The economic cost of gendered toys

[DanaC]

As a final point in answer Bruce's question: there's an alarming number of parents out there who want their children to be proper little girls and proper little boys and buy them toys that adhere to those definitions.

And there are lots of parents who don't really think about this stuff at all. They go and buy dolls and jewelry making kits for their daughters, and toy trucks and meccano sets for their sons, because that's just what ya do.

And maybe if their girls really wanted that other stuff, and maybe of their boys really wanted a wendy house they'd buy them. But what do you do if your little girl wants pink princess toys and your boy likes taking things apart? If that's what they want why would you not cater to that? Why they want those things though is a complex stew of stuff including the messages they are constantly surrounded by - girls supposedly love pink. All their toys are pink. The aisles of 'Girls' toys are a pink paradise. And we all nod sagely and say yes, it's natural girls love pink.

Except they didn't used to. It's an entirely modern conceit, yet we have expert after expert telling us why it's so natural that girls want pink, soft, fluffy and passive and boys want red and black, hard edged and active.