StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

A Gendered Tour Through a Toy Store - Research Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
The current essay aims to get a first-hand experience in visiting and observing a particular toy store and to analyze how toys are a means of gender socialization…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.1% of users find it useful
A Gendered Tour Through a Toy Store
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "A Gendered Tour Through a Toy Store"

Download file to see previous pages

The toy’s section of a department store clearly segregates toys that are specifically for boys and those that are for girls. However, there is another specifically provided space for toys (games, blocks, puzzles, and educational toys) that could be used by both genders. Toys that are marketed specifically for girls are dolls, pretend play toys, arts and crafts, stuff toys, and cute little stuffs with colors of pinks, reds, greens, yellows, and lavenders that stand out among other toys. On the other hand, the toys that are marketed specifically for boys are toy cars, robots, electronic toys, building blocks, and toys for outdoor games.

These toys are mostly designed in colors of blue, gray, browns, greens and dark hues intermitted with basic primary colors. In closely examining the brands, words, and descriptions in toys, one determined that toys for girls were usually emphasizing aesthetic qualities such as pretty, beauty, cute, huggable, soft, domestic and colorful. On the other hand, toys for boys were generally described to include words and terms such as fast, tough, undefeatable, strong, and other qualities that are analogous to masculine characteristics and traits.

To the general toys section that displays non-gender-specific toys are usually educational toys such as board games, puzzles, painting and drawing materials, clays and zoo animals, to name a few. One specifically found an educational board game, the Flip and Link Money Game that was specified for ages 8 and above for two players. This section showcases neutral toys which do not indicate on the packaging the sex of the child for which they are deemed appropriate. Finding this toy was not at all difficult since a whole section was devoted to non-gendered or neutral toys.

Toys as Means of Gender Socialization As evidenced from previous studies, the factors that influence gender typed toys include parents’ selective choices, televised commercials, and early educational interventions (Glassy and Romano; High Beam Business; Witt). Gender socialization, defined as “the process of learning the social expectations and attitudes associated with one's sex. Sociologists explain through gender socialization why human males and females behave in different ways: they learn different social roles” (Cramster.com 1) was reported to occur through diverse means including the selection of toys to be played with by respective children.

As emphasized by Witt, “parents encourage their sons and daughters to participate in sex-typed activities, including doll playing and engaging in housekeeping activities for girls and playing with trucks and engaging in sports activities for boys. Children's toy preferences have been found to be significantly related to parental sex-typing, with parents providing gender-differentiated toys and rewarding play behavior that is gender stereotyped. While both mothers and fathers contribute to the gender stereotyping of

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“A Gendered Tour Through a Toy Store Research Paper”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/sociology/1444477-a-gendered-tour-through-a-toy-store
(A Gendered Tour Through a Toy Store Research Paper)
https://studentshare.org/sociology/1444477-a-gendered-tour-through-a-toy-store.
“A Gendered Tour Through a Toy Store Research Paper”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/sociology/1444477-a-gendered-tour-through-a-toy-store.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF A Gendered Tour Through a Toy Store

The Value of Human Life in the Poems To His coy Mistressby Andrew Marvel and Out, Out by Robert Frost

thers both his devaluation of the woman and his argument why she should give into his lust by saying “Now therefore, while the youthful hue/ Sits on thy skin like morning dew,” describing her through references to the fresh dew of the morning.... By writing phrases like “The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard” which suggested that the buzz saw was an aggressive and alive thing, and through saying “As if it meant to prove saws...
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

A Sociological Scavenger Hunt: an Experiment in Visual Sociology

The researcher set the task to find or take a photograph such things as a toy for children; toiletry; movie poster or play poster etc.... The doll was first introduced for adults as a fashion model but later it was introduced as a toy for teenage girls.... Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, had finally succeeded in providing girls with a toy they can truly call theirs.... Mattel introduced the first Barbie doll at the American toy Fair in New York in 1959 and the debutant doll was named after Barbara, the daughter of Ruth Handler....
15 Pages (3750 words) Research Paper

Dangers of Gender Stereotyping

GENDER NEUTRAL TOYS: toy companies heavily promote gender stereotyping because toys with a lot of pink and good looks are considered as girls toys and the toys that serve action are considered as boy toys.... CROSS –gendered PLAY: Instead of discouraging your children from playing with toys that belong to their gender we should encourage them to play with toys that belong to the opposite gender....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Manifestation of Gender Social Construct in a Toy Store

Manifestation of gender social construct in a toy store.... Such, when one enters a toy store as an adult, one cannot help but be drawn to the section to the gender that we are oriented to.... She may find it uncomfortable to be in the men's section of toy store and instead will play with dolls that reinforce her gender role.... hellip; The imposition of society's social construction of gender manifests when we visit a store because we are drawn to the section of the toys (male or female section) where our respective genders are oriented or accustomed to....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Toys and gender role

All of the items designated for girls are grouped together, all of the items for boys can be found in the same location, and items that are considered unisex, such as bicycles, sporting equipment and boardgames, can be located usually in the back of the store or in an aisle that runs perpendicular to the others.... All of the items designated for girls are grouped together, all of the items for boys can be found in the same location, and items that are considered unisex, such as bicycles, sporting equipment and boardgames, can be located usually in the back of the store or in an aisle that runs perpendicular to the others....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

CDC children observation

He takes his toy car to the store.... He plays with his toy car alone at a corner of the playfield.... However, he concentrates on the playing with his toy car.... For example, boys are seen to be playing with toy cars.... The toy cars are characteristic of male children and are thus male gendered.... However, there are also a small number of girls attracted to toy cars....
3 Pages (750 words) Assignment

Examining Gender Bias in Children's Merchandise

The first store I went to was Sears, this store was set up oddly, there were some sections repeated on the second floor that I had already been through on the first floor.... nbsp; For infant gear I found that there was a greater amount of gender neutral strollers than gendered strollers, there were 11 neutrals, three boys themed strollers and one girl stroller....
13 Pages (3250 words) Research Paper

A Sociological Scavenger Hunt

The dish was first introduced for adults as a fashion model, but later it was introduced as a toy for teenage girls.... Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, had finally succeeded in providing girls with a toy they can genuinely call theirs.... hellip; Mattel introduced the first Barbie doll at the American toy Fair in New York in 1959, and the debutant doll was named after Barbara, the daughter of Ruth Handler.... The dolls provided adolescent girls with an opportunity to play with a three-dimensional toy....
15 Pages (3750 words) Report
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us