Still sexist after all these years

There are days when you just wonder - really, are we still engaged in these same struggles? That thought came to mind today while listening to CBC radio's The Current. Click here to listen to their item on gender-specific toys for children. It's an interesting discussion about how boys, girls and parents choose toys and what part marketing plays in those decisions.

Here's an example for you. I took these photos at an upscale children's store. The actual toy idea is an old fashioned concept - lacing cards. Now you would think that you could simply have one set of cards that would be appropriate for all children. But no, this manufacturer felt it necessary to make one set for boys and another set for girls.

The boys' pictures illustrate great options - superhero, firefighter,  cowboy, pirate or astronaut.

However the "girly" girls only have one active option - a superhero.

Wow, they can twirl!

Daydream - now that's ambitious!

Maybe this is the girls' version of astronaut?

Really - this is all they could think of for girls?
What would recently retired Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin think of these options?

Today's radio discussion got me thinking about the time I spent at Queen's University's Faculty of Education. It was a year (1975-76) that changed me.That was the year of my engagement, the year that I realized  I didn't have to change my name when I got married. 

Besides engaging in name-changing discussions with classmates and profs,  I took a course about sex role stereotyping in the classroom. It's a subject I had never thought of before. Maybe that's because sex role stereotyping is so subtle and yet so pervasive. It can be a simple statement like, "Can I have a couple of strong boys to help me move these desks, carry these books, etc." Right away the teacher sends out the message that boys are stronger than girls.

Another course that changed me was outdoor ed. I had camped with my family as a kid but I had never been as physically challenged as I was in that course. I'll never forget the day our instructor told us that the guys would carry the canoes on the portage while the women would double pack. I could barely manage to carry my own pack on my back but now I was expected to carry one of the guys' packs in front, at the same time! The old Mary Ellen, the one who had grown up in a house of 4 girls playing with dolls - that Mary Ellen thought she would expire on the spot. It was empowering to realize that my body was totally capable of carrying such a heavy load.

One of the best teaching tools I picked up that year was a terrific music album called Free to Be You and Me by Marlo Thomas. It features Harry Belafonte singing Parents are People, Alan Alda with William's Doll, NFL football star Rosey Grier with It's All Right to Cry, among a great group of songs and stories. Over the years I often used that in the classroom. It helps that the songs are funny, with catchy tunes. However what is much more important is the non - sexist message, the important life lessons. I highly recommend this album for teachers and parents. It's still very relevant and (unfortunately) necessary today.

Maybe it's time for me to pull it out for my grandchildren.