Author and feminist Alix Kates Shulman said once: Sexism goes so deep that at first its hard to see, you think its just reality (McEneany). That quote sums up perfectly the way our society runs. There is no class teaching children how to act according the their gender. Yet little boys and little girls learn at a very young age what is expected of them. They get ideas about their gender roles from their parents, their school teachers and subconsciously from the toys they play with and the television shows they watch. Even before the children are born, parents begin choosing clothing and decorations by color based on the sex of the baby. The stereotype of pink, pastels, yellow and white for girls and bright or dark colors like green, blue and red for boys has long been a part of out culture. How many times have you heard kids argue over toys because the girls dont want the icky boy color or the boys dont want the gross girl color? The issue of color may go deeper than just fighting for toys. Studies have been done showing that school classrooms, especially for younger grades, are typically decorated in boy colors and reflect an environment that is most comfortable for boys (Bruning 23). Parents and teachers may be able to help reverse this thinking by buying toys in gender neutral colors and by using the same colors for boys and girls. Children start to define their gender identity in early preschool (Zhumkhawala 47). This means that the toys children are given go a long way to further (or help change) gender stereotypes and inequality. In general, boys are given trucks, blocks and doctors kits, encouraging them to build, explore how things work and be active. Girls on the other hand are given dolls, kitchen sets, and play make-up. This is essentially saying that all that is expected of girls is that they become good mothers and wives and they look pretty. Basically, girls toys teach them to accept things as they are,...
