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SEC 317 Gender Issues on Education
28.03.2014
GENDER AND TOYS As all we know, we begin to learn our gender as soon as we are born. And it strengthens in time. The most effective reason of this is the environment. What I mean is the family and teachers. Thus, toys are very important for gender discrimination. As different colors for boys and girls are learned from the beginning, toys are, too. For example, dolls are given to girls while boys play with cars or balls. There are some reasons for different toys according to gender. Firstly, it makes us ready for our duties in the future. In some sort, it decides that home is the place of women and work is for men. Secondly, there are gender differences in abiliities and behaviour as Kimberly Wright Cassidy writes. There are some generalizations about gender issues. For example, girls are better at verbal and writing skills while boys are better at numerical skills like math or phsyics. This leads parents to choice different toys. Another generalization is that boys are more active than girls. However, there are some axamples like Egalia which is a school stopping gender differences and Baby X experimentation which denies these generalizations. In ‘’X A Fabulous Child’’ written by Louis Gould, the baby X is given both doll and ball. In addition to this, ball is given by the mother while doll is given by the father. At the end, it is seen that the baby X is good at games inside and outside. Toys determine gender before the baby is born. For example, my sister gave birth two weeks ago. The baby is a boy. And all toys of him are cars or balls. And he does not have even a pink dress. I wanted a car when I was a child but my parents did not buy. If a boy is given a doll, it is thought that he was like a ‘’girl’’. For girls, toy kitchen utensils are very famous. As boys are playing football outside, playing at families is for girls. When primary school begins, these differences continue. While girls skip rope, boys play football. Of course, girls can play with balls, too. However, there is no much choice. For example, volleyball is appropriate for girls because it doesn’t necessiate as much action as football. To sum up, gender differences in toys begin from birth and they affect the whole life. They determine our place in the society, our duties in the future and even our job.