![]() Every child is different, and can be different on different days too,” he says. “I’d take a storage container full of toys – construction tools, musical instruments, everything – and let them decide what to play with. He says playing an important role in children’s learning and development is very rewarding, and the crucial thing with toys, is to give children choice. When he left the Army, he trained as a teacher, before deciding to switch careers and become a full-time childminder. However, Sinclair isn’t a typical commando. At the end of the day Action Man are dolls anyway – it’s just one might have a crew cut and a scar, another blonde hair,” he muses. “That was way before mum and dad got me Action Man, so it’s chicken and egg. I’d take a storage container full of toys – construction tools, musical instruments, everything – and let them decide what to play with” Even more – 66% – working in maths related roles, such as accountants and bankers, preferred puzzles.Ĭontinue reading the main story “Start Quote Research by retail group Argos found that over 60% of adults working in design-led jobs, such as architects and designers, enjoyed playing with building blocks as children. “Boys toys tend to contain didactic information, with technical instructions and fitting things together with Lego and Meccano, whereas girls’ toys tend to be around imaginative and creative play, which develop different skills,” she says. The message seemed to be boys should be making things and problem solving, and girls should be caring and nurturing, she says.Īlso, stereotypical “boys toys” tend to be more educational, she argues. “Different types of toys give different messages about what’s appropriate for boys and girls to do, and have different educational content – both elements are important and might have a bearing on schooling and career choices later,” she says.Ī small study she conducted found boys tended to be given toys that involved action, construction and machinery, while girls were steered towards dolls and perceived “feminine” interests, such as hairdressing. An app store can circumvent the usual gender stereotypes as there is infinite shelf space and we don’t have to convince a buyer to stock us.”īecky Francis, professor of education at Roehampton University, believes so. “We’re not constrained by the same rules that govern toys in a toy shop. It’s for parents and kids to decide what to use. “We made a conscious decision to be gender-neutral when naming our apps and in the gender balance of characters. Swedish-born Jeffery has been influenced by his native country’s attitude towards gender. “We know toys have an impact on children, and society to a certain degree, so there’s a responsibility that comes with that,” says Bjorn Jeffery, CEO of app developer Toca Boca. Just over 80% of “science, research, engineering and technology professionals” are male, according to ONS figures.īy contrast, 82% of workers in “caring, leisure and other services”, and 78% of administrative and secretarial workers are female. Women have made great strides in the UK workforce over the past few decades, but there are still overwhelming gender divides in some professions. She said gender-specific toys risked turning girls off science and maths and urged parents to buy their daughters Lego to get them interested in engineering. However education minister Elizabeth Truss recently warned children’s toys could affect their careers. It doesn’t necessarily mean those that played with them grew up to be construction workers or train drivers, housekeepers or tea ladies. ![]() It might be building blocks or a train set, a doll house or a tea set. ![]() But how much do the toys children play with shape their future prospects in the job market?Įveryone has memories of toys they loved playing with as a child. The Loop: Answering questions which have been asked?Ī government minister says gender-specific toys harm girls’ career opportunities.When an elephant walked on the frozen River Thames.
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