Gender Stereotyping
I don’t get it. Why is everyone so hell bent on ensuring that their offspring aren’t gender stereotyped? I’m reading lots of posts at the moment discussing how as a parent they’re going out of their way to promote ‘boys’ toys to girls, and ‘girls’ toys to boys, even though that’s the exact stereoptyping they’re trying to avoid. Then there was the say no to pink campaign or whatever it was called and folk getting their knickers (pants?) in a twist about the colouration of toys and clothes and…
and quite honestly I’m wondering what the fuss is about?? Does it matter, really…
Does wearing pink limit your child’s future potential? Is it really so bad if boys want to play rough with their swords and sabres? Do we need to ensure that such stereotyping doesn’t exist? I mean I totally get that we shouldn’t be promoting it like “Erin, you’re a girl, and therefore you’re forbidden from wearing blue” but it’s natural that kids will want to copy peers and fit into life’s stereotypes we’re all conforming to a stereotype of one kind or another.
I’m more of a tomboy myself and Erin, well she likes jewellery, fancy clothing, shopping and skirts. I have no idea where she gets it from but I’m certainly not going to force her into hoodies and football simply to avoid the stereotype.
So what do you think, is there an issue here, and if so can someone enlighten me…
Nope, doesn’t matter a jot. As I said in another post, what will be will be. I’ve got one ‘typical’ boy – always covered in mud and bruises, and another who hates sport and prefers reading and loves a bit of shopping and cooking! I love them both and keep telling them that their real friends will love them too – whatever their likes or dislikes! x
As long as you’re not hurting anyone I think you should just do whatever makes you happy, if that means boys playing with barbies and little girls running round playing pirates (amy often does this) then so be it.
Now I think about it Erin does like playing toy fights with husband and an american football computer game, maybe she’s not as much a girly girl as I first thought!
My kids with no influence from me have gone for typical “boys” things and “girl” things. They will both happily play with the others toys, but they revert back if they are alone. I don’t care, they don’t care and it didn’t cause me any issues growing up!
I think you have a sensible attitude, but I do find my ire rising sometimes. For example almost everything for kids here in the US is aimed at bots or girls. Very little us gener neutral, cars bedroom sets or princess, nothing in between. I was irritated recently when my daughter wanted Diego underpants but only boys Y fronts were available. Girls have to choose between Dora and tinkerbell for their undies in Target, apparently.
This weekend my son, 2 is having a Cinderella candle on his cake, and my daughter, 4 is having batman on hers, their choice! It’s nice gaving one kid if each sex, actually. My son loves the doll house and toy princesses, and I doubt I’d have bought those if I only had boys!
I remember studying this topic for sociology A Level although of course I’ve fogotten most of it now, and I didn’t have a child then so I would probably viwe the whol subject area differently now. I don’t think it really matters. IJ has lots of toys which would be classed as typically for girls and many aimed typically at boys. She plays will all of them. Her choice. At the moment she loves her garage and toy cars. She has Barbie dolls but loves making them fight with each other. It doesn’t bother me.
I don’t think children should be given the message that they should behave in a certain way because of the gender nature gave them. I think they should discover who they are and what their place is in the world in their own time and in their own way, with a little parental guidance of course. So let them go off and experiment and wear bright orange, pink and green all at the same time if they want to. Why not?!
I’m with you. Let the kids be who they are. My 6 year old boys faourite colour is pink but equally he wanst to eb in the army or a fireman! lol I have an award for you over at mine. Mich x
It’s all stored in there already isn’t it, way before birth! The bear likes crashing trucks into the wall while wearing my wooden bead necklace, LOL!
Have given you an award at my blog!
http://babygenie.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/my-first-award-spreading-a-little-sunshine/