Editing Toy (section)

==Gender==
[[File:Tank toy radio.JPG|thumb|right|A toy tank with a remote control. Such toys are generally thought of as boys' toys.]]
{{main|Girls' toys and games|Boys' toys and games}}

Certain toys, such as [[Barbie]] dolls and toy soldiers, are often perceived as being more acceptable for one gender than the other. The turning point for the addition of gender to toys came about in the 1960s and 1970s. Before 1975, only about two percent of toys were labeled by gender, whereas today on the Disney store's website, considered a dominating global force for toys by researcher Claire Miller, all toys are labeled by gender.<ref name=Miller2015/> The journal [[Sex Roles (journal)|''Sex Roles'']] began publishing research on this topic in 1975, focusing on the effects of gender in youth. Too, many psychological textbooks began to address this new issue. Along with these publications, researchers also started to challenge the ideas of male and female as being opposites, even going as far as to claim toys which have characteristics of both genders are preferable.<ref name=pmid21747580>{{cite journal |last1=Zosuls |first1=Kristina M. |last2=Miller |first2=Cindy Faith |last3=Ruble |first3=Diane N. |last4=Martin |first4=Carol Lynn |last5=Fabes |first5=Richard A. |title=Gender Development Research in Sex Roles: Historical Trends and Future Directions |journal=Sex Roles |date=June 2011 |volume=64 |issue=11–12 |pages=826–842 |doi=10.1007/s11199-010-9902-3 |pmid=21747580 |pmc=3131694 }}</ref>

A milestone for research on gender is the use of [[meta-analysis]], which provides a way to assess patterns in a systematic way, especially relevant for a topic such as gender, which can be difficult to quantify.<ref name=pmid21747580/> [[Nature versus nurture|Nature and nurture]] have historically been analyzed when looking at gender in play, as well as reinforcement by peers and parents of typical [[gender role]]s and consequently, gender play.<ref name=pmid21747580/> Toy companies have often promoted the segregation by gender in toys because it enables them to customize the same toy for each gender, which ultimately doubles their revenue. For example, Legos added more colors to certain sets of toys in the 1990s, including colors commonly attributed to girls such as lavender.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

It has been noted by researchers that, "Children as young as 18 months display sex-stereotyped toy choices".<ref name=Caldera>{{cite journal|last1=Caldera|first1=Yvonne M. |last2=Huston|first2=Aletha C. |last3=O'Brien|first3=Marion |title=Social Interactions and Play Patterns of Parents and Toddlers with Feminine, Masculine, and Neutral Toys|journal=Child Development|volume=60|issue=1|pages=70–76|date=February 1989|doi=10.2307/1131072|pmid=2702876|jstor=1131072}}</ref> When eye movement is tracked in young infants, infant girls show a visual preference for a doll over a toy truck (d > 1.0). Boys showed no preference for the truck over the doll. However, they did fixate on the truck more than the girls (d = .78).<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Alexander | first1 = G. M. | last2 = Wilcox | first2 = T. | last3 = Woods | first3 = R. | year = 2009 | title = Sex differences in infants' visual interest in toys | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 38 | issue = 3| pages = 427–433 | doi = 10.1007/s10508-008-9430-1 | pmid = 19016318 | s2cid = 20435292 }}</ref> This small study suggests that even before any self-awareness of gender identity has emerged, children already prefer sex-typical toys. These differences in toy choice are well established within the child by the age of three.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Alexander | first1 = G. M. | last2 = Saenz | first2 = J. | year = 2012 | title = Early androgens, activity levels and toy choices of children in the second year of life | journal = Hormones and Behavior | volume = 62 | issue = 4| pages = 500–504 | doi = 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.08.008 | pmid = 22955184 | s2cid = 25564513 }}</ref>

Another study done by Jeffrey Trawick-Smith took 60 different children ages three to four and observed them playing with nine different toys deemed best for development. They were allowed to play with the toys in a typical environment, a preschool classroom, which allowed for the results to be more authentic compared to research done in a lab. The researchers then quantified play quality of the children with each toy based on factors such as learning, problem solving, curiosity, creativity, imagination, and peer interaction. The results revealed that boys generally received higher scores for overall play quality than girls, and the toys with the best play quality were those identified as the most gender neutral, such as building blocks and bricks along with pieces modeling people. Trawick-Smith then concluded that the study encourages a focus on toys which are beneficial to both genders in order to create a better balance.<ref name="Trawick-Smith et al. 2015">{{cite journal |last1=Trawick-Smith |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Wolff |first2=Jennifer |last3=Koschel |first3=Marley |last4=Vallarelli |first4=Jamie |title=Effects of Toys on the Play Quality of Preschool Children: Influence of Gender, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status |journal=Early Childhood Education Journal |date=July 2015 |volume=43 |issue=4 |pages=249–256 |doi=10.1007/s10643-014-0644-7 |s2cid=145171764 }}</ref>

