Would anyone like to join in an effort to convince retailers to stop categorizing toys by gender?

[OneHandWavingFree]

Following on from this thread and similar ones, a few of us are interested in discussing ways to send a message to retailers that it is not acceptable to designate 'boys' and 'girls' toy aisles which reinforce the message that science and adventure are "boys stuff", while girls should be primarily occupied with looking 'sexy' or practicing for domestic drudgery.

The first steps might be to draft a letter and identify a few retailers to target for an email campaign. Other ideas of how to get the message across are very welcome too, though.

Would anyone like to join in?

I'm in too. Drives me mad. I have to challenge gender stereotypes all the time in work (16 year olds are very entrenched), so would love to see some attempts at change for when my 2 grow up..

Incidentally, ds loves playin with his sister's pram; she loves his trucks. Reckon I can guess which one'll get things with wheels on for xmas.

Didn't hear that but would have liked to, Grimma - Lego Friends are a particular peeve of mine. I ranted and raved on a fair few 'Friends' threads on here, when they were introduced!

I'd be up for having a peek at the draft survey too, if that's useful. (Have designed a few surveys in the past).

Here is the draft survey www.surveymonkey.com/s/6TWFRPK

PLEASE NOTE ANY RESPONSES YOU ENTER ON THIS LINK WILL NOT BE COUNTED!

I will do a new link when we launch the survey for real (and start a new thread).

I think we should launch it tonight for people shopping tomorrow.

I have adjusted the survey questions so they are a bit tighter, but still cover all the bases. I think in the data collection part is worth asking everything that might be useful. Then we look at the results, and can choose to focus only on the signage issue if we want.

What you don't want is to say 'I wish we had asked more questions' later on- its better to ask a few more at the beginning, even if you don't use alll the data in the end.

If you want to do a top ten/ name and shame ranking with % points you do need to have a bit of gradiation between have signs/ have no signs.

Only problem with focussing solely on the aisles being explicitly labelled is that the retailers solution will be to just remove the signs, and still the toys will be segregated.

Much as I get that they may suggest the idea of aisles being aimed at boys/girls is subjective and in our minds, there is no way on earth the big retailers don't psychoanalyse exactly what the layout suggests to the average consumer. I know when I worked in large chain stores you were given very specific instructions on what to put where. Barely any items were placed without careful consideration.

I like the survey, I think that it covers all the bases without getting bogged down in too much information. I especially like question 4, as I think that will be the best way to make people think. We need to make people who wouldn't normally notice these things actually become more aware of them, the retailers aren't going to take note unless enough people do become aware.

Looks good at first glance :) I'll have closer look at the detail later.

The thing that jumps out at me at first glance is that I think this will do better as two surveys: one for in-store and another for on-line. We'll get a lot more respondents that way.

I imagine there will be plenty of people who will be happy to help to from their sofa, but who are unable to get to the shops. Similarly there will be lots of people who are going to the shops anyway, but who will find it hard to get a spare minute at home to fill in the online bit.

And even those who are able to do both will benefit from being able to submit whichever one they find time to do first, without having to hold on to the piece of paper with their results on it until they get round to doing the other one.

We'll get significantly more data that way, I promise! :)

Onehandwavingfreewavingfree - thanks for your comments by the way. Really helpful.(and for starting the campaign!)

I do agree that aisles without labels is kind of a grey area but not so much that its not worth looking at (particularly when we know that retailers have buyers specifically for girls and boys toys, so it's not like its a coincidence that all these toys end up grouped like this - they may have taken the sign down, but I bet it still says boys and girls on the merchandising store plan)

I think we can answer this criticism:

"Besides, if the retailer groups toys by function and puts all the domestic roleplay items together, then there is going to be a row of dollies and prams and kitchens. " .... Because if they were really grouping them by function then right next to these domestic role play toys would be work benches and tool belts. But if those domestic items are somewhere else then it's not arranged functionally.

Functionally would mean princesses in the same zone as knights, kitchen sets in the same zone as toolboxes.

That's a good thought aufanie

Fair enough re: better to ask too much than too little to start with, Himalaya. I think if that's the case though, we have to separate things out to make sure we can export the specific information we want.

For example in the new #4 it asks whether a toy is "in a package or on a shelf explicitly signposted" by gender. Those are two different things; if it's on the package, then the retailer has some responsibility with regard to buying and selling toys that are packaged in a sexist fashion, but the retailer isn't actually responsible for the packaging.

