Lego to drop gender bias from its toys

Lego to drop gender bias from its toys

Image: Pixabay

Lego to drop gender bias from its toys, to promote equality.

Lego is set to drop gender stereotypes from its toys. The company carried out a global survey. They discovered that attitudes of both parents and children towards play and future careers are unequal.

According to the research, girls are now more confident in getting involved in a variety of activities. The study discovered that 71 per cent of boys worry that they will be made fun of for playing with “girls toys.” According to The Guardian, parents share these worries too.

Madeline Di Nonno is the chief executive of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. The Institute carried out the research.

Di Nonno commented: “Parents are more worried that their sons will be teased than their daughters for playing with toys associated with the other gender.”

She added: “But it’s also that behaviours associated with men are valued more highly in society,”

“Until societies recognise that behaviours and activities typically associated with women are as valuable or important, parents and children will be tentative to embrace them.”

According to the study, parents are still encouraging children to stick to traditional gender-biased activities. Boys are being pushed toward sports while girls have a higher chance of being offered dance lessons.

Oscar-winning actor Geena Davis said: “These insights emphasise just how ingrained gender biases are across the globe.”

Prof Gina Rippon is a neurobiologist and the author of The Gendered Brain. She commented on how girls are encouraged to enjoy a wide range of activities.

She commented: “We encourage girls to play with ‘boys’ stuff’ but not the other way around.”

If children do not enjoy a wide range of activities, there can be issues with missed training opportunities. She explained: “if girls aren’t playing with Lego or other construction toys, they aren’t developing the spatial skills that will help them in later life. If dolls are being pushed on girls but not boys, then boys are missing out on nurturing skills.”

Julia Goldin, the chief product and marketing officer at the Lego Group said: “We’re working hard to make Lego more inclusive.”


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Alex
Written by

Alex Glenn

Originally from the UK, Alex is based in Almeria and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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