly for toys such as vehicles, action figures, construction sets and toy weapons, while those targeted at girls were predominantly for dolls, glamour and grooming.
research was carried out by Let Toys Be Toys volunteers who watched over 30 hours of programming on nine UK TV channels to find out how boys and girls are represented in ads for toys.
Companies agendas is maximum profits. It's clearly in their interests to carve up the children's toy market into clear segments, and convince children, and their parents, that boys and girls need different toys.
My opinion: Every child should be free to choose how and what to play with. It should be based on their own interest/ experiences, not what is influenced by advertisements.
Their findings regarding toy advertising directed towards boys and girls have been demonstrating 'a remarkable consistency in which adverts are reinforcing, promoting and perpetuating traditional ideas regarding gender roles.' This research is evidence that there is still a long way to go before stereotypes within the advertisement industry are no more.
The language in ads featuring only boys was dominated by themes of mastery (control, power, build,
explore) and conflict (battle, attack, weapons, kick, smash).
Key words used in ads featuring only girls focused on appearance and beauty (fashion, hair, style, accessories) magic and fantasy (magic, dream, make believe), and relationships (love, friends, friendship).
Parent's influence
'How much of parents’ toy purchasing decisions are driven by their child’s interests, compared to the role played by parents’ own opinions about toys? Media, marketing, and broader societal gender stereotypes potentially affect both parents and children'.
fathers held more gender traditional views than did mothers (Kollmayer et al. 2018).
Insight into adults’ perspectives on gender and toys as well as the impact adults have on children’s play patterns
Dinella, L.M., Weisgram, E.S. (2018)
My opinion: As a practitioner, it is important to respect parents views with regards to gender and how their children play in the environment. However, it is essential to highlight to parents the possible learning that can develop when exploring toys with a traditional gender perspective, for example, a boy playing with a doll. This is supporting his understanding of the role of a father.
Play is less stereotypic and less dichotomised amongst children of lesbian and gay parents (Goldberg, Kashy & Smith, (2012). These children have less stereotypic attitudes towards gender. Owen, Kay. Play in the early years.
As adults caring for children, we need to consider whether there is a need to balance provision in order that children develop their own innate abilities rather than only developing those which are gender conformist. Owen, Kay. 2021) Play in the early years
My opinion: Providing a balanced provision by providing resources and opportunities to explore in a holistic way to explore a range of experiences. Avoiding limiting children to activities, roles or behaviour based solely on their gender. Allow children to explore, free from rigid gender stereotypes.
Environment