If the sign is over the shelf, that is the retailer's responsibility and it is a much, much more reasonable grounds by which to make an assessment of whether the retailer itself is promoting sexism against children.

Is there a particular reason that the survey has to launch this weekend, from your perspective? I know it's a big shopping weekend, and we don't want to drag things out unneccesarily and lose momentum on this. But we don't have a particular deadline and I think it's more important to give people a chance to buy into the survey / make suggestions to improve it, than it is to get it done and dusted immediately.

"What you don't want is to say 'I wish we had asked more questions' later on- its better to ask a few more at the beginning, even if you don't use alll the data in the end. "

That's a good point.

Oh, btw, I've noticed that surveymonkey will only let you view the first 100 responses to a survey unless you pay.

I've had a quick google and it looks like there are alternatives, you just have to put up with adverts.

I'm doing another one for a client, so I'll pay for one month before it gets to 100

I like the survey and you're probably right Himalaya that it's better to get too much information than not enough. How we then present that information is up to us. Just two small comments - the intro says that we're not looking at preschool toys although there are quite a few items (eg buggy, toy broom, etc) which probably are aimed at little ones. Not a big deal but could confuse people. Also, I wonder if some items could be more specific eg "racing cars" instead of cars as I bet there are some hideous pink cars with cutesy figures out there. I like it though - I'll try to do some research tomorrow.

Just saw OneHand's post. Happy to wait if that's the consensus.

Is it possible to add something like games consoles to that list btw? Just thinking that if it shows a bias towards them being aimed at boys, there are a few tech organisations/blogs/magazines that are hot on equality in the industry and would give our aim a bit more clout and more attention.

I only want to wait long enough to allow for a consensus to form - the first draft survey was only done on Wednesday evening, and only a few people PM'd to look at it (as far as I know).

I just think it's a bit of a rush to go with what we have now, when there are good ideas still being posted and lots of people who posted earlier on the thread who have not yet weighed in on what they think the focus should be, whether they think the right questions are being asked, whether the list of iconic toys should include additional or different items, etc.

Could we not work on the survey through the weekend at least, so it's not just three or four of us involved in deciding what information to collect? As Himalaya said, we don't want to wish later we had asked something else.

YY Goths definitely games consoles. Good idea.

Am also happy to start a Facebook page if people are still up for that - maybe somewhere to post the pics that people take during their 'research'? I got some good (bad) ones of Tesco and Boots this week.

I have been meaning to set up a page but can't think of a name that explains what we're doing without being too long and wordy... suggestions?

I think we want to look at what will get the most people to see the consequences of genderising(yes, I know that's not a real word ) toys.

Focussing on it discouraging children from certain careers/hobbies might be one of the best methods, and garner more attention. It's harder for people to argue against that, obviously they still will, but no companies want to be seen as condoning when retailers actively discourage 50% of the population.

We want to be able to go to medical bodies (eg. NHS) and say, "Are you happy that little girls are told by retailers that they can only be nurses and little boys are told they can only be doctors?". The answer there can only be no.

It'll also be good to be able to go to celebrities, eg. top male chefs and say, "Are you happy that retailers are discouraging little boys from being interested in cooking?"

Maybe add sports equipment to the list too. I'm sure after the Olympics there are a fair few female athletes that would get behind this.

Two surveys now

Store: www.surveymonkey.com/s/6TWFRPK
Online/catalogue: www.surveymonkey.com/s/DF6NN2M (with a new question!)

DONT ANSWER FOR REAL YET!

Kinbote - you are right, it should be not baby toys, but can include preschool. i will change

Love question 5 on the online one :) Is it worth adding a note taking space to it? So we can comment on whether the girls and boys are at least being sold comparable products?

Himalaya are you okay with holding off for more input before we launch?

Campaign name ideas, probably crap as this isn't my strong point, but someone might spark off one of them?

Don't Gender My Play
All Children Are Equal
Equal Play

Also DH has suggested maybe adding performance/music items to that list?

Ok - bit don't want to hold on to long - if you want this to get any press coverage it needs to be before Xmas I think - that's when newspapers are interested in toys.

If you're finding surveymonkey limiting, I have a Survey Gizmo account we can use if you like.

It can have up to 500 responses a month as standard, but if it gets really popular I believe it can be extended (for free - well that's what the website says anyway!)

It's a student account so I'd have to use the data somehow for something uni-related, but that's not a problem! It would however have this badge at the bottom - do you think that matters?

Just let me know if you want to use it :)