"An Oregon State researcher has found that girls who play with Barbie dolls see fewer career options for themselves than for boys," according to the college's website. One of the researchers involved in the study, Aurora Sherman, observed, "Playing with the Barbie has an effect on girls' ideas about their place in the world. It creates a limit on the sense of what's possible in the future. While it's not a massive effect, it is a measureable and statistically significant effect...."
"Childhood development is complex, and playing with one toy isn't likely to alter a child's career aspirations," Sherman noted. "But toys such as dolls or action figures can influence a child's ideas about their future.... For parents, the most important thing is to look at the child's toy box and make sure there is a wide variety of toys to play with."
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Comments (3)
Displaying All 3 CommentsEduKids,Inc.
West Seneca, New York, United States
The days of Barbie being a genetic girl doll are long gone. Barbie is now an astronaut, physician, mother, firefighter and depicted in many other careers that young girls can expire to. The Disney Princesses are now the concern.
L.A.C.E - Leadership and Creative Energy
Beltsville, Maryland, United States
I wrote to the researcher on the Barbie Dolls piece. I fear that her topic is too narrow and does not acknowledge the tremendous forces that impact girls in today's society. As the Mother of three daughters and a granddaughter who played with Barbie's and still managed to succeed in fields primarily headed by men, I'm aware that there are many, many ways for girls' personal power to succeed to be impact. Barbie dolls are one of many.
United States
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