Those Who Push For Toy Neutrality Don’t Get Little Girls At All
by Christina Hoff Sommers, The Federalist:
If you are thinking of giving your daughter a Hello Kitty tea set or your son a Transformer, you may want to reconsider. There is a growing movement to abolish the pink-blue divide in children’s toys. It began with a few fringe Internet activists, but has gained steam.
Last year Target announced it would remove gender labeling in its toy aisles. This spring the White House hosted a day-long summit on the hazards of boys’ and girls’ toys. Gender-specific play apparently limits a child’s life prospects and may even endanger the nation’s economic future. Could that be right?
Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to President Obama, opened the White House gathering by reminding participants that “changing culture is not necessarily easy and doesn’t happen overnight, but we can do it if we work together.” Scholars and activists committed to Jarrett’s vision shared their findings and insights. Representatives from companies such as Mattel, Disney, and Lego were present as well. Their role was to absorb the lessons and to explain how they planned to help break down gender stereotypes so “children could dream without limits.”
This summit was not a response to public outcry. In a 2015 market survey, only 28 percent of Americans agreed that “The toy industry perpetuates gender stereotypes and should be marketing every toy to both boys and girls.” But public opinion may be changing. Among millennials, 40 percent agreed.
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