In “The problem with separate toys for girls and boys” Hains explains that gender rigid toys negatively impact children’s psychological development. That is the case she claims, because this marketing strategy tells children who they should be, how they should behave, and what they should be interested in. However, children are supposed to use play as a way to try on new roles, experiment, and explore interests (Hains 2015). Another problem is that gendered toys are causing children to stop playing together at a much younger age that is developmentally typical. Since we cannot change the way that the corporations target children through marketing, she suggests for parents to explain that some people believe that there are certain limits in
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This can actually influence children’s learning and attitudes in future roles such as job occupations. Fulcher points out that masculine toys are associated with “large motor development and spatial skills” and that feminine ones are linked with “fine motor development, language development and social skills” (Robb 2015). These different set of skills then, can be helpful for different occupations which prompts boys to concentrate towards certain behaviors and girls towards other roles. The UK’s 2014 education minister warned that “gender-specific toys risked turning girls off science and maths” (Barford 2014). This effect can be exemplified in the UK’s workforce, where males make up 80% of the "science, research, engineering and technology professionals" and women are 82% of the workers in "caring, leisure and other services," and 78% of administrative and secretarial workers (Barford 2014). This is the case because toys send different messages about what 's appropriate for boys and girls to do and this in turn affects people 's career choices in the future. For instance, boy toys like Legos bring technical instructions and teach children how to fit things together, which may prompt them to be an engineer one day. On the other hand, girl toys like dollhouses motivate imagination and creative play, which considering that this toy is in a house setting, may prompt girls to stay at home or seek for jobs that are about providing care for others (Barford 2014). Thus, it is important for parents to be careful about what types of toys their children get exposed to since this can affect their
This can actually influence children’s learning and attitudes in future roles such as job occupations. Fulcher points out that masculine toys are associated with “large motor development and spatial skills” and that feminine ones are linked with “fine motor development, language development and social skills” (Robb 2015). These different set of skills then, can be helpful for different occupations which prompts boys to concentrate towards certain behaviors and girls towards other roles. The UK’s 2014 education minister warned that “gender-specific toys risked turning girls off science and maths” (Barford 2014). This effect can be exemplified in the UK’s workforce, where males make up 80% of the "science, research, engineering and technology professionals" and women are 82% of the workers in "caring, leisure and other services," and 78% of administrative and secretarial workers (Barford 2014). This is the case because toys send different messages about what 's appropriate for boys and girls to do and this in turn affects people 's career choices in the future. For instance, boy toys like Legos bring technical instructions and teach children how to fit things together, which may prompt them to be an engineer one day. On the other hand, girl toys like dollhouses motivate imagination and creative play, which considering that this toy is in a house setting, may prompt girls to stay at home or seek for jobs that are about providing care for others (Barford 2014). Thus, it is important for parents to be careful about what types of toys their children get exposed to since this can affect their