So my question a few weeks ago was, “Do toys create stereotypes?” We know that through our early pre-school years we develop schemas to help us understand the world around us, and the information we gather as a child. Part of the process of gathering this information, and putting things into schemas is through children’s play. The question is how do these schemas contribute to forming stereotypes through play? We obviously know play is good for children, and that it promotes imagination, cognitive abilities, as well as emotional, social and physical well-being. The real question is, is gender specific play promoting other things, such as gender role and gender stereotypes? I think so, and we will examine this topic this week through the role of the media.
I think it would be safe to say that the media plays a huge role in the lives of children. Statistics suggest that over 600,000 television commercials will be viewed by the average American child in the first 20 years of life (Larson 2001). I would also think it would be safe to say gender is established through societal influences, hence the media being one of these influences. The media is very good at shaping how we behave and view ourselves among society. So what I am trying to say is that the media targets children, and uses toys to keep with the status quo of how society views men and women, and the stereotypical roles we play.
The study I looked at examined gender-role stereotypes in toy commercials from the popular network Nickelodeon. Four hundred and fifty five commercials were viewed. Examined within these commercials were types of toys, gender portrayal, age of children, gender orientation, types of interaction, setting and the color within the setting. What I was looking for in this study was how many commercials girls and boys were portrayed in together, how many girls only commercials, and how boys only commercials.
The run down of the study says that predominately girls were featured with girls in commercials and boys with boys. There certainly were boys and girls featured together in some commercials, but not as much as the other. However, despite the fact that girls were with girls, and boys with boys in these commercials, the amount of times girls commercials, and boy commercials aired were about even.
The study also said that boys commercials maintained the status quo of gender stereotypes. Boys’ only commercials mostly featured boys playing with building stuff, sports, transportation/construction, and action figures. Boys’ only commercials were also featured with boys playing outdoors, making them more diverse, dynamic and physical, and reinforcing the role of dominance.
Girls only commercials mainly featured girls playing indoors, cooking, cleaning and taking care of babies, which reinforces the role that women are domesticated.
The commercials that portrayed girls and boys together were commercials with toys that were non-gender specific.
All in all the study tells us that the media reinforces the gender stereotypical roles women and men hold within society. It tells our young that girls should learn how to cook, clean, take care of babies and stay pretty while doing it, and boys should learn how to provide for his family with many opportunities lying at his feet to do so. These gender specific toys do not allow for exploration of different roles within out society.
I have posted a video, which portrays what this study was all about, and the medias role, and how they form children’s views on how the should behave and what’s expected in society.
Reference: Kahlenberg, S. G., & Hein, M. M. (2010). Progression on nickelodeon? Gender-role stereotypes in toy commercials. Sex Roles, 62(11-12), 830-847. doi:10.1007/s11199-009-9653-1
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