It was interesting to read that Lego is launching a range ‘just for girls’: see link
Part of Lego’s argument appears to be that this will help to encourage a generation of girls to construct things. And as we are regularly told that the UK needs to produce more people who design and make stuff, you can’t argue with that.
If this plays some small part in helping girls to ultimately remember that engineering is as relevant to them as boys and it takes ‘more tactile and animal like’ products to achieve that, then fine. I’d be more than happy if my daughter followed that career path. Having created PR campaigns for several UK manufacturers in the past I’ve always been full of respect for the strategic capability and pure hard work put in by many people employed in those sectors.
It does however always irk me a little that toys need to be made ‘for’ girls or boys and there seem to be fewer things available aimed at both. Wandering down the aisles of a major retailer yesterday with black toys on one side and pink on another was a little dispiriting to say the least.
Maybe this is all still relatively new to me as a mum of a toddler and I’ll learn that getting my daughter to play with a tool set after a certain age is not so easy. But isn’t it worth at least trying?