8 research outputs found
Peer Toy Play as a Gateway to Childrenâs Gender Flexibility: The Effect of (Counter)Stereotypic Portrayals of Peers in Childrenâs Magazines
Extensive evidence has documented the gender stereotypic content of childrenâs media, and media is recognized as an important socializing agent for young children. Yet, the precise impact of childrenâs media on the endorsement of gender-typed attitudes and behaviors has received less scholarly attention. We investigated the impact of stereotypic and counter-stereotypic peers pictured in childrenâs magazines on childrenâs gender flexibility around toy play and preferences, playmate choice, and social exclusion behavior (n = 82, age 4â7 years-old). British children were randomly assigned to view a picture of a peer-age boy and girl in a magazine playing with either a gender stereotypic or counter-stereotypic toy. In the stereotypic condition, the pictured girl was shown with a toy pony and the pictured boy was shown with a toy car; these toys were reversed in the counter-stereotypic condition. Results revealed significantly greater gender flexibility around toy play and playmate choices among children in the counterstereotypic condition compared to the stereotypic condition, and boys in the stereotypic condition were more accepting of gender-based exclusion than were girls. However, there was no difference in childrenâs own toy preferences between the stereotypic and counter-stereotypic condition, with children preferring more gender-typed toys overall. Implications of the findings for media, education, and parenting practices are discussed, and the potential for counterstereotypic media portrayals of toy play to shape the gender socialization of young children is explored