Lego to remove any hints of gender stereotypes from their products.
It comes after new research has found children may still be experiencing harmful attitudes if they want to play with certain toys.
The research, that has been published in The Guardian newspaper, showed that while girls are becoming more confident playing with a wide range of toys, boys were still facing negative attitudes if they engage with what could be described as a “girls toy”.
Seventy-one per cent of boys surveyed feared they would be made fun of if they played with what they described as “girls’ toys”.
“Parents are more worried that their sons will be teased than their daughters for playing with toys associated with the other gender”
Madeline Di Nonno, the chief executive of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
“But it’s also that behaviours associated with men are valued more highly in society,” said Di Nonno.
“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.”
The study also found that parents still encouraged sons to do sports or Stem activities, while daughters were offered dance and dressing up (girls were five times more likely to be encouraged in these activities than boys) or baking (three times more likely to be encouraged).
“These insights emphasise just how ingrained gender biases are across the globe,” said Geena Davis.
LEGO to make the change
“We’re working hard to make Lego more inclusive,” said Julia Goldin, the chief product and marketing officer at the Lego Group, the world’s largest toymaker.
Goldin said Lego no longer labelled any of its products “for girls” or “for boys”. On Lego.com consumers cannot search for products by gender. Instead, the website offers themes that it calls “passion points”.
“We’re testing everything on boys and girls, and including more female role models,” said Goldin.
“Our job now is to encourage boys and girls who want to play with sets that may have traditionally been seen as ‘not for them’,” Goldin added.
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