Toys Are More Divided by Gender Now Than They Were 50 Years Ago

[Gormy Cuss]

Interesting read.

Elizabeth Sweet Dec 9 2014, 7:30 AM ET
The Atlantic

When it comes to buying gifts for children, everything is color-coded: Rigid boundaries segregate brawny blue action figures from pretty pink princesses, and most assume that this is how it’s always been. But in fact, the princess role that’s ubiquitous in girls’ toys today was exceedingly rare prior to the 1990s—and the marketing of toys is more gendered now than even 50 years ago, when gender discrimination and sexism were the norm.


In my research on toy advertisements, I found that even when gendered marketing was most pronounced in the 20th century, roughly half of toys were still being advertised in a gender-neutral manner. This is a stark difference from what we see today, as businesses categorize toys in a way that more narrowly forces kids into boxes. For example, a recent study by sociologists Carol Auster and Claire Mansbach found that all toys sold on the Disney Store’s website were explicitly categorized as being “for boys” or “for girls”—there was no “for boys and girls” option, even though a handful of toys could be found on both lists...

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/12/toys-are-more-divided-by-gender-now-than-they-were-50-years-ago/383556/

[niyad]

1. I noticed this when I had to enter a toy store a number of years ago, and complaints

did nothing to change the situation (and notice all the "pink" tools, etc. [yes, I know they are part of the komen stuff, but still annoying])

[malthaussen]

2. Anyone who has been sapient for the past 50 years knows this

The reactionaries have been moving forward in every category since Nixon came to power and the whole Moral Majority shtick was put in place. Anyone who thinks we are living in a post-sexist world is as ignorant as one who believes we are living in a post-racial one. A few token women in high-profile positions does not demonstrate that the playing field is equal. Why would the men who control society and think women should "just lie back and enjoy" rape be inclined to muddle the lines of gender? Why would their wives, 54% of whom voted for the GOP in 2012? "You've come a long way, baby" only applies to cigarettes, which aren't fashionable now anyway.

-- Mal

[GuyVelella]

4. I thought it was the opposite..........

With the way things are headed, pretty soon the schools will make boys use girls bathrooms and girls use boys bathrooms.

[Gormy Cuss]

6. Hi, please check the SOP of this group.

Do not violate it.

[Novara]

5. In the 80s, thebackwards shift has been speeding up

They keep trying to shove girls and women backwards.