My approach to rethinking gender in the toy industry was to design a STEM toy for girls and reimagine it to appeal to girls’ interests, imaginations, and play patterns.
It is important because When it comes to STEM fields, women are massively underrepresented. In the USA women made up just 26% of the computing workforce and 13% of the engineering in 2016. A similar story can be found in other developed nations, with women only making up 23% of the core STEM workforce in the UK. Given that jobs in these sectors earn significantly more on average than non-STEM careers, it is vital for wage equality that women become better represented in these fields.
Also, Research has shown time and time again that there is no difference in science and math ability of boys and girls, so the aptitude argument can no longer be used to explain the shortfall. To contrast, we now know gender stereotyping to be one of the major causes, with studies showing the beliefs about what subjects are for what genders can be formed as early as 6 years old! These ideas then go on to influence everything from basic interests to career choices.
So the age old notion that girls should play with dolls & kitchen sets and boys with building blocks is not only outdated, but harmful to child development. I think that changing this paradigm is essential to help break gender stereotypes and ensure girls have equal opportunities to pursue STEM.
It is important because When it comes to STEM fields, women are massively underrepresented. In the USA women made up just 26% of the computing workforce and 13% of the engineering in 2016. A similar story can be found in other developed nations, with women only making up 23% of the core STEM workforce in the UK. Given that jobs in these sectors earn significantly more on average than non-STEM careers, it is vital for wage equality that women become better represented in these fields.
Also, Research has shown time and time again that there is no difference in science and math ability of boys and girls, so the aptitude argument can no longer be used to explain the shortfall. To contrast, we now know gender stereotyping to be one of the major causes, with studies showing the beliefs about what subjects are for what genders can be formed as early as 6 years old! These ideas then go on to influence everything from basic interests to career choices.
So the age old notion that girls should play with dolls & kitchen sets and boys with building blocks is not only outdated, but harmful to child development. I think that changing this paradigm is essential to help break gender stereotypes and ensure girls have equal opportunities to pursue STEM.
Prototype
This toy included 3 Activities.
1. Learn about the knowledge of flowers: young girl could build 3 types of different flower and understand fundamental knowledge about flower and plant.
2. Gears motion: This set supports critical thinking and fine motor skills. this set come with pieces shape like gear, cranks, stems and more, and all the part are interchangeable, therefore girls can creative garden design then use the cranks to put their creativity in motion.
3. Role play: to engaged more with young girls, this set also include 3 miniatures, bee, snail and butterfly that girl could role play with them.
Presentation Rendering
Mood Board
Tech Pack
