Selling Product or Selling Gender: Toy Advertisments and Child Gender Identity

Abstract

Significant research has been conducted on how well children understand advertisements and the effect advertisements and television have on a child. However, there is not a large amount of research on the effects of toy advertisements, specifically, on children's choices for play and on gender identity. This paper will attempt to bring together multiple aspects of research that touch on all of these points to better grasp a full understanding of the topic. The current study consisted of three phrases: (1) a series of interviews with children ages 4 - 9, (2) a survey of parents, and (3) in-store observation. The research found that young children identify certain toys as gendered but that they and their parents are open minded about playing with many toys specifically marketed to the opposite gender. It was also found children could not provide a true understanding of what an advertisement's purpose is until they were 9 years old.