Gender Roles and Home Decor

Social theory, how I missed you! It was many years ago that I noticed a troubling trend in the kids section of the home furnishings catalogs I loved to browse. I was, of course, either in or just out of college, so my injustice radar was not as diluted as it is now. Years of being outside the academic world has taken its toll.

However, what I noticed in these catalogs was a clear delineation of gender roles for girls and boys. Before these children could even understand the implications of being a man or a woman in American society, these companies were steering them in the direction of traditional gender roles. The distinction moves beyond just pink for girls and blue for boys. Girl's decor is characterized by decorative and largely useless adornment. There is a passive element here as the dominant characteristic is merely something nice to look at. Boy's decor on the other hand is full of action-oriented themes and actual jobs. In boy's rooms you will find things to do; in girl's something to gaze upon.

Let's compare some pictures:

 Lindsey Butterfly Bedroom

Here we have a typical girl's bedroom from Pottery Barn Kids. Admittedly, I would have died to have this room as a little girl. What's not to love? Pink, a mosquito net, superfluous pillows, oh and pink. For many, this room represents an aesthetic apex. I think the problem here is the fact that it is so decorative. Girls are programmed to be drawn to these beautiful but essentially useless designs. There's nothing to do but sit around and admire your surroundings. 

In contrast, here's a typical boy's room, also from Pottery Barn Kids:

Danny Bedroom

This is one of the more decorative of the boy's rooms from Pottery Barn. However, there are immediate differences. There are several things in this room that draw you outside of the room: a map, a bike, a camera and a compass. All these objects are associated with actions. You study a map (presumably while preparing for or on a journey), you ride a bike, take pictures with a camera and are guided by a compass. The owner of this bedroom has the choice of any number of activities. The little girl with the above bedroom might read a book or maybe look at whatever is in the jars on her windowsill.

These two rooms encourage two entirely different sensibilities. The boy is surrounded by options whereas the girl is surrounded by mere decor. I think this has definite repercussions on how girls and boys view themselves, however subtle. 

Here's another comparison:

Here are animals two different ways (from Company Kids). What's interesting here is that we have two very old fashioned and culturally acceptable pastimes for men and women. Horseback riding has long been an activity where women can excel. Women can even compete in these competitions. Safaris, however, were mainly dominated by men intent on killing and stuffing exotic animals. So here we are, hundreds of years later, enforcing gender stereotypes for children who otherwise live fairly on the level with each other. Never mind just the pure visual impact of the two rooms. Which one looks more exciting?

I have to applaud The Land of Nod for including in their "Girl Bedding" these options: 

As well as these:

Normally sports themes are solely for boys. Let's hope it wasn't some categorization error.

Sadly though, we have places like Kidsdecor.net that lists their themes as follows:

Themes For Boys
Airplanes
Blue and Chocolate
Boats and Sailing
Camouflage
Cars and Trucks
Construction
Cowboy / Western
Dinosaurs
EMS / Fire/Police
Great Outdoors
Pirates
Space
Sports
Surfer
Trains

Themes For Girls
Angels/ Fairies
Ballerina
Beach Party
Bunny Rabbits
Butterflies
Flowers
Hearts
Mermaids
Paris
Pink / Chocolate
Pretty in Pink
Princess
Tea Party
Teen
Toile

There are ten boy themes that are or represent professions (Camouflage as representative of the military). Alternately, there is one girl theme that represents a profession (Ballerina). We could stretch to say that Bunny Rabbits could represent being a veterinarian, so that would make two. Two versus ten. That's not a very veiled message. And that is what these decor differences underscore--boys can be something; girls can look good. We characterize girl-ness as being about pretty things and boy-ness as being about action.

Sure there are more women than men in the workforce now, but are we making more money? No. And this employment situation is due in large part to the fact that women tend to be in jobs such as education and health care, areas that are often not hit as hard. You might be thinking it's going too far to compare bedroom furnishings and equal pay in the workplace, but I don't want to overlook the powerful messages girls and boys get about their genders at a young age. If we're telling boys to go out there and do stuff and we're telling girls to sit around and look pretty, where does that stop? Women are less likely than men to ask for raises.

We live in a materialistic culture and we all tend to define ourselves by what we wear and what we keep around us. The toys children play with and, yes, the decorations in their room all impact who they are and how they see themselves. I have no problem with encouraging boys to achieve in a career field or be active. I'd just like the same for girls. Maybe the girl with the Lindsey Butterfly bedroom will be inspired to become an interior decorator or the next Martha Stewart. But how about giving her the option for a doctor themed room? CEO in Pink? Who knows, it could happen.