Could Playing with Barbies Limit Girls' Career Choices? Study

Researchers from Oregon State University discovered that girls who play with Barbie dolls may see fewer career options for themselves than boys.

"Playing with Barbie has an effect on girls' ideas about their place in the world," said Aurora M. Sherman, an associate professor in the School of Psychological Science at OSU, via a press release. "It creates a limit on the sense of what's possible for their future. While it's not a massive effect, it is a measurable and statistically significant effect."

The study notes that Sherman's experiment was designed to better understand how Barbie might influence girl's career choices. As much of the past research involving Barbie has been primarily observational studies with children and toys in natural settings, this experiment worked with specific toy control variables in which the children involved were allowed to play with.

The experiment involved girls from the ages of 4 to 7 who were randomly assigned to play with one of three dolls: a fashion Barbie with dress and high-heeled shoes; a career Barbie with a doctor's coat and stethoscope; or a Mrs. Potato Head with accessories such as purses and shoes. Researchers used the Mrs. Potato Head doll as a neutral choice as it does not carry any sexualized characteristics, as Barbie does.

After a few minutes of plays, the girls were asked if they could do any of 10 occupations when they grew up. They were also asked if boys could do those jobs, half of which were traditionally male or female-dominated.

Findings showed that girls who played with the Barbie felt that they could do fewer jobs than those who played with the Mrs. Potato Head, who reported close to the same number of possible careers as the boys.

Girls who played with barbies dressed in different career outfits-including a doctor's uniform or party outfit-also showed no difference in choosing more career choices.

Researchers concluded that certain toys, including dolls or action figures, can influence a child's ideas regarding their future career path. However, more research is needed to better understand this complexity.

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Sex Roles.