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BBC Article "Boys prefer cars from early on"

52 replies

skiari · 17/04/2010 00:10

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8624999.stm

Researchers put a range of toys near children aged 9 to 36 months. They found the children were more likely to choose gender-typed toys and colours. "Boys went straight for the ball and the black car, and girls went to the teddy bear and the doll."

The researcher thinks this demonstrates "an intrinsic bias in children to show interest in particular kinds of toys" but admits that "Children of this age are already subject to a great deal of socialisation".

I wonder why they are not considering that this socialisation could completely explain the results?

If children are already given, or encouraged to play with, gender-specific toys at home, at nursery, at toddler groups and at friends' homes, then surely this would explain the results of the survey? Especially if the parents or carers think that children are "intrinsically" more likely to prefer gender-specific toys and so tend to give them those.

What do you think?

OP posts:
LittlePushka · 17/04/2010 00:32

i watched a really good programme about this whilst I was PG with my first and it was relating to why boys are more receptive to being taught in a differnent way to girls, and the physiological reasons why this is. of course i thought surely that really cannot be innatee, it must be learned.

Fast forward to now, I have two boys aged 2 & 3 and without a doubt they go for toys that "move" or fast & noisy games,... trains/cars/tractors/balls/ their bikes.

They almost never play with their soft toys and their dolls (and they have oodles of these freely available too!)or their little dolls pushchair.

I know the younger follows the elder but the attraction to is noticeably marked - I swear i am being objective. So it does not suprise me at all

Clary · 17/04/2010 00:15

Yes I saw this and at first thought, oh no.

But on reading this they say that 1) they are talking children aged up to 3yrs (so result is no surprise) and 2) even at 9mo I imagine most children may have been pushed (even by imperceptible means eg TV/peers/grandma) in some way towards toys for boys or girls.

Let's face it, that starts at an early age now - even ELC now does all its stuff in blue or pink from the most baby toys. And girls are put in pink buggies which were not around 10 years ago (AFAIR).

So hey, nurture still rules (err maybe)

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