holiday homework

Is this truly equality?

After 46 years David Cameroon has fixed the gender pay gap which has been fighting for justice. female workers are now paid the same if not more in some areas like healthcare and STEM roles, and women are finally getting the equality they have always deserved. Nevertheless, more could be said for our little ones. The famous toy collection of Barbie’s are bringing male Barbie’s to our shelves, but how is this inequality?

 The new brand of male Barbie’s will make all parents feel thankful towards ‘Mattel’ ( Barbie company) for making their little boys feel more welcome into playing with dolls, and allowing it to be seen as ‘normal’. But this is not why they have been developed. The manufacturing company of Barbie’s have said how this launch of new male Barbie’s is to ‘inspire girls to dream about what it’s like to hold a top-ranking job in the workforce’ and this is to ‘represent today’s culture’. But surely by making male Barbie’s is going against the stereotypes of today’s culture, so why not do it within the workplace?

When you hear the concrete noun ‘Doctor’, your instinct tells you that person is talking about a man. The use of marked terms relate to inequality in the workplace as you only initiate a work role with a women when the word 'female' is put in front of it. This does not say that men are the only people who can get higher jobs- like Barbie is- but still is showing distinct difference in authority in terms of a job. Why is Barbie shattering children’s dreams before they can come into a reality? Surely you as parents are the only people who can have a say as to what your children can and cannot do in terms of their future job?

Deborah Tannen, a theorist, came up with the idea that men and women are different in terms of how they evolve themselves within situations. One of these theories was that men look for status and women support during conversations.in relation to Barbie’s,’ Mattel ‘say how they have created these male Barbie’s to ‘inspire’ girls therefore supporting young females into thinking about their future. On the other hand, it is giving males the authority role with the Barbie wearing a uniform, initiating power over the other female Barbie’s. This inequality is being drummed into your young ones! and for what…to teach them that men rule the world? Margret Thatcher, Karren Brady and Marjorie Scardino are all powerful women who concord extraordinary jobs within business alone, without a male holding their hand. Woman can do it and who is a toy company to tell you any different.

These toy dolls have been manufactured to ‘inspire girls to dream’, so who is to stop them dreaming in a different perspective? Toys are for playing with and your young children, boy or girl, can play with these dolls however they want... am I right? Due to this, ‘girls can truly envision being anything at all’. Even though the male Barbie is in a suit, nothing is to say that a young child cannot play with it as a bin man and allow the female doll to be the’ boss'. Do not allow your little girl to be told what she can and cannot do in the future. Do not allow your little boy believe he is better than any girl he comes across. Do not allow your children to be shut down by stereotypes and labels the media has stamped on them. Labels are there to be pulled off.


https://thegenderblog.com/