The fight for gender equality starts earlier than we think—at the moment children first engage with toys, books and screens.
Can gender stereotypes in childhood be more destructive than we realize—and stand in the way of true gender equality? In my new book, More Than a Doll: How Creating a Sports Doll Turned Into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes, published by Post Hill Press on Jan. 21, I claim the path to gender equality must begin at the earliest stages of life—when children first engage with toys, books and screens.
In 2009, I started a toy company to solve a glaring problem: the lack of diverse and inspiring options for girls in a market dominated by 75 brands of fashion dolls. Frustrated by the limited and stereotypical choices available, I set out to disrupt the toy industry with the Go! Go! Sports Girls, a line of sports-themed dolls and books for today’s athletic and adventurous girls.
My mission uncovered more than reluctant toy buyers; it exposed a deeply ingrained patriarchal culture reinforcing gender roles that limit children’s potential. This “toy problem” doesn’t end in childhood—it grows up with kids and follows them into adulthood. When toys restrict a child’s imagination about their possibilities, it stifles development and creates a ripple effect—proving my point that gender inequality in adulthood begins with child’s play.
Gender stereotypes in play not only limit individual growth but also perpetuate workforce inequalities. When girls aren’t encouraged to imagine themselves in STEM, sports or as leaders and boys shy away from caring and nurturing roles, society suffers from the imbalance. Dismissing toys as harmless ignores their long-term impact.
Women have been fighting for the basic human right of equality for almost 200 years and, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Gender Gap Report, we have 134 years of hard work still to go to reach equality. It shouldn’t be this hard or take this long, but we are now facing troubling backlash and rollback of women’s rights.
How can we help the younger generation strive for equality? How can we reshape social and cultural norms that devalue women? Where can we fast track gender equality?
I say: Look to when it starts. I’m sounding the siren that gender inequality doesn’t begin in our teens and twenties; it begins the moment a child can hold a toy or book or watch a screen.
Minds are set in childhood. Toys matter.
Click to read an excerpt of More Than a Doll.
