ABSTRACT
Children start to make gender related decisions on toys from around 18 months, and they focus on toys suited to their gender by 3 years old. ‘When Action Man came out it was the laughing stock of the 1966 toy fair, and of course it was the toy of the year for the next 10 years’. There's usually a warm feeling associated with these childhood play memories. Boys need proper manly toys, not sissy little dolls and frilly things. Everyone must play with things and people that fit the category of ‘appropriate’. There is a clear link between stereotyping toys and stereotyping interests and stereotyping jobs. A research report found that toys with a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) focus were three times as likely to be targeted at boys than at girls; women account for around 9% of engineers in the U K.5 These are not coincidences.
