gnovis Podcast Season 3 Episode 5
Posted in Podcast
In this episode, I speak with CCT student and gnovis Outreach Director Laura Patch. We discuss how the gender gap in STEM careers is possibly connected to your favorite childhood toys. What do LEGOs and Barbies have to do with the number of female scientists and engineers? And what does the future hold for girls’ toys?
This LEGO ad from 1980 has been featured on a number of blogs recently.
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This little girl has grown up, and was recently interviewed about her childhood experiences. Rachel Giordano says: “In 1981, LEGOs were ‘Universal Building Sets’ and that’s exactly what they were…for boys and girls. Toys are supposed to foster creativity. But nowadays, it seems that a lot more toys already have messages built into them before a child even opens the pink or blue package. In 1981, LEGOs were simple and gender-neutral, and the creativity of the child produced the message. In 2014, it’s the reverse: the toy delivers a message to the child, and this message is weirdly about gender.”
What might LEGO have for little girls in 2025?
Click here to see Laura’s project on the Future of Girls’ Toys.