While some parents promote gender neutral play, many parents encourage their children to participate in sex-typed activities, including doll-playing and engaging in housekeeping activities for girls and playing with trucks and engaging in sports activities for boys.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eccles |first1=Jacquelynne S. |last2=Jacobs |first2=Janis E. |last3=Harold |first3=Rena D. |title=Gender Role Stereotypes, Expectancy Effects, and Parents' Socialization of Gender Differences |journal=Journal of Social Issues |date=July 1990 |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=183–201 |doi=10.1111/j.1540-4560.1990.tb01929.x }}</ref> Researcher Susan Witt said that parents are the primary influencer on the gender roles of their children.<ref name=pmid9179321>{{cite journal |last1=Witt |first1=Susan D |title=Parental influence on children's socialization to gender roles |journal=Adolescence |year=1997 |volume=32 |issue=126 |pages=253–259 |id={{ProQuest|195928943}} |pmid=9179321 }}</ref> Parents, siblings, peers, and even teachers have been shown to react more positively to children engaging in sex-typical behavior and playing with sex-typical toys.<ref name="Servin, A. 1999">{{cite journal | last1 = Servin | first1 = A. | last2 = Bohlin | first2 = G. | last3 = Berlin | first3 = L. | year = 1999 | title = Sex differences in 1-, 3-, and 5-year olds' toy-choice in a structured play-session | journal = [[Scandinavian Journal of Psychology]] | volume = 40 | issue = 1| pages = 43–48 | doi = 10.1111/1467-9450.00096 | pmid = 10216463 }}</ref> This is often done through encouragement or discouragement, as well as suggestions<ref name=pmid9179321/> and imitation.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} Additionally, sons are more likely to be reinforced for sex-typical play and discouraged from atypical play.<ref name="Servin, A. 1999" /> However, it is generally not as looked down upon for girls to play with toys designed "for boys", an activity which has also become more common in recent years.<ref>{{cite web|title=Toys for Girls and Boys|url=http://www.toy-testing.org/contents/whatbuzz/bz_gbfil/bz_gb.htm|publisher=[[Canadian Toy Testing Council]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000304154641/http://www.toy-testing.org/contents/whatbuzz/bz_gbfil/bz_gb.htm|archive-date=4 March 2000}}</ref> Fathers are also more likely to reinforce typical play and discourage atypical play than mothers are.<ref>Berenbaum, S. A., Martin, C. L., Hanish, L. D., Briggs, P. T., & Fabes, R. A. (2008). Sex differences in children's play. In J. Becker, K. Berkley, N. Geary, E. Hampson, J.Herman, & Young, E.A. (Eds.), Sex Differences in the Brain from Genes to Behavior (1ed., pp. 275–290).New York, NY: Oxford University Press.</ref> A study done by researcher Susan Witt suggests that stereotypes are oftentimes only strengthened by the environment, which perpetuates them to linger in older life.<ref name=pmid9179321/>

This stereotypical attribution of sex-typical toys for girls and boys is gradually changing, with toys companies creating more gender neutral toys, as the benefits associated with allowing children to play with toys that appeal to them far outweighs controlling their individual preferences.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://toyreviewexperts.com/gender-neutral-toys-how-they-empower-our-kids/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815175833/https://toyreviewexperts.com/gender-neutral-toys-how-they-empower-our-kids/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 August 2017 |title=Gender Neutral Toys: How They Empower Our Kids |work=Toy Review Experts |date=22 June 2017 }}</ref> For example, many stores are beginning to change their gender labels on children's play items. [[Target Corporation|Target]] removed all identification related to gender from their toy aisles and Disney did the same for their costumes.<ref name=Miller2015>{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Claire Cain |title=Boys and Girls, Constrained by Toys and Costumes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/upshot/boys-and-girls-constrained-by-toys-and-costumes.html |work=The New York Times |date=30 October 2015 }}</ref> The Disney store is an especially prevalent example of gender in play because they are a global identity in the toy world. A study done regarding their website found that though they have removed gender labels from their costumes, the toys online reflect more stereotypical gender identities. For example, toys depicting males were associated with physicality and females were associated with beauty, housing, and caring.<ref name=":5">{{cite journal |last1=Auster |first1=Carol J. |last2=Mansbach |first2=Claire S. |title=The Gender Marketing of Toys: An Analysis of Color and Type of Toy on the Disney Store Website |journal=Sex Roles |date=1 October 2012 |volume=67 |issue=7 |pages=375–388 |doi=10.1007/s11199-012-0177-8 |s2cid=143551702 }}</ref> Though Disney promotes their toys as being for both genders, there is no gender neutral section on their website. Those which are generally deemed for both genders more closely resemble what many would label "boy toys," as they relate closer to the stereotype of masculinity within play.<ref name=":5" />

Traditions within various cultures promote the passing down of certain toys to their children based on the child's gender. In [[Indigenous peoples of South America|Indigenous South American]] communities, boys receive a toy bow and arrow from their father while young girls receive a toy basket from their mother.<ref name="Smith2010" /> In North African and Saharan cultural communities, gender plays a role in the creation of self-made dolls. While female dolls are used to represent brides, mothers, and wives, male dolls are used to represent horsemen and warriors. This contrast stems from the various roles of men and women within the Saharan and North African communities. There are differences in the toys that are intended for girls and boys within various cultures, which is reflective of the differing roles of men and women within a specific cultural community.<ref name="Rossie2005" />

Research on the repercussions of gender in toys suggests that desegregation of the genders can be achieved by encouraging more gender-neutral play.<ref name="Trawick-Smith et al. 2015" /> Researchers Carol Auster and Claire Mansbach have argued that allowing children to play with toys which more closely fit their talents would help them to better develop their skills.<ref name=":5" /> In terms of parental influence, a study found that parents who demonstrated some androgynous behavior have higher scores in support, warmth, and self-worth in regards to the treatment of their children.<ref name=pmid9179321/> Even as this debate is evolving and children are becoming more inclined to cross barriers in terms of gender with their toys, girls are typically more encouraged to do so than boys because of the societal value of masculinity.<ref name=Miller2015/>