Constructing Difference: Lego® Set Narratives Promote Stereotypic Gender Roles and Play.

LEGO® construction sets are a staple in many children’s lives. Given worldwide distribution, generations of children have grown up playing with these brightly colored, interlocking plastic bricks. Historically marketed to all children, the LEGO® Group has begun targeting male and female consumers di...

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Publicado en:Sex Roles Vol. 79; no. 5-6; pp. 285 - 299
Autores principales: Reich, Stephanie M., Black, Rebecca W., Foliaki, Tammie
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Sep2018
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Sep2018
      vid: 79
      iid: 5-6
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      pub: Springer Nature
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        10.1007/s11199-017-0868-2
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        atl: Constructing Difference: Lego® Set Narratives Promote Stereotypic Gender Roles and Play.
      aug:
        au:
          Reich, Stephanie M.
          Black, Rebecca W.
          Foliaki, Tammie
        affil:
          School of Education, University of California, 3200 Education Irvine, 92697-5500, Irvine, CA, USA
          Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
          School of Education, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
      su:
        Gender stereotypes
        Play
        Gender role in children
        Masculinity
        Femininity
        LEGO toys
      sug:
        subj:
          Gender stereotypes
          Play
          Gender role in children
          Masculinity
          Femininity
          LEGO toys
      keyword:
        Gender
        LEGO®
        Marketing
        Toys
        Gender
        LEGO®
        Marketing
        Toys
      ab: LEGO® construction sets are a staple in many children’s lives. Given worldwide distribution, generations of children have grown up playing with these brightly colored, interlocking plastic bricks. Historically marketed to all children, the LEGO® Group has begun targeting male and female consumers differentially with the introduction of product lines such as LEGO® City and LEGO® Friends. Although the packaging, marketing, brick colors, and characters have changed, little is known about whether these product series encourage differences in the way boys and girls play. This content analysis compared the play narratives of sets marketed to boys (LEGO® City) and girls (LEGO® Friends). Our analysis found distinct gendered messages that encourage boys to enact various skilled professions, heroism, and expertise, whereas girls are encouraged to focus on having hobbies, being domestic, caring for others, socializing, being amateurs, and appreciating and striving for beauty. Although LEGO® City and Friends sets offer opportunities for construction, they also promote stereotyped gender roles for enacting femininity and masculinity in play. Parents, educators, and practitioners often focus on the educational affordances of LEGO® construction. We recommend that they also consider the other lessons, both explicit and implicit, being taught through gender-specific LEGO® sets.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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