By Dr Finn Mackay, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of the West of England You can now download, display and consult your very own guide […]
Research by the Observer newspaper shows how picture books present children a worryingly lopsided view of the world: with males outnumbering females 2:1 among significant speaking […]
Being ManKind wants to reach children and young adults with positive male role models, using their books, lesson plans and workshops. Editor Joe Byrde tells Let Toys […]
Katrina Encanto is part of the team behind the campaign about gender stereotypes and childhood role models, #redrawthebalance. In this guest blog post she looks at gender bias […]
David Kinnaird has been a professional Santa in Scotland for over 20 years. Here he reflects on how children’s toy choices have been changing in the […]
When Rebecca Asher was researching her book Man Up, she found one message consistently came through loud and clear: the commonalities between boys and girls far outweigh […]
Rebecca Asher has charted the one-dimensional view of boys and men throughout their lives, from ‘boys are like dogs’ to teenage troublemakers to non-communicative breadwinner and […]
The recent White House conference examining the issue of gender in children’s media and toys shows how the issue is being taken seriously. Sociologist Dr Elizabeth Sweet, […]
Every child is a scientist… but what encourages them to make a career of it? Science writer Laurie Winkless talked to other women working in science and […]
“What’s wrong with pink and blue?” Let Toys Be Toys campaigners are often asked this question. Tricia Lowther looks at some of the issues around colour […]
Through their Twitter account @GenderDiary Ros Ball and her partner James have been cataloguing the drip-drip-drip of gendered messages their children receive. With the e-book of […]
Campaigner Jess Day looks at the links between toy marketing and children’s media, and why discussion of how girls are represented in media needs to talk […]
Princess or Pirate? Deborah Nicholls-Lee looks at the pink-blue divide in the children’s party market and asks why shops seem to think boys and girls aren’t […]
This Star Wars Day (May the Fourth…) lifelong Star Wars fan and stay-at-home-Dad-blogger Simon Ragoonanan senses a disturbance in the force, and asks… where are all the […]
Play is how children learn about the world, so the toys on offer to them really matter. This British Science Week, science educator Wendy Sadler looks […]
Are parents really that bothered about pink/blue marketing? Jim Wilson, owner and manager of independent toy and gift retailer Born Gifted wasn’t convinced. So he asked […]
Tricia Lowther explains why she feels that countering stereotypes, and looking at what we teach children about girls and boys, men and women, is a central […]
A magazine subscription makes a great Christmas gift, one that children can enjoy all year round, but finding inclusive options can be a challenge. Sophie Dauvois, […]
After decades of Kinder Surprise eggs with fun toy surprises for everyone, in 2013 the Ferrero company launched pink and blue Kinder Surprise eggs. Jessica Holland […]
Laura Davies of Welsh organisation Chwarae Teg (Fair Play) explains the importance of their work with schools to promote gender equality in the classroom. “A father […]
Among video games, Skylanders is championed as appealing to both boys and girls. Games journalist and Dad Andy Robertson praises the strong female characters, but finds […]
Children’s publishers often say that boys won’t read about girls. We think it’s plain daft to think that boys aren’t capable of empathising with half the planet’s […]
Our friends at Letterbox Library have picked out some great books that offer an alternative to fighting and snot vs fairies and cupcakes. Which books do […]