Gender Attribution through Different Materials - Essay Example

Gender attribution through different materials is a stereotypical practice proliferated in society. A baby upon being born in the hospital will have those tiny plastic bracelets where their name will be written for identification while they are in the nursery. The system is pretty straightforward, blue for boys and pink for girls. Even parents who opt to know their baby’s sex through ultrasound allow for an early determination of purchasing choices for the birth of their child. The moment the doctor informs them of the sex creates stability in their mind that will allow for easier choices in the things they will have to buy and the atmosphere they will have to create. It determined the color of the room, the crib, the clothes, and the toys just to name a few. For those who wish to wait till actual birth, they will have to settle for neutral colors just to ensure they will not look foolish if they get the gender wrong. These practices of gender referencing through color are a major issue in stereotyping gender roles that start very early on in a person’s life. The young child’s life is bounded by specific categories about their gender that have consequent effects on their future.    Katrin Bennhold’s “Toys Start the Gender Equality Rift” starts with an anecdote that took place at Hamleys. A mother looks for a gift for her niece and specifically asks the attendant where the girl's section is and even remarks on the need to categorize the store properly. This incident reflects how starting from toy stores, labeling is important to emphasize gender roles. The article cites Laura Nelson, a neuroscientist and head of Breakthrough which addresses stereotyping, who remarks that “Gender-specific-color-coding influences the activities children choose, the skills they build and ultimately the roles they take in society” (Bennhold par.7). The need to implement nongender specific toys is important in breaking down these categories that pigeonhole boys and girls who will eventually be the men and women of society.    The segregation of toys that can be seen in places like Hamleys not only affects childhood but carries on to adult life. These classifications also occur in the labor market where some jobs are considered for males and some are for women. This will be all well except that there also exists a pay gap where women earn approximately 16% less than their male counterparts from male-dominated industries. This also affects leadership as high positions are seen to be more appropriate for male employees. “Leadership is associated with ‘male’ qualities like aggressiveness and risk-taking” (Bennhold par.10). This can be seen even in politics and other areas of society where males usually take high positions faster than do women. To date, the country is yet to elect a female president. Nevertheless, there are toy stores and countries that aim to address the elimination of gender stereotyping through toys. Sweden has implemented governmental measures which foster neutrality to prevent gender stereotyping. Harrod’s toy department, Toy Kingdom, has also established “gender-nonspecific zones” that aim to deal with the issue.    Apart from toy stores, another child-related business that seems to propagate gender stereotyping is greeting cards. These cards given by friends and family when a child is born also specify gender roles. Though they are not accepted directly by the child, they demonstrate how parents play a vital role in their child’s future. Lynda Willer’s “Welcome to Your World, Baby” is a study of greeting cards and the greeting cards industry in the sale of cards that celebrate the arrival of a newborn. The study was conducted by visiting 10 greeting card stores and examining 30 cards from each to a total of 300. The 30 cards consist of 10 boy-identified, 10 girl-identified, and 10 non-gender-specific (338). The study focused on two research questions as follows: Research Question 1: What are the differences in language usage in boy-specified birth congratulation greeting cards, girl-specified birth congratulation greeting cards, and no-gender-specified birth congratulation greeting cards? (Willer 337).   Research Question 2: What are the differences in nonverbal communication usage in boy-specified birth congratulation greeting cards, girl-specified birth congratulation greeting cards, and no-gender-specified birth congratulation greeting cards? (Willer 338). Read More