Mapping the Great Gender Divide With Lego
As I watch my children create grand and glorious concoctions with their 6L bin of Lego (with the odd Megablock thrown into the fray), I can’t help but notice that the chasm between male and female interests begins so early.
My son works with a frenzied passion to create an elaborate (if somewhat impractical) galactic space cruiser, replete with its own armada of nimble single-man fighters and intricate weapons systems.
My daughter, on the other hand, is bent on putting together a small abode for her homeless Polly Pockets girls. The sheer number of powder rooms that she feels are necessary to keep peace in the residence is of interest. So are the closets. One is bigger than the paltry kitchen she has designed.
And so it begins. The Great Gender Divide. Boys build spaceships and girls build houses. My son wants to explore. My daughter wants to nest. My son wants excitement. My daughter wants amenities. My son craves risk. My daughter craves greater closet space.
I had no idea it started so early.
posted by Trillian @ 2:28 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
We noticed the difference when our son was about a year old. Whereas the girls would cart a doll around and wrap it up in a blanket, he gravitated to little toy cars, and crawled around crashing them into things. He couldn't say 'crash', so it was 'kaw'.
Our eldest just delivered an elaborate speech in school on...Lego. It was really impressive because he loves the topic.
I wish I knew where the gender differences come from - beyond the genetic thing, of course. If I knew, I'd be rich from the books I'd write about my findings.
And Legos the bridge.
I still have my Legos. Of course, I got them for my birthday when I was 22 or 23, so it hasn't been that long.
I expect your daughter was under immense pressure from those holier-than-thou polly pocket girls... I hear they can be very catty indeed.
Where do the genetics end, and where does the social conditioning begin? My nieces were girly from the womb, but their preference for pink went off the charts when they hit the schoolyard.
As for me, my little one favors 50 cent bones from the butcher to fifteen dollar Kongs.
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