... Or in the pink? Colour-coding and crass gender signalling persist even in these times of presumed equality. Anne O'Connor helps practitioners to negotiate the minefield of bias.

We tend to think that we have come a long way in gender equality in recent times. But taking a walk around your local toy shop or reading through a store catalogue can be a stark reminder that some things really haven't changed very much.

Manufacturers and retailers still think in terms of different toys for boys and girls and use colour (particularly pink) as a marketing tool.

In 2008, Sweden's Trade Ethical Council against Sexism in Advertising (ERK) asserted that some of the images in the Lego catalogue 'constituted a form of stereotyping which was degrading to both men and women' in that they preserved 'traditional and anachronistic views on gender roles' by displaying a pink room for girls and a blue room for boys.

A quick look at the current Lego website confirms that the pages are now refreshingly free of pink and blue zones, but it is a bit of a shock to find that 'girls' are now listed as a category - along with 'robotics', 'pre-school' and 'video games'. Go into the girl section and you will find ponies, palaces and special pink bricks.

Does this mean that the 'real' Lego was designed for boys? That will come as a surprise to all the girls of my generation who grew up happily building fantastic structures with traditionally coloured Lego.

PINK STINKS

Pinkstinks is a 'campaign and social enterprise that challenges the culture of pink which invades every aspect of girls' lives', and it is doing some fantastic work on confronting gender stereotypes. And pink really does seem to be much more of a problem than blue, which is only really recognised as a 'boy colour' when it's in conjunction with pink.

Girls rarely reject blue on the basis that it is 'only for boys'. As in the case of Lego, pink is often used to 'interest' girls in toys that retailers assume they are less likely to want. The flipside to this is that the removal of pink (from play houses/toy kitchens/stuffed toys, etc) is seen as the most obvious method of neutralising such toys so that boys can claim them for their own.

Gender equality is a huge and complex subject and although it is distinct from sexual orientation, there are some linked issues. Biased attitudes about sexuality are often absorbed into gender stereotypes. These can prevent children (and adults) from behaving in ways not usually associated with their gender role and can particularly affect their play choices.

It may be hard to see the simple statement 'Pink toys are for girls' as homophobic, but the fact is that it not only gives out a strong gender-biased message, it also reinforces the notion that there is something wrong with a boy who likes pink and a girl who doesn't.

It may seem a simple thing but it has huge implications, putting pressure on children to make choices for fear of being judged. The problem in this context isn't just that it prevents people (whatever their sexual orientation) from making choices that are right for them. The damaging implication - and the hidden message that children absorb - is the judgment that being lesbian or gay is bad, which is the root of homophobia.

Linked to this is the generalisation that adults seem more relaxed about girls playing with boys' toys than they would be if a boy prefers to play with toys associated with girls. But perhaps this is related to the wider fact that the world of toys has become increasingly like the Lego website - all toys are orientated for boys unless specifically for girls. Both genders are affected negatively by this, although in different ways.

GENDER CLUBS

Children like and need to know what's special about being a boy or a girl, a man or a woman. Research suggests there is a stage of social development where children need to explore what it means to 'join the club' of their gender, aspects of which will probably be culturally and socially specific, depending on the place and time in which the child is growing up.

For some children, joining their gender club might seem to be about conforming to (or at least experimenting with) the usual stereotypes. This can be mortifying for parents and practitioners who have worked hard to actively challenge such stereotypes - and reassuring for the more traditionally minded.

It is important to give our children the space to explore how they think it feels to be a boy or a girl. Equally important is letting them know that they don't have be bound by those stereotypes and that there are infinite ways to be a boy or a girl - as many ways, in fact, as there are people. Until we arrive at the stage where all toys are seen as gender-neutral, perhaps girls and boys both need to know that 'girls" toys (pink or not) are just as valid as all others.

The subject of gender and toys is a complex one for practitioners who are keen to challenge stereotypes and promote positive gender awareness for all children. Do we choose only resources that are gender-neutral or do we encourage our children to challenge the attitudes and perceptions that exist around gender-specific toys so that they can reclaim them and use them for their own purposes?

Children are exposed to a huge range of messages about gender, from the adults around them in their homes and communities, from television and media, from the books and images they see, as well as the other children they mix with. We might not be able to eradicate all the negative or unhelpful messages, but we can equip our children with the skills to recognise and reflect on gender bias and its effect on themselves and others - and to build the emotional resilience to be able to withstand and actively challenge it.

LIFE CHOICES

Practitioners working with young children have an important role to play in enabling them to grow into adults whose gender will be important to them but will not define them or limit their life choices. It makes good sense to survey and observe the choices children make about the toys and resources they play with.

Take a good look round your setting and try to see the environment and the materials in it from the point of view of the children:

  • - What are they learning about being a boy in your setting?
  • - And about being a girl?
  • - What are they learning about gender that isn't specific to one or the other?
  • - What do the resources there tell children about the world they live in? That doctors and farmers are always men? That girls like pink?

Selecting and buying gender- neutral resources and equipment makes good economic sense. Why buy resources that half your children might reject? But challenging bias involves a lot more than just thinking about colours, although that can be a good place to start:

  • - Look out for resources made from natural materials and in a full range of colours
  • - Seek out images in books, puzzles, small-world toys, etc that challenge rather than reinforce stereotypes
  • - If you have stereotypical toys that are too good (in other ways) to throw away, use them to open a debate with children - this process is very useful in helping them to recognise and challenge bias
  • - If you struggle to find the resources you want, challenge the suppliers. Let them know there is a demand for them and why
  • - Persona dolls are an excellent resource for exploring bias of all kinds with children.

MORE INFORMATION

 

BUCKING THE TREND

Designer Kate Pietrasik has created a range of colourful, mainly unisex, children's clothes in response to high street clothing offering glitzy pink for girls and sludgy colours and superhero prints for boys - visit www.tootsamacginty.com

Two mums who struggled to find girls' clothes that weren't pink have set up www.notpink.co.uk, offering a selection of clothing, toys and homeware that breaks with gender stereotypes.