Exploring gender in toys-libraries: An analysis of affordances and play episodes involving children and their parents

This four-year inquiry aims at exploring how gender shapes play in toy-librarians, by looking at their affordances and play episodes involving children and their parents. Research has shown that gender-typed toy play takes place in many daily contexts (family, center-based care, kindergarten, school) and contribute to children’s development of gender-type preferences and behaviors (Rouyer, 2007; Weisgram & Dinella, 2018). Toy-libraries are children's areas offering playgrounds, toys and games that are suppose to encourage free-play and choices (Mayfield, 1993). The theoretical framework draws upon current multidisciplinary theories of children’s play (Corsaro, 1997, Vygotsky, 1967) and gender development (Blakemore, Berenbaum & Liben 2009; Rouyer, 2007). We used a qualitative, interpretative research paradigm (Guba, 1981) and socio-ethnographical approach (Beaud & Weber, 1997) in two contrasted French toy-libraries. We led semi-structured interviews (6 with toy-librarians, 15 with parents and children), 3 filmed commented-walks for each toy-library and 39 sessions of observations (36 ethnographical, 3 filmed). We proceeded with a thematic content analysis in a comprehensive approach. Ethical considerations of qualitative research were respected (consent form to each participant, participants' pseudonyms). Our findings show that the affordances and the spatial organization vary according to the toy-library's play project. Despite the principle of free play, children's choices of toys and games and playful interactions with children or parents are often gender-typed. These findings suggest implications for how toy-librarians could better considerate gender effects in free-play interactions, to promote a less gendered culture of play.

Véronique Rouyer, Corinne Ponce, Stephanie Rubi, Stéphanie Constans, Yannick Hernández. Exploring gender in toys-libraries: An analysis of affordances and play episodes involving children and their parents. 30th EECERA Conference, Cultures of play : actors, affordances and arenas, University of Strathclyde, Aug 2022, Glasgow, United Kingdom. ⟨hal-05592569⟩ (lien externe)