What If Parents Are The Ones Holding Kids Back From Their Potential?

LEGO commissioned research from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender In The Media and got some pretty surprising results. The attitudes of kids themselves were what you might expect. “74% of boys and 62% of girls believe some activities are meant only for girls and some are meant only for boys.” Among parents, though, “85% are more likely to think of scientists and athletes as men than women and 89% were more likely to think of engineers as men than women.” The differences in perceptions between parents and kids were the most disturbing result from the research.

When kids feel limitations on what they can do based on their gender, it may often start with their parents. Since I’m assuming most parents would never want to do this intentionally, what the research seems to suggest is that parents’ unconscious beliefs and behaviors demonstrate this intolerance to their children. In other words, children learn their limitations from us. LEGO made their own move to try and change this, announcing they will make all toys gender-neutral.