New frontier for White House women and girls initiative: Toys

WASHINGTON — Since President Obama established the White House Council on Women and Girls in 2009, his administration has championed any number of gender equality issues, including equal pay, science and technology education and sexual assault.

Wednesday, the White House is starting even earlier: Girls' toys.

Studies show that the kinds of media and toys that boys and girls are exposed to can influence how they see gender roles and opportunities later in life. So Wednesday, the White House is hosting toy, media, and retail industry representatives to a conference with parents, academics and activists to talk about ideas to break down gender stereotypes in young girls.

"We’re hosting the conference because we know that the TV, movies, and videos that kids watch, and the toys with which they play, can have a real impact on the skills they develop and their aspirations," White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said in a post on the White House blog. "This impact goes beyond child development. This affects the quality of our workforce, and has the potential to affect our economy for decades to come."

One source of the pay gap between men and women is that some of the fastest-growing and highest-paying technology jobs are going to men, the White House said.

Tina Tchen, the chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama and director of the Council on Women and Girls, said the White House was not proposing any legislation or taking any executive action, but simply using the convening power of the White House to draw attention to the issue.

Even many parents may not realize the subtle ways that they're being steered toward gender stereotypes, she said.

Using toys for both boys, girls may be good for kids

"I've been shopping in toy stores for 25 years and didn’t realize what was happening," Tchen said. "I was being directed to the boys 7-12 section or the girls 7-12 section of the toy stores, and that right there directs you to very specific toys, divided by gender."

Tchen said any change has to be driven by a change in consumer attitudes.

"We know by definition that companies are not non-profits. They’re driven by consumer demand," she said. "Everyone has a role to play, including media and toy companies."

The White House has already gotten commitments from a number of toy and media companies, including:

► Netflix will renew the young teen-oriented Project Mc2 series, which features four science-skilled girls recruited as spies.

► Two magazines, Family Fun and Parents, will consider whether toys perpetuate gender stereotypes when they review new toys.

► The Toy Industry Association will discuss the issue at its annual conference, PlayCon.

Called the Conference on Helping our Children Explore, Learn, and Dream without Limits: Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes in Media and Toys, the event will take place at the White House all day Wednesday.