Gender Bias: Holiday Gifts

[slayground]

This time of year, we're surrounded by advertisements urging us to get gifts for our friends and family members. The ads targetted specifically to families and parents remind us to pick up the latest toys and gadgets for kids and often leave out books, performing arts, and other such hobbies and endeavors. Commercials and print ads that split up

Comments

[kibarika]

Wow.

I like to play video games while I wear pretty clothes and jewelry.

[slayground]

Awesome. :)

[rockinlibrarian]

you know, I was recently looking at the December issues of two different parenting magazines. They both had gift guides, and luckily all the kids' gifts were split into age groups, but the adult gifts in the one were split into "gifts for him" "gifts for her" and "gifts for grandparents" or something; and in the OTHER they were actually split into categories by interest: "the entertainer," "the gamer," "the traveler," etc. And I noticed, not only that I wasn't remotely interested in anything in the "gifts for her" section and didn't think my husband would like the "gifts for him" and wondered exactly who "her" and "him" were in the first place, but on the other hand the interest-grouped gifts were ALL more interesting (even if the interest wasn't my own), just because instead of some vague gender-notion to aim at, they actually were thinking about things a more-specific person would like. If only that Target gift guide had just skipped over the girl/boy split at the beginning

[slayground]

Discovery Toys had a little yellow push-toy that looked like a stand-up cleaner, and it made little popping noises when pushed along. You might see if they still make it or something like it!

Thanks for reading the article. I agree that grouping things by interest is better than by gender.

[kilmata]

When I was a kid we used to get a "Wishbook" every year, (from Sears of course) it had all of the toys/movies/video games any little girl or guy could want.

My brother and I would go through it, and make lists based on what things we'd like and then mom (and Santa) would buy us a few choice items from the list.

My list was always 1/4 from the girls side of the Wish Book, 1/4 from the boys side, and 1/2 from the scholastic catalog that was handed out at school. *g*

(And I was always annoyed when my brother received 'construction' type projects, and I got barbies)

[slayground]

Glad that your list had a nice mix. :)

[imcoolerthanu2]

Such good points. I think these things are so ubiquitous that I don't always really SEE them, but it really horrifies me when I see children and teens stifling themselves to try to fit into gender roles. Thanks for something to think about.

And happy holidays to you, too!

[slayground]

Thank you.

I think we as a society, as a general whole, are so used to seeing these things that we don't consider them as anything but the norm, and that's a shame. Why can't boys walk down "the pink aisle?" Why shouldn't there be more little green army _women_ in the bucket of little army men toys? Why are we gifting four- and five-year-old girls with makeup kits and cutesy purses?

Happy holidays to you & yours! :)

[imcoolerthanu2]

That's why it's a good thing we have artists, to help us see the things we've stopped seeing. :)

[slayground]

YES. :)

Boys Are Stupid

[jacquirobbins]

This is appalling. Throw rocks at them?!

The gender bias is a source of constant frustration to my daughter. My latest rant on it is about kids' shoe stores: they're split into "boys" and "girls" sections. You can guess where all the decent athletic shoes are...

Re: Boys Are Stupid

[slayground]

Thank you for sharing my outrage!

I know exactly what you mean. My most comfortable pair of sneakers came from the boys' section.