Investigating Gender Identity Construction through Toys

The study aimed to investigate the role of toys in gender and sexual identity construction in early childhood. The experiment involved providing a box of toys to children and asking them to play alone while being recorded by a video camera. Results showed that children spent more time playing with gender-consistent toys than gender-inconsistent toys, with females showing a greater tendency towards gender-consistent play. The study suggests that toys can shape children's gender and sexual identity perceptions and construction, highlighting the importance of gender-neutral toys in early childhood education.