Gender bias in the toy aisle and how to navigate it these holidays

With Christmas lists being ticked off by parents all over the world, buying the right present can feel like a minefield. RMIT experts explain how gendered marketing looms large in the toy aisle, and why avoiding entrenching gender inequalities from a young age is important.

Co-authors Lauren Gurrieri, Sadaf Sagheer and Torgeir Aleti

Key points:

Gendered narratives baked into toys can instil certain beliefs and behaviours from an early age. From teddy bears to bicycles, colour-coding is used to suggest certain toys are “for boys” while others are “for girls”.

Views on gendered marketing are changing rapidly with people increasingly seeking gender-inclusive products.

Conscious adults wary of gendered toys and marketing also have a role to play. Parents, for instance, can have open and honest conversations with their children to help them decode gendered messages in toys.

And when it comes to Christmas shopping, it might be worth skipping the “award-winning” toy lists for more local and artisanal brands, which tend to be better sources for gender-neutral toys.

Feminist scholars and other critics have long advocated for girls and boys to freely explore their identity without gendered expectations – and toys are a part of this.

Children are curious, imaginative and free-spirited – and the toys they play with should reflect this.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

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Gender bias in the toy aisle and how to navigate it these holidays