Children learn to understand gender categories and roles typical for women and men from the earliest stages of their life. Toys, by which they are surrounded in everyday routine, may have a significant role in their knowledge of cultural norms and societal expectations, but also might have a great impact on children’s health in the context of psychosocial development. Parental attitudes can also be an important moderator of the choice of gender-stereotyped toys. The aim of the study was to investigate parents’ perspectives on toys’ appropriateness for children according to gender, and to analyze parents’ knowledge about the labeling of toys in shops. In total, 526 parents from big cities participated in the study; to assess parental knowledge and perspectives on toys’ categorization, The World of Toys questionnaire was used. The results indicated that most parents from big cities observe that toys are arranged according to the child’s age and sex and the toys’ functionality. Moreover, in parents’ opinion, the compliance with the role of a woman or man affects categorization the most. Furthermore, both parents tended to attribute toys to both sexes more often than they believe the stores do. To conclude, despite the still visible division of toys in shops, Polish parents from big cities are more liberal and egalitarian than shops are when it comes to the perception of toys’ appropriateness, allowing children to play with most toys regardless of their sex.
Background: The goal of this paper is to examine to what extent levels of femininity and masculinity are associated with practicing several types of health behaviours among individuals who are physically active and inactive. Material/Methods: A total of 559 individuals aged between 35 and 45 (M = 39.4; SD = 3.2) took part in the study. The inactive group consisted of 211 individuals (n = 85 women, n = 126 men), and the active group consisted of 348 individuals (n = 131 women, n = 217 men). The participants completed the following pen-and-paper questionnaires: the Psychological Gender Inventory, the Health Behaviours Inventory, and the Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives. Results: Physical activity and androgynous psychological gender were shown to be associated with the levels of health behaviours in men and women. Among men, femininity turned out to be a factor protective against hegemonic masculinity, while among women it was observed that it is mainly masculinity that correlates with health behaviours. Physical activity was associated with a better psychological attitude. Conclusion: It is possible to treat physical activity as a protective factor against decreased mood and an aid in coping with decreased mood. Society and culture should encourage the development of femininity and masculinity from the earliest years. Future research on masculinity and femininity and pro-health behaviours should be aimed at looking for ways to promote physical activity among undifferentiated individuals.
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