Even when Lego release a set in "girly" colours there is a stigma for girls to play with construction toys.

I didn't read the whole thread, but I think this is the whole source of the problem. Some males seem to think that if you make it pink enough, it will appeal to girls. Most of us will have noticed that about every toy store has a "pink section".

I don't think "girly colors" are the answer to appealing more to girls (but I don't know of a survey that supports or opposes that). Stereotypically, girls like to think of stories and adventures for their characters and play them, and boys like large vehicles (trains, trucks, bulldozers). I think girls are just not that much into "building" and every single lego set needs to be built before it can be played with and I think that might be part of the cause.

I have a book on game design lying around that has a small section about computer games for girls, if I don't forget I could check out what the authors are saying about the subject.

Well, boys don't like dolls but girls do. Even if we do have female figs, there are male dolls for girls too. Do you know what I mean?

If I remember correctly, I have once read about a survey that showed that boys instantly grasp to vehicles and stuff, while girls don't seem to care what they're playing with. Not sure though, and can't find a reference.

Why does Lego appeal more to the male gender than the female? I know there are some female members here but most of them are male. Even when I go to stores, I see all these little boys crowding around the Lego but no girls. Why is it this way?

Pretty simple question.

Building has always appealed more to males.

It's just always been that way, what's the ratio of female construction workers?? Exactly, practically none.

When LEGO started it started out with car's and buildings, and you had to build them, hence it was a males toy.

I admit that is changing now but that's how it started.

Pretty simple question.

Building has always appealed more to males.

It's just always been that way, what's the ratio of female construction workers?? Exactly, practically none.

When LEGO started it started out with car's and buildings, and you had to build them, hence it was a males toy.

I admit that is changing now but that's how it started.

Not entirely true, many girls feel/are pressured by society to conform to a centuries old idea about the place of women, I have been trying to trace back to when all these ideas started (I mean there must have been some point where a healthy human being was judged on what they could do, not what they 'should' do) but it gets a bit bland wading through tiresome MadFem vitrol and "evidence". But I digress. My point is, there aren't many women in construction because they have been 'forced' not to, I know plenty of girls who have exactly as much fun shopping as they do smashing a brick wall with a sledge hammer and putting up a new one.

When Lego started boys and girls were on the adverts, boxes and catalogue pictures, however the stigma attatched to any girl wanting to construct (not just play house) meant that more boys played with and bought lego, so marketing followed suite.

In fact a friend of my mother's had original lego bricks that her and her sister played with (no brothers at all) and about four generations of the family have all played with it (Parents, the aforementioned friend of my mother and her sister, their children and a grndchild, not to mention me and many many others).

To sum up: Girls like to build and create as much as boys, society just didn't like them to do so until recently.

a california beach (with womens volleyball!!!!!!),

spa thingy,

This is how you get teenage boys hooked on LEGO, Not girls.

Anyway I agree we need more sets like hairdressers, houses, gardens, parks, hatchback car (feel free to call me a sexist pig again Alice.. or was it Sandy IDK I get you two mixed up I can't help it whenever I think hatchback I think "girl's car" ).

Edited September 9, 200915 yr by Darth_Legois

Not entirely true, many girls feel/are pressured by society to conform to a centuries old idea about the place of women, I have been trying to trace back to when all these ideas started (I mean there must have been some point where a healthy human being was judged on what they could do, not what they 'should' do) but it gets a bit bland wading through tiresome MadFem vitrol and "evidence". But I digress. My point is, there aren't many women in construction because they have been 'forced' not to, I know plenty of girls who have exactly as much fun shopping as they do smashing a brick wall with a sledge hammer and putting up a new one.

When Lego started boys and girls were on the adverts, boxes and catalogue pictures, however the stigma attatched to any girl wanting to construct (not just play house) meant that more boys played with and bought lego, so marketing followed suite.

In fact a friend of my mother's had original lego bricks that her and her sister played with (no brothers at all) and about four generations of the family have all played with it (Parents, the aforementioned friend of my mother and her sister, their children and a grndchild, not to mention me and many many others).

To sum up: Girls like to build and create as much as boys, society just didn't like them to do so until recently.

I agree with you as a whole, but I do think that in terms of construction workers, there is a very important biological factor that we can't deny: working in construction requires a lot of physical strength and on average men are physically stronger than women. We can talk equal rights and social pressure as much as we want, but we can't deny biology. That's not to say that there are no women who are strong enough to do it or that women ought to be actively discouraged from wanting such jobs, of course.

Cheers,

Ralph

Not entirely true, many girls feel/are pressured by society to conform to a centuries old idea about the place of women, I have been trying to trace back to when all these ideas started (I mean there must have been some point where a healthy human being was judged on what they could do, not what they 'should' do) but it gets a bit bland wading through tiresome MadFem vitrol and "evidence". But I digress. My point is, there aren't many women in construction because they have been 'forced' not to, I know plenty of girls who have exactly as much fun shopping as they do smashing a brick wall with a sledge hammer and putting up a new one.

When Lego started boys and girls were on the adverts, boxes and catalogue pictures, however the stigma attatched to any girl wanting to construct (not just play house) meant that more boys played with and bought lego, so marketing followed suite.

In fact a friend of my mother's had original lego bricks that her and her sister played with (no brothers at all) and about four generations of the family have all played with it (Parents, the aforementioned friend of my mother and her sister, their children and a grndchild, not to mention me and many many others).

To sum up: Girls like to build and create as much as boys, society just didn't like them to do so until recently.

Female rights achivement was a really good social revolution. Women are beautiful and deserve to be treated like human beings.

Now, on-topic, the most guilties are parents, untill a certain age.

My parents never bought new toys for me on their own, not because I did not want, but, because I really never asked for them and I had my brother's toys already. Sure, when we went to the supermarket and there were nice toys, I asked them, but only rarely I'd get them.

I wasn't really into LEGO on my childhood. I only started collecting when I was 12. And now I ask my parents for LEGO all the time, to compensate those times when I did not ask for it.

The question is: since I wasn't influenced by my parents, why did I prefer *ahem*boy*ahem* toys?

I would say its for multiple reasons. Most have been mentioned in this topic.

It's considered manly to build stuff. So parents/society encourage boys to play with manly toys. And they discourage girls from playing with manly toys. Then the nature vs nurture stuff kicks in. Most children will obey their parents and the society rules as they grow up and fall into those preset gender roles. And then a small minority(say less than 50%) will insist on doing whatever they want. Thus the high ratio of males playing with lego vs females playing with lego.