(im)perfect quest for love

The above header is a quote from Tony Abbot Prime Minister of Australia 2014

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I recently went into a toy store and it struck me wast the segregated pink and blue aisles of the toys. Is it really true that the kinds of toys children like to play with are gender specific? Needless to say, i do agree in the “nature” and “nature” interact in our development. Beyond our genitals, sex is surprisingly dynamic. There are no essential difference in our gender – not even when it comes to risk taking and competitiveness, traits that often try to explain why men are more open to hookups, risky sexual encounters and more likely to get job that are better paid and be over represented in management positions. So while it is probably fair to say that in reality it was mostly men who brought about the global financial crisis, the current fashionable argument that “testosterone did it” and that “diversity” will save such crisis to occur in the future, is an excellent example of what happens when inaccurate biased thinking about gender differences is applied. Moreover, our bias towards gender differences are often formed from our early days in school. Most of us learned about Darwin and his famous observations. For instance in the book The Decent of Man, and Selection of Relation to Sex, Darwin explains that the cause of males deviation from female seems to lie in the males of almost all animals having stronger passions than the females. Hence it is the males that fight together and sedulously display their charms before the female.

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However, this does not answer my initial question, are toys truly gender specific? Toys marketed to boys tend to be more aggressive and involve action and excitement. Girl toys, on the other hand, are usually pink and passive, emphasizing beauty and nurturing. to try and answer the question i turned to research. It turns out that A 2017 study showed that more than three-quarters of those surveyed stated it was a good for parents to encourage young girls to play with toys or do activities “associated with the opposite gender.” The share rises to 80% for women and millennials.But when it came to boys, support dropped significantly, with 64% overall – and far fewer men – saying it was good to encourage them to do things associated with girls. Those who were older or more conservative were even more likely to think it wasn’t a good idea.

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So what can we do? How can we be aware to create a world for our unborn babies when we do find Mr.Right or just accidentally get pregnant by a a one night stand. My main advice would be not to get impregnated by an older conservative man. Awareness of how society creates gender constructs and biases also would also be an asset. Yet, gender neutrality leaving all toys green or yellow represents the absence of gender – not the tolerance of different gender expressions. If we emphasize only the former, I believe femininity and the people who express it will remain devalued. Perhaps we should consider doing something gender-nonconforming for our unborn babies, why not having Ken dress up in a tutu and Barbie win a wrestling competition. Or even better buy our unfertilized eggs this awesome toy gender-neutral dust, broom and mop set (see picture). That way they play be our maid and learn how to clean at the same time, leaving us more time to ponder why gender differences do exist.