White House Hosts Day-Long Event Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Toys

[rangerrebew]

 White House Hosts Day-Long Event Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Toys
Posted By Natalie Johnson On April 6, 2016 @ 4:27 pm In Culture,Uncategorized | No Comments

The Obamas hosted an event at the White House Wednesday that aimed to tackle gender stereotypes perpetuated by toys and television shows marketed toward kids.

The administration put on the all-day conference in an attempt to break down gender divisions that currently characterize products consumed by children.

“I want all of our girls to get interested in science and technology and engineering and math,” Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to Obama, said Wednesday. “And I want our boys to think about teaching in our schools and help shaping the next generation of our young people.”

The symposium, “Helping our Children Explore, Learn and Dream without Limits: Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes in Media and Toys,” featured speakers from toy, media and retail companies along with activists, academics and parents. Katie Couric and Ayah Bdeir, who founded the gender neutral start-up LittleBits, spoke during event.

Tina Tchen, director of the administration’s Council on Women and Girls, noted research during a press call Tuesday finding that the types of toys and media children interact with at a young age influences their views on gender roles later in life. This ultimately impacts the “quality” of the U.S. workforce and could have ripple effects on the economy for decades, she said, according to USA Today.

“We think it’s important for children’s media and toys to expose kids to diverse role models, and teach them a variety of skills so they can fulfill their potential and pursue their passion,” Tchen said Tuesday during a conference call, the Washington Post reported.

Not everyone was impressed with the White House’s latest initiative. Some on the right took to twitter to highlight issues that they considered more pressing than gender neutral toys.

 

Obama made headlines last year after installing the first-ever gender neutral bathroom in the White House.

Article printed from Washington Free Beacon: http://freebeacon.com

URL to article: http://freebeacon.com/uncategorized/white-house-gender-stereotypes-toys/

[rangerrebew]

I've looked but can't seem to find it.  Just where in the enumerated rights and responsibilities of the government can I find authority for the president to be involved either gender stereotypes or toys?

[mountaineer]

What this country needs is a "G.I. Pat" doll. Thank goodness the White House is all over it.

[mountaineer]

Valerie Jarrett Demands End To ‘Gender Biases’ In Media And Toys
by Charlie Spiering6 Apr 2016
Breitbart

President Obama’s senior adviser Valerie Jarrett is calling on a group of business leaders and educators to move the world away from “gender biases” in media and toys.

“We know so many of our young children have those biases and it’s our collective responsibility to try to change the culture, and changing culture is not necessarily easy and it doesn’t happen overnight,” she said.

Jarrett opened up a White House conference this morning dedicated to the issue of breaking down gender stereotypes in media and toys, citing her own experience as a mother.

During her speech, she recalled a time when she struggled to find Halloween costumes or birthday presents for her daughter.

“There weren’t a lot of alternatives that were gender neutral, or who encouraged my daughter to dream and think of herself not just as a little girl in a pretty dress … but to really convince her that she had, and shaped her future to understand that she had infinite possibilities that lie ahead,” she said.

Jarrett added that she also liked pretty dresses and that “there was nothing wrong with them,” but suggested that media and toys needed to go beyond that.

She warned that the highest paying and fastest growing industries in the world were also the ones that were the most “gender segregated.” She also emphasized that toys and media helped mold children’s imaginations in how they viewed themselves, which is why more companies needed to make more commitments to raise awareness about the problem.

“I want all of our girls to get interested in science and technology and engineering and math,” she said. “And I want our boys to think about teaching in our schools and help shaping the next generation of our young people.”

[rangerrebew]

Valerie Jarrett Demands End To ‘Gender Biases’ In Media And Toys

What she demands impacts me the same way as anything Charles Manson demands.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

What exactly is a gender-neutral bathroom? Just a bathroom with a toilet in it?

[Fishrrman]

This story is a joke, is it not?

Right?
Right....?

[musiclady]

Where is everyone?  This thread has so much fun potential.

You're doing great on your own!   ^-^