Gender Differences In Walmart's Toys

On Walmart’s website their toy section has many different filter options to pick from the first three being, category, trending, or by gender. Before I clicked on anything I scrolled to the bottom of the page where Walmart gives a little description of their toy sections, and to my surprise they included a statement that said “The most important aspect of a toy is that it appeals to your child, so let your child participate in picking out their next toy or game, whether it be a Lego Creator set or a Barbie doll”(Walmart 2016c). This gave me hope that they may be more diverse in their toy selections. I started with their gender section; which had two options boys or girls.

For the boys’ section I found that there were 17 items just on the

Their boy toys required a lot more outdoor space. This reinforces Thorne’s (1986) findings that show that boys use ten times the space that girls do at recess. The array of Puzzles, LEGO buildings, and even advent Calendars, encourage creativity, and structure to build their toys, they even have to put the advent calendars together before they can use it. This is reinforcing the act like a man box, because it stresses that boys should show their masculinity by being be able to work with their hands and physically build things themselves as a part of the fun (Kivel, 1984). The toys even encouraged future professions one LEGO Mindcraft game inspires jobs such as, architecture, landscape design, and even farming. They use their creativity and rebuild a fortress how they see fit, all to protect their farm. Another profession the boy’s page encouraged them to be, was a chef. They offered a kitchen set in very masculine colors, brown and silver, and then they offered an option of accessories that were called Pro Chef Set, that included pots, pans, and proper utensils. This supports the idea that it’s okay if a guy to cook, as long as he is in a power position like a professional

Almost all of their dolls came with multiple changes of clothes, and there were three options to pick from for their own dress up purposes. There was a chef accessory kit, but it included mostly an outfit, such as a pink and white-checkered apron, a hat, and oven mitts, as well as two wooden spoons. The boy’s kit was much more equipped with the appropriate appliances. When looking at the contents they seem oddly sexist, that all girls would need to be a chef would be the proper outfit, whereas the boys actually get the tools to be a