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Original poster

Help me to understand gender stereotyping

28 replies

ArriettyMatilda · 18/10/2015 06:50

I've been thinking for a while now about the gender stereotypes forced on our children. It seems to me that, as an adult, gender plays a part in your identity. There are certain issues that do affect men and woman differently (for example puberty or use of contraception). As a woman I never shop in the men's section for clothes, perfume, razors etc, although being female doesn't stop me enjoying different types of films or different foods. I also feel pressure as a woman to shave my legs and I'd feel like I hadn't made an effort if I didn't put make up on for a party. I wouldn't choose a girls name for a boy but but a unisex name is fine. Nevertheless I don't believe that there is anything I couldn't do based on my gender (other than the obvious things one does with gendered body parts). And gender is just one part of many in my identity.

So on one hand being female or male seems to be a part in an adult's identity. But children should just be children? Am I right in thinking pink toys are considered bad because when girls are told pink is their colour they believe they must only play with pink toys, which are usually the more gentle female stereotype toys and may mean they avoid other types of toys. Is there a problem with a construction kit being pink, for example, as long as a child is exposed to a range of other colour toys? Or is is pink only bad of everything a girl owns is pink before she can even make that choice for herself. I really admire the work of let clothes be clothes and let toys be toys, as I do believe companies should be challenged regarding their efforts to impress certain messages on to girls only or boys only. Especially message regarding looks as I believe this should not be important for girls or boys. And that certain toys are for each gender, when they can be played with by all.

Please feel free to pick apart my post and challenge my language and understanding. Is there anything more that I need to be aware of? I'd like to be a enlightened and I'd like to help my child be who they want to be without worrying about gender stereotypes. What can I do to facilitate this and how can I challenge gender stereotypes?

OP posts:
Original poster
ArriettyMatilda · 18/10/2015 11:08

I suppose its the way pink has taken over then, especially in the toy world. Its either pink or multi coloured it seems. There are a lot of pink clothes too but at least there are other colours to choose from even in the girls section. Though I wish there were just children's sections in both clothes and toys, their body shapes are so similar are a young age. My understanding is that it is to make money, despite what manufacturers say about boys and girls having different preferences or playing in a different way. How much of that is self fulfilling prophecy because of that way girls and boys are talked to and treated differently. Two sections means people are sucked into buying more for second children who are a different gender. Could it be considered the same as separating toys or clothes for children of a different religion or race? I would like to know how we can change this and impact on stereotypes in adults too.

OP posts:
VashtaNerada · 18/10/2015 07:15

Actually another problem with pink is that it's used to discourage boys from things too.

VashtaNerada · 18/10/2015 07:14

I think it's important to recognise that many of the gender stereotypes we see (& reinforce ourselves) start in childhood. It's not that men and women are actually all that different, it's that we grow up being told that there is one way to be male and one way to be female.
IMO the problem with pink is that it's used as a tool to reinforce this idea of difference and promote stereotypes about what it means to be female.

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