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She's certainly correct there are far fewer women working in science-related jobs. According to an analysis of Office for Statistics data by Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, just 13 per cent of all those working in these so-called STEM occupations (including the female-dominated nursing profession) in the UK are women. The number of women (top) and men working in STEM occupations Is this imbalance caused by gender stereotypes encountered by people when they are young children? Yes, say some campaigners, and toys play a role. One campaign group, set up by parents, is called Let Toys be Toys. Megan Perryman, from the group, says: "Every child is different. Every child has their own individual interests. It is important they can pick up any toy they want. I wouldn't want to take my children into any shop that divided their toys in half." "We don't have a problem with girls playing with dolls. Of course we don't. And it is very hard to separate nature from nurture, but we do know how persuasive marketing is."
Are these girls playing with this castle because of marketing, or because it is in their genes? Ms Willott agrees with many of the Let Toys be Toys arguments. Indeed, she was concerned enough about this problem that she invited various toy manufacturers and retailers into the House of Commons to discuss the issue, last month. “I think there are gender differences in what children are interested in, but what I have found is that the way toys are presented in shops is very different and some are done on gender, some on category of toy, some on the age of children. I suspect that the way shops are laid out may well affects what parents give to their children,” Ms Willott told the Telegraph. This is not the first time that shops have found themselves in the firing line. Back in 2011, Hamleys, which describes itself as the "world's finest toy shop", removed its “girls' floor” and its “boys' floor” of toys in favour of splitting its five-storey shop by category and brand of toys.
At the time the company said it was not reacting to pressure from some bloggers, but merely improving its "customer flow". Floor layout in 2011, before the change (left) and after (right) However a trip to Hamleys this week shows that one of its floors, the second, was unambiguously aimed at girls. The signs were pink, the shelves were pink, most of the products were pink. Here, the only Lego on display was the Lego Friends range aimed at girls, and the role play section included a set of plastic toys featuring a mop, dustpan and brush. If you want a toy dustpan and brush you need to visit the second floor where the Hello Kitty, Barbies, and nail varnishes are situated. If you want a toy tool set (as seen on the left) you have to go to the first floor where the preschool items are stocked. Hamleys did not respond to requests for a comment as to why this was so. This is far from the only example, found in toy shops, supermakets and department stores around the country. Many retailers split their toys by genders and display them on separate shelves.
This is not always the retailers' decision. It is often made by manufacturers, who are increasingly producing girls' versions and boys' versions of more or less the same toy. Take Marvin, the most popular brand of magic toys and how-to kits. At the end of 2012, it started making a range of magic tricks and equipment squarely aimed at girls. It was called Mizz Magic and the packaging was pink and sparkly. But the tricks were the same on the inside of the box. So why do female magicians need a different set of packaging and branding? Mizz Magic is a brand created by Marvin's Magic for girls in 2012 Marvin Berglas, the creator of Marvin's Magic, is adamant that Mizz Magic was created to encourage young girls into magic, rather than trying to split customers along gender lines. He says that before Mizz Magic came along, around 60 to 65 per cent of customers, based on subsribers to the Marvin Magic Club, were boys. "Magic can be for any age, sex, gender, whatever. But demographically it has historically always been slanted towards boys.
That's just the way it's been." He says his company tested out the Mizz Magic range on the second (girly) floor of Hamleys "and it did very well" and then he decided to roll it out. He adds: "It has brought girls into magic, partly because of where it is located in the store and partly because of the marketing and packaging. There are just some girls who would prefer to have that girly princess colour, rather than that dark, edgy packaging which might appeal to older boys." He could not give details bout how much the 60 per cent to 65 per cent figure had changed, but says: "I'm sure it has increased the proportion of girl magicians. And these are incremental customers." Another brand to decide to bring out a pink version and a blue version of its products is VTech, which specialises in pre-school electronics and educational gadgets. VTech was not able to comment why it produces a pink and a blue version of so many of its products. The most famous brand of toys to bring out a range of toys aimed specifially at girls is Lego.
The Danish toy company brought out the Lego Friends range at the end of 2011. Centred around a group of six female friends, the sets featured a vet, an icecream van, a pool party and a fashion design studio. But Lego, like Marvin, says that the Friends range introduced the brand to a whole new group of children. Previously, Lego was predominantly bought by and for boys. The company's assertions are backed up by independent market research company, NPD, which monitors the children's toy and products market. NPD says that in 2010, the year before Lego Friends was introduced, 13 per cent of Lego's customers were girls. In 2013 that shot up to 27 per cent. Girls who previously were not interested in Lego started playing with Lego. Does any of this really matter? Many parenting groups -- not just the single-issue lobby groups -- believe that it does. They argue that girls' horizons could be limited by what toys they play with as children. Justine Roberts, the founder of Mumsnet, told the Telegraph: "Continuing to foist gender-stereotyped toys on our children in an age where more women than men are going to university seems very odd.
Girls are just as likely to love action figures, trains and Lego as princess palaces, dolls and cooking stoves. The key is to give them the chance to figure out what floats their boats rather than back them into a sparkly pink corner.” Sparkly and pink Ms Willott agrees: “I don’t think you’d ever be able to prove a causal link between the toys that children play with at the age of two, and what they do 20 years later...But girls need to have choices available to them and their options kept open.” Is there a solution? Last year, in America, the GoldieBlox brand of toys was launched by Debbie Sterling, who has a degree in engineering from Stanford University. It is a construction toy aimed at girls. There is pink involved, but not too much and there are certainly no fairies. It is a little like Meccano, and children can construct basic engines and structures, but it has rounded corners and soft textures. Some of the pieces look like they belong in an arts and crafts cupboard. The wheels are shaped like thread bobbins, their axles resemble pencils, and instead of rubber bands there are ribbons.