Questioning the Status Quo Is Essential for Driving Meaningful Change
29 January, 2025 · Jodi Bondi Norgaard
Jodi Bondi Norgaard, entrepreneur and author, offers insights on igniting critical thinking and fostering innovation to drive meaningful change and advance gender equality.
In 2009 I started a toy company to fix a toy problem. As an entrepreneur frustrated by the lack of diverse options for girls — especially in a market saturated with seventy-five brands of fashion dolls — I sought to shake up the toy industry. My solution was a sports-themed doll to break gender stereotypes. What soon became abundantly clear was that this “toy problem” grew up with kids and followed them into adulthood. When limited toy-options stifle a child’s imagination about what they can do or become, it’s not only bad for child development, it’s also bad for society. The “grown up” problem of gender equality begins with child’s play.
And yet, the toy industry remains stuck in gender stereotypes. In 2022 I helped commission a study for the Toy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Toy Association, a business trade group, with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, on whether gender norms are reinforced in toys and toy advertising and marketing. The 33-page report reinforced what I already knew: blatant gender stereotyping exists.
In an experiment with ChatGPT, I asked the AI program to generate a toy for girls, which resulted in an elaborate pink playhouse. Nice enough. I suspect little girls would happily play along. But when I asked for a toy for boys, the result was an entire town: houses, businesses, schools — a whole world beyond a home. AI generated queries — much like the real toy market — offer toys designed for girls that revolve around crafting and storytelling — think beads, fabric, and accessories — that aim to teach fine motor skills, patience, and creativity. Conversely, toys designed for boys emphasize exploration and problem-solving: construction sets that combine building with adventure, world-building using blocks, action figures, and tools, which fosters skills in engineering, spatial reasoning, and mechanics.
This particular result makes clear the entrenched and unconscious biases that persist regarding gender roles. There is a thru-line when creative play is limited to “toys for girls” or “toys for boys,” to workforce composition and strength of our economy, when fewer females pursue STEM or leadership positions and males disregard more nurturing careers like teaching and nursing. And what of the harm that might build over a woman’s lifetime — from career advancement to equal pay and sexism to violence. People think, “It’s just a toy,” dismissing the impact that builds one toy at a time.
Despite nearly 200 years of women fighting for equality, the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report from the World Economic Forum indicates we still have 130 years of work ahead. Alarmingly, the United Nations’ 2023 report shows a regression in gender equality. I think we could put gender equality on a fast track if we worked harder at solving the problem when it starts, which is when a child is old enough to hold a toy, a book, or a screen. Let’s ensure they reflect a world where every child can envision their full potential, paving the way to achieve gender equality.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard
Jodi Bondi Norgaard is an entrepreneur, author, feminist advocate, keynote speaker, consultant, and an expert in creating change, and breaking gender stereotypes. She is the author of More Than A Doll: How Creating a Sports Dolls Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes (Post Hill Press, January 2025), which connects the dots from sexualized dolls, to the subtle damage inflicted on girls’ confidence, to implicit biases we hold about gender, to decisions we make as adults that prevent true gender equity. Jodi is the founder of Dream Big Toy Company and the creator of the award-winning Go! Go! Sports Girls line of dolls, books, and apps for girls encouraging healthy and active play over beauty and body image. She is an activist pushing media and retail to do a better job portraying women and girls beyond stereotypes. As a toy industry thought leader, Jodi serves on the White House Gender Policy Council collaborating on policy as it relates to children’s toys, content, and publishing. She is a DEIB consultant specializing in gender equality and spearheaded and co-chaired the first Toy Association DEIB Committee to expand play. She has been featured on national media including The Today Show, The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson, Forbes, Upworthy, Parents, Shape, Self, Runner’s World, Advertising Age, Good Housekeeping, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Huffington Post. In 2016, she was named by Women’s Running as one of 20 Women Who Are Changing the Sport of Running and the World. She is also a contributor to Ms. Magazine. Jodi has been called, "A true hero in her own right." She shares her passion for social impact with audiences and illustrates how strong values can change an industry, even the world. She encourages individuals to think with a creative and innovative approach and to persist through adversity.