Boys Only: Gender Exclusion in the Marketing of Technology for Children

The general perception exists that boys are better at using technology than girls are, and this imbalance in access to new media might be due to the fact that girls are simply not as interested in technology as boys. Even if this were true, however, technology has become an integral part of contemporary life, both in leisure and in the workplace, and the provision of equal access to these resources has become a key feature in promoting gender equality and cannot be ignored. 

Technological toys and the gendered contexts within which they are consumed tell us how technology might help to reinforce stereotypes and exacerbate gender inequality. The harsh segregation promoted by the toys and videogames industries promotes inequality in young people’s access to technology from an early age, leaving girls at particular disadvantage. By identifying and understanding these issues, parents and educators might find themselves better able to promote greater equality in young people’s access to technology.

Young children are very sensitive to gender differences as they are in the process of constructing their own gender identity, and for the most part avoid intentionally crossing gender barriers. This means that if a product is labelled – directly or indirectly – as being for the opposite sex, they are not likely to try to access it. By looking at some specific examples of successful toys which are currently in the market I will demonstrate that they are not marketed simply in a way that divides children in two distinct groups – each with their own share of stereotypical characteristics – but actually brackets girls within a group defined as different from ‘the norm’ which results in their ghettoising.

Vtech’s Challenger laptop looks remarkably like a real laptop and affords a variety of different uses, as it possesses a wide range of educational and recreational activities. The manufacturer’s describes this product as:

Upgraded design of our classic compact laptop with 40 curriculum-based activities including English, maths, music and basic French in a fun quiz show styled game play! Share the fun with friends with the 2-player mode. Progressive Learning System cuts study into manageable stages while the progress report can be printed out to show everyone how well you are doing! Real mouse and qwerty keyboard develop essential early computer skills while making fun learning feel grown-up!

While browsing Vtech’s website, parents looking to buy their children educational toys that would encourage them to engage with technology are able to find several similar examples, and there is nothing in the above description or in the look of this toy that implies that it is not intended for girls as well as for boys. In fact, these toys would be gender-neutral if the manufacturer had not gone through the trouble of designing a laptop ‘specially for little girls’, The Petal Power Laptop which is described as: