You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

LEGO Launches 'Ready for Girls' Campaign for Gender Parity The campaign "celebrates girls who rebuild the world through creative problem solving."

By Entrepreneur Staff

entrepreneur daily
SOPA Images | Getty Images

LEGO, the popular building toy company, announced Sunday that it is launching a "Ready for Girls" campaign after commissioning research from the Geena Davis Institute on gender norms in play.

The campaign "celebrates girls who rebuild the world through creative problem solving."

The researchers surveyed almost 7,000 parents and children between the ages of six and 14 around the world, finding that girls feel increasingly confident to engage in a variety of play and creative activities, but are held back by societal stereotypes as they age. Society must rebuild its perceptions, actions and words, according to the Danish company.

The survey concluded "that girls are ready for the world but society isn't quite ready to support their growth through play," according to a release. LEGO cited some statistics from the research, including the revelation that 74% of boys and 62% of girls believe some activities are meant only for girls and some are meant only for boys. Notably, 82% of girls and 71% of boys believe it's fine for girls to play football and boys to do ballet.

The surveyed adults had different conclusions, and that's where LEGO identified a problem.

Among parents, 85% are more likely to think of scientists and athletes as men than women and 89% were more likely to think of engineers as men than women. Children shared the same impressions, LEGO noted, but are much more likely than their male peers to consider a wider range of professions to be for both men and women.

LEGO Group also surveyed respondents about the toys, finding LEGO is still considered more relevant to boys than to girls. Of those who were surveyed, 76% said they would encourage LEGO play to a son, but only 24% said they would encourage it to a daughter.

"The benefits of creative play such as building confidence, creativity and communication skills are felt by all children and yet we still experience age-old stereotypes that label activities as only being suitable for one specific gender. At the LEGO Group we know we have a role to play in putting this right, and this campaign is one of several initiatives we are putting in place to raise awareness of the issue and ensure we make LEGO play as inclusive as possible. All children should be able to reach their true creative potential," said Julia Goldin, CMO of LEGO Group, in a statement.

Entrepreneur Staff

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

'Wildly Inappropriate': Woman Says She Was Denied a Job Because She Didn't Wear Makeup During the Interview

Melissa Weaver was applying for a VP of HR job at a tech company via video.

Business News

From Tom Brady to Kevin O'Leary – See Who Lost Big in the Wake of the FTX Crypto Collapse

The crash exposed an $8 billion hole in FTX's accounts, leaving investors and customers scrambling to recoup their funds.

Business News

This Highly-Debated Piece of Cinematic History Just Sold For Over $700,000 at Auction

The wood panel from "Titanic" is often mistaken as a door. Either way, he couldn't have fit. (Sorry.)

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.