Opinion of French parents about their son's cuddly toy being pink 2019

When buying toys for their children, most French parents consider the educational aspect, the solidity and the choice of the child as the first three criteria guiding their purchasing behavior. However, in 2019, almost one parent in ten considered color to be a redhibitory factor : in a survey conducted that year, slightly less than ten percent of the parents reported that their reaction, if their son were to be offered a pink toy, would be to run to the store to exchange it.

Pink for girls, blue for boys?

The most common reasons given by parents (who do not want their sons to play with so-called "girl toys", or their daughters to have toys intended for male children) for justifying their reaction seem to stem from the idea that children's toys must be gender-appropriate, and that gender-differentiated toys help the child to have a better understanding of roles.

But what are these roles?
Nowadays, stereotypes seem to persist among toy manufacturers. Many toys still come in two colors: blue for boys and pink for girls. Toy store shelves are sometimes, following this logic, divided into "toys for boys" and "toys for girls", the first often offering technical, scientific, world-oriented toys (robots, superheroes, doctor's kit...), and the second, reproductions of indoor activities (cleaning kit, doll, nurse's outfit...). This strategy, which consists of integrating some behavioral differences between boys and girls in the development, marketing and communication of products, would help multiply sales (especially since products that are intended to be "feminine" are often sold at a higher price).

Mixing toys to tackle inequalities

Organizations and government authorities seem to have grasped the issue. For example, an Instagram account created in 2018 - PépiteSexiste - has undertaken the mission (through its ten branches around the world) to list and relay all sexist and stereotyped advertisements, examples of gendered or lazy marketing, as well as brands applying the pink tax.
The government's response to this issue resulted, in September 2019, in the signature of a charter aimed at "fighting gender stereotypes from an early age and reinforcing girls' interest in science". According to the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, this gendered division of the toy universe is likely to convey stereotypes that exclude girls from toys with scientific focus "or confine them to domestic environments, which does not encourage their identification with scientific studies or careers". Indeed, in 2018, three out of four boys entering high school had a scientific or technological profile, compared to less than 55 percent of girls.