Danish toy giant lego on Monday Mortgage Research finds girls being held back from their toys to address gender bias gender stereotypes.
The company, whose colorful building blocks and figurines are sold in more than 130 countries, said it wants to make its products more inclusive so that children’s ambitions are not limited by gender.
“The company will ensure any child, regardless of gender identity, feels they can create anything they like,” Lego said in a statement.
Lego vowed to make its products “free of gender bias and harmful stereotypes”, saying the wider society needed to “rebuild perceptions”.
Lego didn’t elaborate on exactly what it would modify about its products to bring about these changes. However, in an emailed statement to NBC News, the company said it has changed its product and marketing division from gender-focused product groups to groups focused on “passions and interests.” The company also said that it recently published a diversity and inclusivity playbook for its product design and marketing teams.
Julia Goldin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, “The benefits of creative play such as building confidence, creativity and communication skills are felt by all children and yet we still experience age-old stereotypes that restrict activities to only a specific gender.” considered appropriate.” , the company said in a statement.
Lego’s promise came after the company released new research showing that girls were more open to engaging in a variety of sports than boys, but social norms about sports, including their parents’ attitudes, limited their capacity.
The research involved nearly 7,000 parents and children from seven countries, Lego said.
Some praised Lego’s decision, saying other companies would feel compelled to follow its lead.
Rebecca Haynes, professor of media and communication at Salem State University and children’s media culture expert, said, “If manufacturers and stores alike stop relying on gender stereotypes in their appeal to children, we will be in the children’s market. Might start to see more noticeable changes.” In a facebook post, commenting on the announcement.
“They are such a force in the industry that maybe where Lego goes, others will follow,” she said.
based in the United Kingdom let toys become toys campaign, which challenges gender stereotypes in toy marketing, also welcomed the news on Twitter, saying that the negative effects of gender stereotypes on kids is something they’ve been raising with Lego since 2012. It also noted the purple and blue branding of some Lego sets, which cater to the needs of the kids. Boys and girls separately.
“The idea that girls and boys should play or play with different toys is harmful – it reinforces harmful stereotypes,” said Pragya Agarwal, behavioral scientist and visiting professor of social justice at Loughborough University in England.
On Saturday, California became the first state to mandate that large department stores must display products such as toys in a gender-neutral manner.
lego announced United Nations on International Day of the Girl Child, which brings global focus to the challenges facing girls around the world and promotes the empowerment of girls.
The United Nations says that some progress has been made in recent years, but women and girls are still burdened with gender inequality, discriminatory laws and social norms are widespread, and women are underrepresented at all levels of political leadership. Is. Its 2020 report It found that less than 50 percent of working-age women are in the labor market, and unpaid household and caregiving work falls on women, hampering their economic potential.
a 2020 report A UK gender equality group, by The Fawcett Society, found that harmful gender stereotypes can significantly limit children’s abilities, and the toys they play with may be a contributing factor. It found that 66 percent of parents want companies to voluntarily advertise toys to boys and girls in the same way.
Bianca Britton, mateo moschella , Mohd Syed And The Associated Press has contributed.