We’re currently living in a time where
gender roles are being challenged more frequently than possibly ever before.
Almost every week, you’re likely to read an article or watch something on the
television about gender discrimination and ways it’s perceived to be damaging
our society. Recently, a Swedish toy store had to change their Christmas
catalogue after they had been accused of sexism in recent years. The catalogue
now shows girls playing with guns and boys nursing dolls in an attempt to
redeem themselves after the offense they’ve apparently been causing in the
past. But if companies have been under pressure to stop portraying such
definitive gender roles, is it time that you thought about stopping your
daughter from playing with dolls?
The Positives
Although many say there are negatives to allowing your daughter to
play with dolls, search suggests there are also many benefits that they could
be getting from the toys. Studies have shown that playing with dolls help young
girls to bond with their mothers, as well as learn about themselves. An
investigation which followed a group of chimpanzees in the wild noted something
very interesting, the young chimpanzees all used sticks as toys, the male
chimps played games where they would hit each other and use the sticks to
balance with. The young female chimps on the other hand cradled the sticks and
pretended to feed them, much like a human child would do with a baby doll.
Scientists who made the observations thought this may be proof that we are
hardwired to play particular games as children based on our gender. If that’s
the case, dolls may be more nurturing to your daughter than you may have
originally thought.
The Negatives
Something that has been extremely
contentious issue in recent times is the number of fashion dolls that are
marketed at very young girls despite claims that they are grossly inappropriate
for small children. Many criticisms have been targeted at fashion dolls; many
parents say that the clothes they are usually dressed in are inappropriate,
some say that the dolls promote a negative body image whilst others believe
that they encourage a consumerist attitude in children who are far too young to
even understand the concept. Although it has never been proven by science, many
parents also believe there is a link between ultra-skinny fashion dolls and the
rise of eating disorders amongst young girls and women over the past few
decades. Whether or not this is the case, fashion dolls have attracted a large
amount of negative press recently, yet they still remain one of the most
popular children’s toys available on the market.
Conclusion
At the end of it all, only you can decide what you allow your
daughter to play with, but it would be worth taking her opinion into
consideration when making your decisions. It’s likely that most girls would
play with dolls and most boys with toy cars if they were given a choice between
the two: that’s not portraying negative gender roles, it’s just nature. The
best thing to do would be to allow your child to play with what they want;
denying them the toys that they are interested in so you can prove a point is
likely to damage their development more than letting them play with a doll.
A Girl
for All Time provides award winning dress up dolls, novels, and keepsake books, with exciting
stories and activities for engaging the whole family.
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