http://www.naeyc.org/content/what-research-says-gender-typed-toys
The attached visual is a simple one that could even go unnoticed if one walked into a classroom during playtime. The girl and boy appear to be of the same age, yet they’re geared to choose different toys to play with. The girl is already encouraged to take the home-making nurturer role while cradling the baby doll. Meanwhile the boy is playing with cars and trucks, leading us to assume he is being pushed to a more technological focus. This picture displays the gender appropriation even in the toddler age group. They aren’t yet old enough to know what gender is, but we show them which traits and activities are acceptable for boys and girls. This communicates further that there is a difference in which traits are expected. This expectation is socially constructed and I just find it interesting that we persist these norms.
This communicates the early-on perspectives that parents push on children simply based off of gender. This is seen in colors of items, toys, parenting styles, preferences, relatability, and even the amount of attention and sensitivity given. I nanny for a fraternal set of twins, one of each sex, and their toys are distinguishable by the toy type and the color. She’s reprimanded I feel more intensely for being rough and loud, whereas his same outbursts that are expected of a toddler are more often excused with a lighter consequence. It makes me wonder if we’re teaching sensitivity on an equal spectrum or if we’re creating different personality types because of sex.
The way babies play is crucial for the way that their minds frame things as they grow. If we’re encouraging toddler girls to nurture, yet we’re encouraging toddler boys to play rough and build, are we placing limitations or internal expectations for these children to grow up with? It’s a deeper discussion looking at what defines masculine and feminine. I’m simply wondering if the gender roles implemented on toddlers shape their personalities and mindsets as they grow older. Also, I wonder how the interactions between the parents and the children because of gender shape their skill sets, whether physical, mental, or emotional. A little boy is allowed to be rougher, or is told to not cry. Does he feel he needs to be rougher and not sensitive? The way we treat the babies teaches them how to relate to themselves. Growing up with a set of expectations and somewhat spoken rules per gender creates a lot of stress if the child doesn’t feel they fit within those restrictions also. It’s interesting to watch these interactions also through different families and see what remains consistent and what changes based on their upbringing preference.