Commercials are about promoting and selling to one kind of audience, children. Their product must be appealing and often lie about the product but it gets it sold and children continue to want them. Article 4 (miller) Qualitative Differences among Gender Stereotyped Toys: Implications for Cognitive and Social Development in Girls and Boys According to what the article stated it was suggested that the early play experiences of girls and boys may contribute to gender differences in cognitive and social development, empirical support for this hypothesis is limited. (Miller, 1987) Such as girls or boys knowing the gender differences of toys and classifying them in a
Rachel Rosenfeld Intro to Sociology Professor Miller Children should have the opportunity to play with a large variety of toys of all types. Although, there are different characteristics between boys and girls and it is important for their parents to treat them as individuals, they should provide equal options and choices for them. From the day babies are brought home and cradled in their pink or blue blankets, implications have been made of how they are suppose to behave, either feminine or masculine . However, why does color preference draw generalizations about identity? Young children are interested in playing with many of the same things and not just gender specific toys.
As for the toys that were directed toward young girls were mostly toys that didn't involve much movement it was more on the creative side. Toys like barbies, easy bake ovens, make up and jewelry toys, or baby dolls that needed to be taken care of. All of these that wouldn’t involve much movement for the young girl. These types of messages that many people may not notice at first glace is another way of our society creating gender. It is creating gender in the way that we are teaching young boys
Little girls learn that they are supposed to like dolls and pink, while little boys learn that they are supposed to like trucks and the color blue. Through various forms of guidance and direction from external influences, children experience gender role socialization they quickly learn what behaviors are encouraged by their parents and peers, and which ones are not. These ideas are further reinforced by the media's portrayal of traditional gender roles. As a result, children internalize these beliefs pertaining to gender roles and their behavior is modified accordingly. The child's first influence in regards to gender roles is the family.
All things nice are what apparently seem to be represented by girls. It is this labeling of characteristics to each gender that make it become the social norm. The media (various means of mass communication) affects and influences gender as a social construction of reality. For one point, children are always engaging with shows portraying gender stereotype roles from toys promoted as for boys or girls, to TV shows. It is very common for the children's TV shows to lay emphasis on the role of the male character as a hero who saves the weak female character.
Gender, a social construct, is predominant from the moment a child is born, whether it is from parental influence, the media, clothing, or even children’s toys. These influences can affect the way a child learns how to “do gender”. The various toys, such as Barbie dolls and G.I. Joe action figures, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Bratz Dolls, Power Rangers and most action figures that companies market to children of different genders reinforce stereotypical gender norms and perpetuate conventional gender roles. Parents should be conscientious when choosing their children’s toys because some toys can shape the overall learned gender norms of those children.
In addition there are props such as toys that children can play with and manipulate. There are two types of toys: traditional toys, these actively engage a child’s entire being (e.g., blocks); and electronic toys, these are pre-programmed toys that have a specific way of operating (e.g., Simon Says). Regardless of having to do the same thing repeatedly, children seem to love electronic toys. It is because of the electronic toys that talk, sing, dance, teach, create their own world, and leaves the child with so little imagination that you see less children playing outside these days. Yet, children need toys.
Look for and heed age recommendations, such as "Not recommended for children under three." Look for other safety labels including: "Flame retardant/Flame resistant" on fabric products and "Washable/hygienic materials" on stuffed toys and dolls. Play teaches children how to interact with others and learn about the world. The toys you select for your young child affect his development. Your child's current developmental stage plays a major role in toy selection.
Doctor Money believed that social factors override biological factors in gender identity. When you are born you are identified by your gender (genitalia), from this children are exposed to different labels, e.g. boys being associated with the colour blue and girls being associated with the colour pink and different treatments, e.g. rewarding appropriate behaviour (girls playing with dolls) and punishing inappropriate behaviour (girls playing with cars). Money predicted that if you are mislabelled at birth and subjected to inappropriate labels and treatment before the age of three, then the infant would then acquire the identity of the gender that they were labelled.
Boys are lead to believe they need to be stronger and more emotionless then girls. Children learn from their adult surroundings (Cervantes & Callanan, 1998 pg.96). "These findings suggest that children, early on, are learning to converse and think about emotions in gender-specific ways" (Cervantes & Callanan, 1998 pg.89), Boys and girls show emotional differences in problem solving, facial decoding, and emotion management. Children deal with social situations in concordance to the expectations society has set for them. These expectations allow them hide negative emotions and express positive emotions.