Sociology of Gender

The products in the toy department of any store are visibly divided by gender, with very little space devoted to gender neutral products.

By and large, infants' toys appeared to be gender neutral. The colors used for the toys and packaging were nonspecific, with the most common colors being green, white, and yellow. The photographs of children on the packages were equally neutral. The children were not dressed in pink or blue and were so young that it was difficult to discern their gender.

Gender specific items began to appear in the aisle for toddler toys. One or two items were gender neutral, but the vast majority was aimed at either boys or girls. There were a few of the same toys that offered a version for girls and a version for boys, such as Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head. Another example lies within the selection of ride-on toys. There were several identical models, but the girls' versions were either pink or purple while the boys' versions were blue or red.

The toys meant for older children were more strictly organized by gender. The girls' toy aisles and the boys' toy aisles were discernable from across the store. The girls' section was overwhelmingly pink and purple while the boys' section was mostly blue and green. Very few items were gender neutral. Even apparently neutral items like paint sets had a separate version for each gender, a choice of pink or blue.

Girls' products focused on home and family-based activities. The store offered kitchen play sets, baby dolls, and sewing kits. The boys' products seemed to focus on activities outside the home, such as military-themed play sets and sports games.

Disney princesses were the most prevalent characters in the girls' toy aisles. Items are varied as tricycles to dress-up clothes carried images of beautiful princesses. The characters were not doing much; they mainly served as decoration. Characters in the boys' aisle were more active, such as G.I. Joe or Army figurines. The characters were more purposeful, doing things like serving in the military and fighting enemies. Boys' and girls' characters were evident based on the character's gender. Male characters did not appear on girls' products, and vice-versa.

Girls' toys largely emphasized passive, quiet activities such as cooking or grooming themselves. The most obvious example of such passivity was Sleeping Beauty's bed, which called for girls to put the doll to bed and allow her to sleep until Prince Charming returned.

Collaborative, polite play was also encouraged by many of the girls' toys. There were countless play sets and games for multiple girls to play together. For example, the box for the Cherry Blossom grocery store set showed three girls helping each other put food away and tidy up the store.

Lastly, toys that encouraged girls to be gentle and nurturing were numerous. According to the packages, dozens of baby dolls and stuffed animals required girls' constant care and attention. Most of the girl's toys did not make noise, but some of the baby dolls cooed and other items played music.

Products for boys emphasized a different set of behaviors. Many of the toys required boys to be active and loud. There were countless weapons and guns, as well as sports equipment. Other toys made loud noises like gunshots and motors.

Competition was one of the main aspects of boys' toys. Most of the items had an element of rivalry. Even innocuous sounding toys like Matchbox cars were packaged as the "Flip and Crash Duel" set, which pitted players against one another.

Many boys' toys focused on outright fighting. There was a huge array of weapons, such as ninja swords, guns, and whips. In addition, toys like wrestling figures, army men, and superhero action figures are meant to be used in aggressive games.

The other toys focused on performing a task or building something. There was an entire aisle of Lego blocks, including a line of "City" play sets that called for the owner to build different parts of a town.

The products sold for girls reflect the fact that girls' culture contains more heterosexual romantic themes than the boys'. The message is that a woman's status is based on that of the man in her life. Wedding gowns, baby dolls, and playhouses are marketed to girls of all ages.

However, the characteristics of girls' toys emphasize society's requirements for women. Through gender specific toys, girls receive a clear representation of the woman society expects them to become.

Toys geared toward boys do not have these sexual undertones. Boy's statuses are defined by social relationships with other boys, which is illustrated by the vast array of competition-based toys and games on the shelves.

In our culture, girls and boys are valued for different personality traits. Girls are expected to be nurturing and passive, while boys are expected to be competitive and active. Additionally, girls' identities are more closely tied to their sexuality.